Aconcagua banner

Subscribe

The Hunt for Mount Everest – interview with Craig Storti

Craig Storti - The Hunt for Mount Everest book cover

Craig Storti is the author of the newly released book ‘The Hunt for Mount Everest’, which explores the history of the mountain before the 1920s and the first ascent. We spoke to Craig to find out more about him and his book.

Read More

An interview with mountain medicine doctor Jeremy Windsor

Mt Kenya

In this interview, we spoke to Jeremy Windsor, a climber, mountain medicine doctor, and Consultant in Anaesthetics and Critical Care at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.

Read More

An interview with climber Tom Livingstone

Tom climbing Book of Ages E5 6b at Gogarth. Photo: Dan Lane

In this interview, we spoke to climber and writer Tom Livingstone, about his career in climbing and the Young Alpinist Group initiative. 

Read More

Just keep walking

Just keep walking

On the morning of my second surgery, the day after I had found out that the retina had come away again, I couldn’t help thinking about the ladders on Everest and how I had no choice but to do something that frightened me over and over again.

Read More

8 Tips for thriving through isolation

Melanie Windridge Aurora book writing desk

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown many people are being forced to work from home for the first time. I’m sharing 4 tips each on the practicalities of home-working and on emotional well-being to thrive through isolation.

Read More

What is a total solar eclipse?

A total solar eclipse is a fascinating and beautiful phenomenon and creates unique conditions for scientific measurement. But what exactly is it?

Read More

How to prepare for a sporting challenge

Melanie Windridge mountaineer

Performance and functional nutrition specialist Dr. Justin Roberts shares his top tips for preparing for a sporting challenge.

Read More

How long does it take to climb Everest?

Dr M Windridge Mount Everest

Many people wonder how long it takes to climb Everest. But this question is not as simple as it sounds. Find out why.

Read More

How to survive on Everest

Climbing Mount Everest Dr M Windridge

Humans are not meant to survive above 8,000 metres (26,246 feet). Yet people have managed to climb to the highest point on Earth. Melanie explains how it feels to climb Everest and the science behind it.

Read More

Oxygen Problems on Everest 2018

Melanie Windridge - Supplementary Oxygen on Mount Everest

The 2018 Everest season heard several reports of oxygen problems, with Presenter Ben Fogle being amongst those with issues. Many climbers rely on oxygen for safety. So what was going on?

Read More

What does my cocktail have in common with glaciology?

cocktail

Whilst on holiday I was served a rather cool cocktail with a giant ice cube plugging a hole between the upper and lower chambers of the glass. What happened?

Read More

Summiting Mount Everest

Melanie Windridge in climbing gear at the summit of Mount Everest, holding a "science of Everest" banner

Climb Update: It’s Monday morning as I write this – the 28th May 2018.  Exactly one week ago I was resting in a tent at the South Col of Mount Everest having climbed to the summit that morning. 

Read More

Coordinating the summit push

Climb Update: The last couple of weeks have been just waiting, biding our time at Base Camp. However, whilst the climbers have been resting there has been a lot of activity higher up the mountain.

Read More

The ‘Rotations’: Acclimatising for the Everest summit

Climb Update: In the two weeks since we arrived at base camp, we have been up the mountain twice on what are known as “rotations” – climbing successively higher up the mountain to get used to the altitude.

Read More

Namche Bazaar (3440m): How we acclimatise to high altitudes

Climb Update: We are now in Namche Bazaar at 3440m.  We arrived yesterday lunchtime, after flying from Kathmandu to Lukla, and have spent a rest day here to aid acclimatisation. 

Read More

How meeting the Queen inspired me to climb Mount Everest

This year I’m climbing Mount Everest. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to do something so incredible, and I owe it all to Henry Day, the Mount Everest Foundation and the Queen! Here’s why…

Read More

Xtreme Everest & high altitude physiology

Last week, 23rd May 2017, was the 10th anniversary of the Cauldwell Xtreme Everest expedition, a research project that placed a medical research team on the summit of Mount Everest in 2007.

Read More

Google Singapore’s Innovative Workspace

Today I visited the new Google offices in Singapore – a collaborative workspace that supports innovation and creativity. And Google is specifically recruiting engineers.

Read More

Thoughts on Women in Science

Why should we care about girls in science?

After comments on Nature article “Women in physics face big hurdles – still,” I give my thoughts on the importance of encouraging girls in science.

Read More

Wanting my life back…

Talking to a family about fusion energy at the Royal Society Summer Exhibition 2015.

Worrying about the ever-lengthening To Do list, I found myself thinking, à la Nigel Farage, “I want my life back!” But then I thought…

Read More

Mapiraju (5424m)

Climb report from Mapiraju, a 5400m peak in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca. Climbed Saturday 18th June 2016.

Read More

Jatunmontepunchu (5421m)

Climb report from Jatunmontepuncu (Huapi), a 5400m peak in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca. Climbed Wednesday 15th June 2016.

Read More

Chopiraju Oeste (5475m)

Climb report from Chopiraju Oeste, a 5400m peak in the Peruvian Cordillera Blanca. Climbed Sunday 12th June 2016.

Read More

Climbing in Peru

Just returned from climbing in Peru’s Cordillera Blanca with an Alpine Club team, tackling various objectives in small groups.

Read More

Huaraz, Peru

Just arrived in Huaraz, Peru with the Alpine Club. Here I share photos, first impressions and our plans for climbing.

Read More

5 fascinating Antarctica facts

I would love to go to Antarctica and I’m making plans for my next project. Here are 5 crazy things I’ve learnt about Antarctica recently.

Read More

Climbing Aconcagua

Aconcagua (6962m) is the highest mountain on the South American continent, one of the Seven Summits and the highest mountain outside of Asia.

Read More

Life-saving tips – Extreme Medicine

A handful of practical tips that I’ve learned at the World Extreme Medicine Expo that might help you on your own adventures.

Read More

Insulation 2 – a different lesson

Mountain Science - preliminary results 5 This post is about an experiment I did that gave quite unexpected results. As well as looking at insulation of particular fabrics, as in the previous blog, I wanted to have a look at the insulating properties of some

Read More

Insulation

Mountain science - preliminary results 4 This experiment looks at the insulation properties of three different fabrics - cotton, primaloft and down. I did a simple test with my Vernier data logger and some samples.  I set the data logger up with three temperature probes

Read More

Ultraviolet radiation at altitude

Mountain Science – preliminary results 3 At higher altitudes, the intensity of ultraviolet (UV) radiation increases because there is less atmosphere above to absorb the ultraviolet rays.  The UV intensity also increases the closer we go towards the equator, so climbers from the UK who

Read More

Reduced air pressure & the body

Mountain Science – preliminary results 2 In the last blog we looked at how air pressure reduces at altitude and the effect this has on the boiling point of water.  This reduced air pressure also has a serious effect on the human body. Reduced air

Read More

Air pressure at altitude

Mountain Science - preliminary results 1 I've recently been looking over the data I took while on expedition to Putha Hiunchuli in Nepal.  The plan was to take some data and do some experiments looking at basic science in the mountains, particularly around issues that

Read More

Putha Hiunchuli Expedition

I just arrived home from Kathmandu yesterday evening after a month in the remote Dolpo region of western Nepal. Nine of us plus guide and sherpas were attempting to climb Putha Hiunchuli (7246m). Being home for such a short time, I’m struck by the

Read More

What is fusion?

What is fusion? Gain an overview of fusion energy, a clean, green, safe energy for the future.

Read More

Star Chambers: The Race for Fusion Power

Star Chambers by Melanie Windridge

Star Chambers, published by White Label Books, is about nuclear fusion and gives a basic introduction to fusion for energy for the general reader.  The book is based on the blogs she wrote as the Institute of Physics lecturer in 2010 and includes additional chapters, new

Read More