Staff Blogs

Tall tales from the outdoors. Outside staff are often to be found running over moors, trekking up mountains and climbing up everything from high mountains to Stanage boulders. Occasionally they'll even be caught squeezing under mountains, and every year at least two of them will find some way to climb a frozen Kinder Downfall. When we can persuade them to stop moving for long enough, we get them to write it all down and share some of the photos they've taken. Welcome to the Outside staff blogs.

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All change on the Daxueshan range

Trekking in Sichuan China

In the Autumn of 2019, I led my 4th trekking expedition to the Minya Konka Massif, in the Daxueshan Range in Sichuan China. It is a part of the world that is experiencing rapid changes on several fronts. Like all mountain areas, climate change is altering the weather patterns and taking its toll on the glaciers. Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged mountaineering, Tom Richardson, Expedition, Trekking, Staff Blog, China on 15th November 2019 by Tom Richardson.
West Greenland Expedition - glacier research trip

This August 2019, Outside staff member Jo Zanker and 10 other students travelled to west Greenland as part of the University of Sheffield Polar and Alpine Change MSc course. This is the story of the expedition and her experience on the glacier, together with some spectacular photos. West Greenland Research Expedition Our two...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged glacier walking, Greenland, Glacier, Russell Glacier, research trip, Joanna Zanker, University of Sheffield on 1st November 2019 by admin.
Fjällräven Bergtagen - more than just a backpack

When someone mentions Fjällräven, the first thing people usually think of is the square, brightly coloured backpacks with the little foxes: the Kånken. For a long time that is how I thought of the brand too, but they are so much more than that, and they wanted to tell me why...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Shop News & Events, Staff Blogs and tagged winter climbing, Crampons, Walking boots, fjallraven, Gear Test, Rob Turnbull, Abisko, glacier walking on 14th October 2019 by Rob Turnbull.
FutureLight: The North Face in Zermatt

In September 2018 Dan, our North Face representative, called to say that he had a great opportunity for my brother and me. He wasn’t wrong! James and I were invited to the launch of an exciting new fabric technology called FutureLight which The North Face had been working on for...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Shop News & Events, Staff Blogs, Clothing and tagged winter climbing, Alpine Climbing, James Turnbull, The North Face, ice climbing, Gear Test, FutureLight, Rob Turnbull, Summit Series, Matterhorn, Swizterland, Waterproof jackets, mountain climbing on 26th September 2019 by Rob Turnbull.
Two out of three ain’t bad - expeditions in Mongolia

A popular cliché of a decade or so ago was that you can’t step in the same river twice. Although from a distance it might look the same, the water, vegetation, animal life, state of the banks and so on have changed. This is also true in mountains; you can’t...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Shop News & Events, Staff Blogs and tagged climbing, mountaineering, Tom Richardson, Expedition, Mongolia, Staff Blog, crevasse on 24th September 2019 by Tom Richardson.
Walking Offa's Dyke in seven days

Unused holiday and limited time to use it forced a quick decision to walk the Offa’s Dyke Path. The appeal was threefold: walking a National Trail in one solo backpacking journey; the ODP has a certain purity of line stretching south to north along the Welsh-English border and from coast to...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged camping, Staff Blog, walking, chris harle, backpacking, Offa's Dyke on 9th September 2019 by Chris Harle.
Peaks, Passes and Glacier Glasses

The summer of 2019 was my fourth consecutive season climbing and trekking in the Karakoram and overall my 13th trip to the mountains of Pakistan since my first visit way back in 1987. You’d be right in guessing that I like the place, who wouldn’t? If you like mountains and...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Shop News & Events, Staff Blogs and tagged climbing, mountaineering, Tom Richardson, Trekking, Himalayas, Staff Blog, Karakoram on 9th August 2019 by Tom Richardson.
Kayaks in Scotland, canoes in Essex

Sea kayaking on the north west coast of Scotland and canoeing on the River Stour on the borders of Suffolk and Essex provided polar opposites of paddling experiences during June. My annual trip to Scotland with Martin, a friend from the Gower in south Wales, was a continuation north from...

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged camping, Scotland, Staff Blog, Kayaking, Canoeing on 8th July 2019 by Chris Harle.
Unexpected Fire and Ice - Winter Trekking in Manaslu

Ever since my first winter trip in 1996 I have been an enthusiast for visiting Nepal out of the main trekking/climbing seasons. There are many benefits; most notably the weather is usually very much to my taste – that is cold and clear. Also, there are very few other foreigners around even in popular areas such as Everest or Annapurna.

Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged Tom Richardson, Trekking, Himalayas, Wild Country, Nepal, Mountain Equipment, Manaslu, Hoolie Tent on 2nd May 2019 by Tom Richardson.
The Hope Valley Skyline

For the last few years, Outside staff have run the Edale Mountain Rescue classic route, The Nine Edges as an annual shop running challenge.

This year we decided to change the route, mainly just for the sake of a change, but also to get around the transport logistics of a linear route that didn’t start or finish at the shop! Continue reading →

This entry was posted in Shop News & Staff Blogs, Staff Blogs and tagged Trail Running, Peak District, fell running, winter running, Hope Valley, Hathersage, Rob Turnbull on 2nd May 2019 by Rob Turnbull.

Staff Blogs

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Trekking in Sichuan China