Homecoming. That’s what coming to climb Elbrus feels to me. I hale from a tiny republic, a 3 hour drive towards a Georgian border. When I come here my body language changes and so does my accent. Innately, I know the customs, admire hospitality, can crack a local joke, but … [Read more...]
What counts as a climb?
In a dining expedition tent in Antarctica amidst general banter about roads less travelled Sam, a 28 year old Google executive, proudly showed me a scar on his neck, a byproduct of a climbing trip to Carstensz Pyramid. 'I was held at a knife point by native tribes on the way … [Read more...]
Carstensz Ascent
A night in Nabire, West Papua. Dinner of sticky rice and deep-fried mystery meat. Beer in a brown bag in a hotel lounge. Pounding tropical rain. Scrawny kittens abandoned by a mother. Hotel room with dark green walls and airport lounge metal seats. In bed by 9pm for a 4am … [Read more...]
Politics of Adventuring
An accidental decision to do a Carstensz-Elbrus combo has accidentally thrown me back straight into the world of my alma mater, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. A flash back to the rigorous debates on the History of Diplomacy, International Law and Politics of Cold … [Read more...]
CAN YOU EAT 10 MINCE PIES IN ONE GO?
She was sitting by a roaring fire in an English pub with a plate of 10 mince pies in front of her. She proceeded to obliterate them one by one in a ritual of body-feeding and pie-sacrifice. No, Christina Franco was not doing a refashioned American ‘hot-dog’ eating challenge. … [Read more...]
