M O U N TA I N A DV E N T U R E S OV E R S E A S EXPERIENCES, PEAKS AND TRIPS OF A LIFETIME F O R LOV E R S O F H I G H P L AC E S
MOUNTAIN ADVENTURES OVERSEAS
u 1 0 0 PAG E S
F R O M S H O R TH AU L W E E K E N D S TO E XOT I C E P I C S uBE HERE!
I N S P I R AT I O N FROM EARTH’S M O S T E XC I T I N G D E S T I N AT I O N S u P L U S G R E AT E ST
T R E K S , ST U N N I N G S U M M I T S & FA ST FOREIGN ESCAPES
FROM THE MAKERS OF
MAGAZINE 74 / FO R E I G N A DV E N T U R E S
EXPERIENCE
THE EIGER: F O R WA L K E R S WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S / S I M O N I N G R A M
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EXPERIENCE
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WA L K I N T H E S H A D O W O F A N I C O N
Walking beneath the most notorious north face in the world... on a path that is dramatic as they come.
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EXPERIENCE
Descending the Aiguille du Midi’s exposed ridge en route to the glacier below. The fixed line is handy for the descent, but it’s all roped travel from here on.
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G L A C I E R WA L K I N G
G L AC I E R WA L K I N G WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S / DA N A S P E L
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EXPERIENCE
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V I A F E R R ATA
V I A F E R R ATA WO R D S / DA N A S P E L P H OTO G R A P H S / B E N W E E K S
The near-vertical via ferrata route of Sandro Pertini in the Italian Dolomites. Your ticket to the realm of climbing (minus the faff).
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EXPERIENCE
ARCTIC DOG SLEDDING WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S / B E N W E E K S
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DOG SLEDDING
Howling your way through the Arctic in frigid temperatures: all in a day’s walk for the sled dogs.
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PEAKS
FRANCE: MONT BLANC WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S / DA N A S P E L
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PEAKS
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MONT BLANC
Dawn climbers ascending Mont Blanc via the popular Go没ter Route. The Aiguille du Midi rises to the left in the middle distance. MARIO COLONEL/GETTY
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PEAKS
SPAIN: P I C O D E L TA J O D E LO S M AC H O S WO R D S / O L I R E E D P H OTO G R A P H S / B E N W E E K S
Clockwise from above left: climbing the Sierra Nevada foothills above Lanjaron; the rustic Rifugio del Cebollar: every bit as comfortable as it looks; combating the cold in the shadow of Pico del Tajo de los Machos (3085m); into ice axe and crampon territory on the broad snow slopes of the high Sierra Nevada peaks.
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PEAKS
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S I E R R A N E VA D A
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MOST ST U N N I NG M OU N TA I N S O N E AR T H
SUMMIT FEVER CAN BE BLINDING, AND WITH MOUNTAINS THIS GOBSMACKINGLY BEAUTIFUL IT’S EASY TO SEE WHY. WO R D S / R AC H E L B R O O M H E A D
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T O P 1 0 S T U N N I N G M O U N TA I N S BEN WEEKS
The ‘Savage Mountain’, as K2 has come to be called, is often touted as the world’s most dangerous peak – but if it weren’t for its grisly reputation (for every four people who stand on the summit, one doesn’t come back), it might be better known for its spectacular stature. Viewed from the south-east, the world’s second highest mountain looks every inch the 8000er it is. A 4000 metre chunk of meaty, pyramid-shaped mountain stands clear of the nearest bit of earth, cutting a devastating profile above the Godwin-Austen Glacier. Rash summit attempts most certainly aren’t advised, but gawping from a distance is unreservedly encouraged.
IMAGES & STORIES/ALAMY
t K2 PAKISTAN/CHINA, 8611m
pTHE MATTERHORN SWITZERLAND/ITALY, 4478m They don’t come much more iconic than the Matterhorn. This elegantly whittled peak taunted mountaineers for decades before it was finally climbed by Edward Whymper in 1865, the last of the great Alpine summits to be conquered. The sight of its four-sided spire twisting into the skies above Zermatt must have made its obstinacy all the more maddening for Victorian climbers – because of all the Alpine peaks, the sculpted lines of the Matterhorn are surely the most captivating. But with every route cracked, we can worry less about the climbing and focus more on the ogling. That will never get old. ALASKA STOCK/ALAMY
pDENALI/MT MCKINLEY ALASKA, UNITED STATES, 6168m In six million acres of wilderness, one mountain entices visitors into the frostbitten wonderland of Denali National Park. The peak of Denali (or Mt McKinley to give it its non-Alaskan name) is the unchallenged star of the park, erupting from the tundra in a mass of snow-cloaked spurs and slumbering glaciers. As befits its status as North America’s highest, Denali stands alone in splendour, respectfully unchallenged by other peaks. All the more time, then, to stand and marvel at its beautiful bulk – or to climb it, if you fancy the 17 day route along the so-called ‘Scenic Loop’ of the West Buttress. T RA I L A DV E N T U R E S OV E R S E AS /
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TRIPS OF A LIFETIME
CLIMB KILIMANJARO WO R D S & P H OTO G R A P H S / S I M O N I N G R A M
Shira camp, on the evening of Day 2. Kilimanjaro’s summit is still two nights away...
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TRIPS OF A LIFETIME
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KILIMANJARO
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OF THE BEST F O R E I G N TR E KS THE WORLD’S A BIG PL ACE. HERE’S HOW TO SEE THE BEST BITS ON FOOT. WO R D S / DA N A S P E L
t KUNGSLEDEN SWEDEN 440km,
DUNCANIMAGES/ALAMY
1 month
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Translating as ‘The King’s Trail’, walk this popular lowland route and you’ll venture not only across the expansive wilds of Lapland, but into the Arctic Circle itself. The trek joins together the ski resort of Hemavan and the northerly outpost of Abisko, taking in the length of the Scandinavian Mountains (or the ‘Scandes’, if you fancy) along the way. The way is clear, the rapids are bridged and the well-supplied huts are plentiful.
TOP 13 FOREIGN TREKS
1697km, 2 months
Ranging from Mexico to Canada and running across the pristine mountains of California, Oregon and Washington, this has to be the pick of the USA’s mighty long distance trails. If you can’t quite manage six months off work the smaller 339km John Muir Trail runs along the same route through the celebrated Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Equally, if you’re free, easy and ambitious then combine it with the Continental Divide Trail (5000km) and the Appalachian Trail (3500km) to see more or less the entire nation on foot.
ROBERT CRUM/ALAMY
The rural centre of Honshu couldn’t be more different from the huge cities of Tokyo and Osaka that this trail connects. Walking the Tokai Nature Trail you’ll visit mountaintop temples, pass 16th century citadels, skirt the north side of Mt Fuji and visit sites whose associations run deep into the origins of Japanese culture. Although essentially a lowland route the distance is considerable, and the mountainous sections will take you among peaks that exceed 1200m in height.
t PACIFIC CREST TRAIL USA 4286km, 6 months+
AMANA IMAGES INC./ALAMY
t TOKAI NATURE TRAIL JAPAN
uMILFORD TRACK NEW ZEALAND Arguably New Zealand’s finest ‘tramping’ route, the historic Milford Track runs among the mountains and rainforests of the South Island’s Fiordland National Park. Originally used by the Maori people to gather valuable greenstone, it’s now a very well-established trail that in the peak summer season is a highly regulated ‘ticket and hut’ affair (so no camping en route). In the winter conditions are far tougher but the restrictions are lifted. Passing canyons and falls before finishing at the astonishing Milford Sound, this trek’s enduring popularity is easy to understand.
IAN PATERSON/ALAMY
54km, 4 days
t PYRENEAN HAUTE ROUTE FRANCE/SPAIN
ROBERT HARDING WORLD IMAGERY/ALAMY
800km, 45 days
Best suited to experienced walkers with sound knowledge of navigation, camping and mountain skills, this is an epic by any standards. Divided into 45 stages with over 40,000m of ascent, and following the high line of the French and Spanish border, the often unmarked (and regularly stormy) way is yours to choose. You may spend days travelling between huts, so supplies and shelter must be carried with you too. The reward? The challenge of a lifetime amid a quiet world of rugged granite peaks and deep canyons. T RA I L A DV E N T U R E S OV E R S E AS /
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