Mark Horrell

"He lost to Clutterbuck in heartbreaking fashion, as Bellemore was judged not to have drunk all of his beer."

The beer mile equivalent of dropping the baton 🏃

Meet the five-time beer-mile world champion: ‘I knew I could chug from a young age’ Corey Bellemore keeps dominating the Beer Mile World Classic, which involves running after glugging four drinks

"For reference, the fastest ever mile time is 3:43.13, set by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1999. El Guerrouj did not drink four beers during his run."

4 laps of the track with a beer to start each lap. If only I'd known earlier in life this was a thing 🍺🍺🍺🍺
www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/a...

How selfie parks limit tourism damage to the world’s most ‘Instagrammable’ destinations Travellers have been killed in search of the perfect shot – selfie parks may be controversial but they should at least keep tourists safe.

"Selfie parks provide self-contained spaces that give visitors a curated environment in which to create content (often of themselves)." 🤔

An interesting concept. Will shepherding the selfie hunters into a warehouse help to reduce overtourism? 📷
theconversation.com/how-selfie-p...

What will drone transport on Everest mean for Sherpa mountaineers? Much of the media coverage around Everest this year has focused on a brace of unusual speed ascents that have been framed as a game changer for aspiring Everest climbers. But there was another tech…

What will drone transport on Everest mean for Sherpa mountaineers?

Xenon-assisted climbing may be an unnecessary innovation but this isn’t: it means less gear-hauling and more safety, says @markhorrell.bsky.social

www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/wh...

This Free Soloist Wants Your Attention » Explorersweb One young free soloist seems to be risking his life for Instagram clicks -- and asking followers to pay him for the entertainment.

“Today is day 11 of free soloing a harder route every day until I fall,” the tousle-haired young rock climber says to the camera.

Interesting form of entertainment. Presumably it all ends quite suddenly...
explorersweb.com/this-free-so...

Chris Bonington and the first ascent of Kongur Tagh Wedged between the foothills of three huge mountain ranges – the Karakoram to the south, Pamirs to the north-west, and the Kunlun to the west – is Kongur, a complex massif of interlinked peaks and …

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Kongur sits between three huge mountain ranges in Central Asia. It was unexplored in 1980 when a British team set off to climb it 🗻 🇨🇳

After 18 years sitting on my bookshelf, I finally got round to reading Chris Bonington's book about it 📚
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/ch...

Controversy Surrounds Speed Record on Bernese North Face Trilogy » Explorersweb A mountaineering dispute continues to simmer after climber Stephan Siegrist questioned a new speed record set by Nicolas Hojac and Philipp Brugger.

"The controversy shifted dramatically when Hojac and Brugger discovered that Siegrist had retroactively changed details about his 2004 climb on his website." 😮

Handbags on the Eiger. Two competing claims to a speed record as accuser becomes the accused 👜
explorersweb.com/controversy-...

Wetherlam to Waterlam: climbing the Old Man of Coniston in a summer heatwave The whole of Europe is in the middle of a scorching heatwave. Here in the Cotswolds the grass is as brown as a hay bale and the thermometer has been touching 30°C. It seemed like a good time to go …

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The whole of Europe is in the middle of a scorching heatwave. The thermometer has been touching 30°C 🌞

It seemed like a good time to go hill walking in the Lake District, where good weather seemed guaranteed for a change 👣

Or was it? 😮
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/we...

What will drone transport on Everest mean for Sherpa mountaineers? Much of the media coverage around Everest this year has focused on a brace of unusual speed ascents that have been framed as a game changer for aspiring Everest climbers. But there was another tech…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

Media coverage of Everest this year has focused on unusual speed ascents that have been framed as a game changer for aspiring climbers 🏃

But another technological advance will change the job description for Sherpas more significantly 🚛 🎥 www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/wh...

Everest 2025: Season Summary | The Blog on alanarnette.com The 2025 Everest expedition has come to a close, marked by strong winds, drones, challenging climbing, and innovative strategies. Along the way were reports of frostbite and helicopter evacuations, bu...

Almost all ladders & ropes used to prepare Everest’s route [on Nepal side] were flown by drones up to Camp I. Each drone carried 30kg as high as 6,130m.

678 successful summits: 38% client, 62% staff.

=> Sherpas are doing less load carrying, more support climbing
www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/06...

You read it right, 5'5" and 13 stone 😊

A night on top of the world: the legend of Babu Chiri Sherpa Standing just 1.65m tall and weighing 82kg, nobody would ever have suspected Babu Chiri of being an athlete if he walked into a bar. But in 1998, he was one of the top three in the world at his spe…

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Standing just 1.65m and weighing 82kg, nobody would have suspected Babu Chiri of being an athlete 🏃

In the 1990s, he was one of the world's best at climbing Everest, and one night in 1999 he did something that nobody had ever done 🏅 ⛺
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/a-...

Government AI copyright plan suffers fourth House of Lords defeat The bitter row over how to protect artists in the artificial intelligence age returns to the Lords.

"If you make it too hard for AI companies to access it in the UK they'll simply do it elsewhere instead."

Which is like saying if I install a burglar alarm, they'll just go and burgle somebody else.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The Salt Path taps into a long history of searching for healing on England’s south-west coast Heading to the coast for fresh air, walks and dips has been prescribed for those looking to improve their health for hundreds of years.

"The SW Coast Path has over 115,000 feet of ascent and descent – the equivalent of scaling Mount Everest four times."

Yes, and driving to John O'Groats and back is equivalent to walking the SW Coast Path three times 🙄
theconversation.com/the-salt-pat...

Almost 40% of world’s glaciers already doomed due to climate crisis – study Glacier loss has profound effects worldwide and will soar to 75% on Earth’s heating trajectory, say scientists

"Glaciers are good indicators of climate change because their retreat allows us to see with our own eyes how climate is changing." 👀

Indeed. I've seen glaciers shrink in my lifetime. ⌛

(By visiting them years apart, not by standing to watch, obviously.) 🙄
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

12 inspiring stories about the lives of Sherpa mountaineers There have been many books about Sherpa mountaineers over the years, but few have been written from the perspective of Sherpas themselves. One that comes close is Sherpa by Pradeep Bashyal and Anki…

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There have been many books about Sherpa mountaineers over the years, but few have been written from the perspective of Sherpas themselves ⛏️🗻

One that comes close is Sherpa by Pradeep Bashyal and Ankit Babu Adhikari, which I read recently 📚
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/12...

Everest 2025: Fast Everest Summits 3 or 5 Days? | The Blog on alanarnette.com The 2025 Spring Everest season continues to bring surprises, with summits claimed after leaving home for three and five days, using supplemental oxygen. Meanwhile, others continue to summit the tradit...

"Huge Congratulations to Andrew Ushakov who has just become the fastest person to go from sea-level to the summit of Everest in just 3 days, 23 hours and 7 minutes."

Until further proof emerges to back it up, it's reasonable to assume this claim isn't true 🐂💩
www.alanarnette.com/blog/2025/05...

Wild camping on Dartmoor is legal, supreme court rules Case came to supreme court after court of appeal determined the term ‘open-air recreation’ included camping

"In a bizarre turn of events, lawyers for Darwall told the supreme court that picnicking did not count as open-air recreation and was therefore trespass." 🙄

Common sense prevails in the fight between good and evil. Really great news and a big relief 😇 😈
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Everest Xenon Climbers Hurry to Make Ambitious Deadline, Despite High Winds » Explorersweb The four men aiming to climb Everest in a week will reach Camp 4 today, just four days after leaving home. But will the jet stream foil their plans?

“We are used to balancing risk and pushing ourselves to the limit. We are treating this like a military operation — meticulous preparation and planning followed by bold execution.”

Love 'em or hate' em, 4 days from the UK to Camp 4 on Everest is definitely a first 😲
explorersweb.com/high-winds-t...

Everest 2025: Ropes, Risk and the Rush to the Top of the World The youngest American to climb the 7 summits just completed her ascent, two speed records are in progress, Tim Howell heads up the Khumbu Icefall hoping to leap off the cliffs atop Lhotse and fly b…

"On Everest, the physics for the anchors and ropes holding all the climbers, have simply started to defy logic." ⚓

Great insight into the many hazards of Everest by a man who has famously attempted it 9 times by 9 different routes 🙀
www.explore7summits.com/everest-2025...

You rascal, Ash 😂 I'm happy to take my summit photo just below, like Joe Brown on Kangchenjunga 😉

Pen y Fan via Fan Frynych: two contrasting peaks in Bannau Brycheiniog There was forecast to be one day of glorious weather over the Easter weekend. I nabbed it to take a day trip to the Brecon Beacons in South Wales, now known as Bannau Brycheiniog, and climb its hig…

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There was forecast to be one day of glorious weather over the Easter weekend 🌞

I nabbed it to take a day trip to the Brecon Beacons in South Wales and climb its highest peak via an extended route through a quieter part of the range ⛰️🔥
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/pe...

Karl Bushby Begins Home Stretch of 27-Year, Round-the-World Walk » Explorersweb Beginning in 1998, Bushby has trekked 47,000km across 25 countries, six deserts, and seven mountain ranges. Now he is starting his final year on the road.

"Bushby has two self-imposed rules: he cannot use any form of transportation on his route, and is not allowed to go home until he is finished." 😮

As epic challenges go, this one's truly jawdropping. He started in 1998 and he's still going ⏳
explorersweb.com/karl-bushby-...

Makalu and Kangchenjunga, 70 Years Ago and Today » Explorersweb Much has changed since Makalu and Kangchenjunga were first summited 70 years ago. Yet those early teams had much in common with modern climbers.

"Some interesting comparisons exist between the big national teams of the 1950s and the climbers on the mountains today." 🏔️

Interesting historical look at the first ascents of Kangchenjunga and Makalu, and how the expeditions compare with today's ⛺
explorersweb.com/makalu-and-k...

Corsica’s GR20 North, the videos – a demonstration of decrepitude There is a moment in your life when you start reminding yourself of your dad. For me that happened earlier this month while I was editing Edita’s videos of myself trekking the GR20. It wasn’t a ple…

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There is a moment in all our lives when we become conscious of resembling our parents 🥸

For me that happened while I was editing my wife's videos of myself trekking the GR20. My father is 83 years old 😲 ⌛
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/co... #Corsica

Boulder’s Flatiron scrambling fatalities: How dangerous is it, really? After a deadly winter in the Flatirons, a Boulder climber reckons with the risks of ropeless climbing — and his own mortality.

"Scrambling is riskier than heart disease (0.15% annual mortality) and cancer (0.12%) for a man my age." 😮

Either the writer is a centenarian or what they call scrambling I call climbing 🧗‍♀️
boulderreportinglab.org/2025/04/10/b...

Outside Is Headed to Mount Everest this Year. Here Are the Stories We’re Following. Climbing season is about to start on the world's highest peak, and Outside is headed to Base Camp to report on these and other stories

"As a developing country we don’t have the resources to create a rescue team or to enforce all the rules on the mountain." 🇳🇵

Quick calculation: 421 paying climbers x $15,000 permit fee = $6,315,000 💰

Should be enough to fund a rescue team, surely? 🤔
www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adve...

A traverse of Hergest Ridge: Mike Oldfield’s favourite hill walk A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about climbing tiny Little Solsbury Hill above the city of Bath, the setting for Peter Gabriel’s 70s progressive rock classic. Two years on, here I am wri…

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"Some names evoke visions and inspire people from childhood – Xanadu, Samarkand and Timbuktu…" 🕌

So said my guidebook. But this hill on the Welsh border caught my attention because it's the title of a popular prog rock album of the 1970s 🎸 🎹
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2025/a-...

Africa’s last glaciers: an expedition to map ice loss in the Rwenzori mountains – in pictures The project in Uganda has captured the disastrous effects of the climate crisis on a vital source of water that is central to the lives and sacred beliefs of the local Bakonzo community

The Bakonzo consider the glaciers sacred. The ice is where the god Kithasamba lives ❄️

But the ice is melting and only Mt Stanley's glacier remains 🗻

Fab pics though, revived great memories of my visit to the Rwenzori in 2006. It was the bogs I remember best 🇺🇬
www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

"It looks like business will win out in the end... You can hear the helicopters doing mountain flights and rescue operations again."

Attempts to ban helicopters from the Everest region are failing. And I'm due a plate of momos 🚁
abenteuer-berg.de/en/helicopte... via @springinsfeld.bsky.social