Friday, 23 October 2026
International edition · English
From the Himalayas to the Pyrenees: the history and geography of great peaks, the effects of altitude, safety and everything worth knowing before you climb.
38 articles · RSS
With a wingspan of almost three metres and a diet made up mostly of bones, the bearded vulture is one of the most astonishing birds on the planet. After disappearing from much of Europe, it is soaring over its mountains again.
Your phone runs out of battery, the signal disappears or the GPS goes haywire in a deep valley. These are the navigation techniques that really work when technology fails.
More than a third of humanity cannot see the Milky Way from home. These are the places where the sky is still as it was centuries ago, and how to make the most of them even without a telescope.
Snow is not just scenery: it is a natural reservoir that releases water when it is needed most. When it snows less or melts earlier, rivers, forests, wildlife and the economy of entire valleys change.
It is not about wearing lots of clothes, but the right clothes, and knowing when to take them off or put them on. This is how the layering system used by mountaineers all over the world works.
It lives in twelve countries, roams huge territories above 3,000 metres and is so elusive that many researchers study it for years without seeing it. This is how the snow leopard survives.
Three countries, a dozen passes and Mont Blanc always on the horizon. The TMB is probably Europe's most famous trek: demanding for its total ascent, but with no technical sections on its classic route.
Choosing a route that suits you, estimating times properly, checking the forecast and knowing when to turn back. Everything you need so your first mountain outing is the start of something, not a bad memory.
It is one of Spain's most popular hikes and looks like a stroll, but the path runs beside unprotected drops, with rockfall and a return that doubles the distance. Here is how to do it right.
Sleeping in the mountains completely changes the experience of a route. We tell you which gear is essential, what you can leave at home and how to pack it so your backpack weighs no more than it needs to.
A '-5 °C' bag can leave you shivering at 2 °C if you misread the label. We explain the European temperature standard, down versus synthetic, and why your mat matters as much as your bag.
Summer storms in the mountains form quickly, but they give warning. We show you how to read the clouds, calculate the distance of lightning and get to the least exposed spot if it reaches you.
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