Inspiring Adventure by Vertebrate Publishing

In the summer of 2012, a team of six climbers set out to attempt the first ascent of one of the great unclimbed lines of the Himalaya – the giant Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat, the world’s ninth highest mountain. At ten kilometres in length, the Mazeno is the longest route to the summit of an 8,000-metre peak. Ten expeditions had tried and failed to climb this enormous ridge. Eleven days later two of the team, Sandy Allan and Rick Allen, both in their late fifties, reached the summit. They had...

We are all climbing where we are and with the gear we use in no small part due to Tony Howard’s quest for adventure.Tony Howard rose to fame in 1965 as a member of a group of young climbers from northern England who made the first British ascent of Norway’s Troll Wall; a climb described by Joe Brown as, ‘One of the greatest ever achievements by British rock climbers’. Tony went on to design the modern sit harness, now used universally by every climber in the world. He founded the company Trol...

‘When an accident occurs, something may emerge of lasting value, for the human spirit may rise to its greatest heights. This happened on Haramosh.’The Last Blue Mountain is the heart-rending true story of the 1957 expedition to Mount Haramosh in the Karakoram range in Pakistan. With the summit beyond reach, four young climbers are about to return to camp. Their brief pause to enjoy the view and take photographs is interrupted by an avalanche which sweeps Bernard Jillott and John Emery hundred...

'Even the most casual reader among you will by now have worked out that the whole thing is little more than a delightful ruse for having a very good time.'Experienced climber Charles Sherwood is on a quest to find the best climb on each continent. He eschews the traditional Seven Summits, where height alone is the determining factor, and instead considers mountaineering challenge, natural beauty and historical context, aiming to capture the diverse character of each continent and the sheer va...

‘It’s a preposterous plan. Still, if you do get up it, it’ll be the hardest thing that’s been done in the Himalayas.’So spoke Chris Bonington when Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker presented him with their plan to tackle the unclimbed West Wall of Changabang – the Shining Mountain – in 1976. Bonington’s was one of the more positive responses; most felt the climb impossibly hard, especially for a two-man, lightweight expedition. This was, after all, perhaps the most fearsome and technically challe...

This week's episode features a chapter from the award winning Tides by Nick Bullock. Winner: Mountain Literature Award, Banff Mountain Book Festival 2018Shortlisted for the 2018 Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain LiteratureNick Bullock is a climber who lives in a small green van, flitting between Llanberis, Wales, and Chamonix in the French Alps. Tides, Nick’s second book, is the much-anticipated follow-up to his critically acclaimed debut Echoes.Now retired from the strain of work as a ...

Welcome to Episode 30, the final chapter of the Shrine Bell Story Time podcast!I have loved reading to you everyday, and I hope you've really enjoyed the “poptastic” Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson. These episodes will continue to be available on the Inspiring Adventure Podcast and via our website.You can buy Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson from the Shrine Bell website as well as the sequel, Popcorn-Eating Squirrels Go Nuts on Everes...

Welcome to Episode 29 of the brand new Shrine Bell Story Time podcast!Everyday there will be a new chapter of the “poptastic” Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson. The special episodes will be available on the Inspiring Adventure Podcast, via our website and on our YouTube channel from 5pm every day.You can buy Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson from the Shrine Bell website to read along or simply snuggle down and listen.Send us your drawing...

Welcome to Episode 28 of the brand new Shrine Bell Story Time podcast!Everyday there will be a new chapter of the “poptastic” Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson. The special episodes will be available on the Inspiring Adventure Podcast, via our website and on our YouTube channel from 5pm every day.You can buy Popcorn-Eating Squirrels of the World Unite by Matt Dickinson from the Shrine Bell website to read along or simply snuggle down and listen.Send us your drawing...

In 1986, the legendary fell runner Joss Naylor completed a continuous circuit of all 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District, covering a staggering distance of over 300 miles – plus many thousands of metres of ascent – in only seven days and one hour.Those in the know thought that this record would never be beaten. It is the ultimate British ultramarathon. The person taking on this superhuman challenge would have to be willing to push harder and suffer more than ever before. There is No Map...