In a follow up to the article The MyOutdoors Guide to Chamonix between the seasons from Dave and James, one of our Mountaineering Team, Alan 'Tosh' McIntosh and his wife Sam, headed for the Alps earlier this year. Alan describes how they developed their Alpinism skills from Ice Climbing to Snowshoeing to an Introduction to Skiing with details of the areas they visited and some costs associated with their experiences.

This year's Buxton Adventure Festival will see a unique exhibition as Andy Turner and members of the GB Ice Climbing Team put their skills on show beneath the roof of the Devonshire Dome - the second largest unsupported dome in the World. We took the opportunity to have a chat with Andy about the Sochi Winter Olympics, route setting, TV coverage (or lack of) and the 1st British Tooling Championships.

Described as the ultimate in lightweight, highly breathable insulation that eliminates the need for constant layering changes my first impressions with the Black Diamond Women’s First Light jacket… it looked a bit girly for me.

Carrying a laptop, a climbing rack, a DSLR camera, spare layers, and my lunch – just some of the things that has seen my EXPED 35L Serac bag get used and abused in the past few months.

The reasons why you might want to get a Salewa ice screw are mainly for convenience, quickness and having something that integrates the protection and the quickdraw in one, with a holder that doesn’t expose the sharp end of the ice screw and potentially wreck all your nice expensive winter climbing clothes.

Leading British mountaineers Mick Fowler and Vic Saunders will resume their climbing partnership by attempting another first ascent in the Himalaya.

Zooming past some of the most imposing 4000m mountains in the Valais region, acclimatisation to the rapid height gain may not sound like everybody’s most relaxing start to a holiday.

For 50 years Lowe Alpine have revolutionised the way we carry gear on the mountain and beyond, combining design expertise with a genuine passion for wild places.

Sir Chris Bonington, the UK’s most famous mountaineer and a global climbing icon, has returned to the scene of one of his most high profile adventures.  48 years after he made the first ascent of the Old Man of Hoy off the north coast of Scotland, Bonington is currently attempting to climb the famous sea stack again, with fellow climber Leo Houlding.  Bonington is making the ascent to mark his 80^th birthday and to raise awareness and funds for motor neurone disease (MND) charities in memory of his wife Wendy, who died of the condition last month.

In 1871, 150 years ago this year, the British mountaineer Lucy Walker became the first woman to reach the top of the iconic Matterhorn in Switzerland.