I once watched a group of climbers sit in a dry, sunny valley, admiring the sheen on their brand-new, ultralight hardshells like they were looking …
Shakedown Trips: Finding the Failure at Home


I once watched a group of climbers sit in a dry, sunny valley, admiring the sheen on their brand-new, ultralight hardshells like they were looking …

I was halfway up a scree slope in the Cairngorms last October, trying to track a pair of golden eagles through a sudden, stinging sleet, …

I’ve spent more hours than I care to count squinting through cheap, high-magnification glass only to realize I’ve missed the actual bird because the image …

I remember standing on a ridge in the Cairngorms, feeling the wind try to peel my skin back, while I watched a client struggle with …

I remember standing on a saturated ridge in the Cairngorms, watching a client try to steady a cheap, plastic baseplate compass while the wind was …

I’ve spent enough time on scree slopes in the Cairngorms to know that most gear advice is just expensive noise. You’ll see shops pushing carbon-fiber …

I’ve spent enough nights in a sodden tent, listening to the rain hammer against the flysheet while my spare socks felt like cold sponges, to …

I remember sitting in a bivouac in the Cairngorms three years ago, teeth chattering so hard I could barely hold a lighter, staring at a …

I remember a client back in 2014, somewhere in the Cairngorms, trying to cut through a frayed climbing rope with a massive, tactical folding knife …

I remember standing on a scree slope in the Cairngorms three years ago, watching the light fail faster than the forecast had promised, while my …