Stephen's Blog

19.01.2012 - Leningrad

Back from the climbing wall this evening in time to get the tale end of Stephen Johnson, eloquent as ever, on the Leningrad Symphony. During rehearsals for the premiere, during the siege, the musicians were so malnourished that practice had to be kept to short bursts. As for Shostakovich's evocation of the triumph of the human spirit over a pitiless enemy, Johnson poses the question, was Hitler or Stalin the greater enemy of the Russian people? And then an epic live performance from the Royal Liverpool Philarmonic. Makes post-climbing-wall neurosis about elbow injuries seem rather petty.

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6.12.2011 - 40 Years on Skis

Apparently the snow has started to fall in the Alps. Here, I am busy preparing my 'Forty-eight Years on Skis' talk for Saturday's Alpine Ski Club symposium in Wales.
http://www.skisymposium.co.uk/

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1.12.2011 - Eiger evening

Fundraising Eiger evening at the RGS tonight, with talks by Chris Bonington and Ueli Steck. I am hosting one of the dinner tables. No ground-breaking records for me, but climbing the Eigerwand was a huge treat, back in 1986, reaching the summit with Luke Hughes as the sun set over the Bernese Oberland.
Eiger86.SVsummit.jpeg

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11.11.2011 - Cactus blossom

Santiago in the spring. Jacaranda blossom everywhere and the avocados ripe in the garden of Roderigo Jordan, first South American to climb Everest (and first to repeat our route on the Kangshung Face). Thanks to him and his team I have had a fantastic week in Chile. Yesterday morning we climbed at Chilcas, about 30 miles north of the city. Bizarre conglomerate boulders, with zingy orange Californian poppies underfoot, and huge candelabra cacti bursting into creamy flower. Then back to the embassy, where I have been guest of the British Ambassador, Jon Benjamin, who decided to put me on display - as a kind of token curiosity exhibit - at the annual garden part of the British Royal Legion. Here is a picture of the magnificent – and very English – garden, plus a few shots of the recent South Georgia exhibition.