The Fram Museum (if you're ever in Oslo, then go) is reporting that Roland Huntford has died, deep into his 90s. It took someone born in South Africa to offer a more realistic picture of Scott, but his intention, he said, to was to do justice to Amundsen. Can't argue with that.

I’ve been nominated for Best Social Media Handle at the 2026 Outdoor Media Awards — an industry event that recognises journalism, storytelling and creators in the outdoor space. It’s pretty wild given I spend most of my time spotlighting lesser-known expeditions and calling out adventure hype.

It's that time of year again: we're looking for our next Antarctic team! If you can imagine a job that’s needed to keep a small, remote community safe and running, we have it. Escape the ordinary and apply for the job of a lifetime in Antarctica ⬇️

Canada starts preparing for guerilla warfare, just in case www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/art...

In the past I've given a lot of time for free to broadcasters, adventurers and journalists. Now I'm trying to formalise this a little. So here's a little on how you can work with me for commentary, writing, speaking and consultancy worldwide. www.ashrouten.com/blog/working...

A shameless plug, if you enjoy any of my writing I’m asking folks to nominate me for best outdoor story of 2025. The suggested story to nominate is in the linked post below. outdoormediasummit.com/2026-outdoor...

A shameless plug, if you enjoy any of my writing I’m asking folks to nominate me for best outdoor story of 2025. The suggested story to nominate is in the linked post below. outdoormediasummit.com/2026-outdoor...

In recent weeks, high profile media have covered Antarctic expeditions involving British adventurer Richard Parks and American Colin O’Brady. In both cases, the journeys and how the adventurers have been presented to a broad audience have drawn scrutiny. explorersweb.com/media-advent...

A great chat about modern day adventure, expedition and exploration and what these terms mean these days along with the different drivers people have for doing them. Love that it was recorded RGS expedition archive! So apt

Good interview with @ashrouten.com scientist, adventurer, journalist, shower of knees. open.spotify.com/episode/5gQ5...

Great listen if you think about adventure, exploration, and expedition (and what they mean) as much as I do!

It was a real pleasure to speak with the Adventure Podcast about the state of modern expedition culture. The episode was recorded in the Royal Geographical Society’s expedition archive room for extra authenticity! open.spotify.com/episode/5gQ5...

A promotion for my books. It's that time of year! #hiking www.christownsendoutdoors.com/2025/12/my-h...

For regular readers of ExWeb, I won’t be posting here for a little while. I became a father to a beautiful daughter a few weeks ago. She came five weeks early but is all healthy and happy. I’m off writing duties for a bit, but will be sharing ExWeb stuff over on Instagram inbetween nappy changes ☺️

Not a big fan of this type of venture but wishing O'Brady safe travels. Thx @ashrouten.com for the coverage.

Colin O’Brady has begun his attempt to ski completely across Antarctica, or almost completely. The American arrived at Union Glacier last weekend, where he carried out final equipment checks and packed his sled before flying to his starting point. explorersweb.com/antarctica-r...

So pleased to see my PhD student publish her second paper on an increasingly important topic in a post-Covid world.

Our biggest ever buy one get one free bundles have just gone live. secondsandsales.com/collections/...

If you're an Everest climb watcher, here's an alt quest that may be of interest. @ashrouten.com reports.

The first wave of skiers is heading south to Antarctica to begin their expeditions. Compared with last year, there are a few more longer sled journeys. My latest for ExWeb. I'll be covering the season until late December before other commitments take over. explorersweb.com/antarctic-ex...

Uath Lochans from Farleitter Crag, a recent one from an early stakeout overlooking these bonnie lochans. A long chilly wait before the warm light finally broke through the dreich and spread over the Inshriach forest #Scotland #Cairngorms #Rothiemurchus www.damianshields.com

A fun story I worked on recently. Before Alex Honnold and Netflix's skyscraper stunt, a more introverted breed of climber was free soloing buildings through the night. "The Origins of Buildering: The Students Who Climbed England’s University Spires After Dark" explorersweb.com/the-origins-...

In 2023, 25-year-old German cyclist Max Roving set off eastward from his hometown in northern Germany, aiming to “go as far as I’d like, or can afford.” explorersweb.com/traveling-th...

Excited to share that I’ll be speaking at Expedition Finse 2026, taking place 20–22 February 2026 at Hotel Finse 1222, Norway 🇳🇴 There’s a great lineup of speakers including British broadcaster Ben Fogle. More details in the below 👇 www.ashrouten.com/blog/talk-at...

Great Lakes followers, a good read here. Check out the map to see how daunting the trek was. h/t @ashrouten.com for sharing.

After 480 days and 7,810km of paddling, 24-year-old Peter Frank has completed a canoe journey around most of the Great Loop the “wrong way.” Beginning and ending in Escanaba, Michigan, the U.S. adventurer wrapped up his journey on October 20. explorersweb.com/pirate-paddl...

So pleased to share one of my favourite pieces I’ve written for ExWeb - a dive into the incredible world of rock climbing giant strangler fig trees in Costa Rica. So cool! explorersweb.com/climbing-tre...

Really useful stuff from @ashrouten.com. Saved me from another disappointing night out 🍺 TL;DR if you're thinking of drinking your own Fosters, do it before you get thirsty. explorersweb.com/drinking-pee...

2026 calendar available NOW! I only have 9 copies available on the website, and a few more I'll be taking to the Shackleton Autumn School at the end of the month. I hope you like sea ice and tallships!

BLEA CALM - first dawn at Blea Tarn in the Langdales on Saturday morning. A short spell of colour before the fog and mist descended for the weekend. #FSprintmonday #Sharemondays2025 #Appicoftheweek #SonyAlpha #landscapephotography @fotospeed.bsky.social

On October 1, Balin Miller died when he accidentally rappelled off the end of his rope in Yosemite. We examine the flawed media reaction to his death. explorersweb.com/balin-miller...

Does the desperate act of drinking your own pee actually work, or is it just a survival myth that refuses to die? Well here’s my answer 👇 explorersweb.com/drinking-pee...

Here's a writeup of my packrafting trip through Assynt in northwest Scotland a few weeks ago. I've only ever written a handful of pieces on my own travels, it's always about someone else, so I hope you enjoy. If you do, feel free to pass it on. explorersweb.com/a-packraftin...

Video #1 from packrafting in Assynt last week. A stony beachside camp with the hulking mass of Suilven looming in the background. I’d spent a few hours making very slow progress through a headwind and whitecaps to this point, so the calmer evening was a welcome respite.

Antarctica is usually unoccupied except for scientists, wealthy tourists, and adventurers. Surprisingly, though, a small number of children have entered the world there. My latest for ExplorersWeb. explorersweb.com/born-in-anta...

Now back home from five days of slow travel packrafting through Assynt, northwest Scotland. Paddling along Lochs Veyatie and Fionn, portaging to, and circling every inch of Sionascaig and its web of smaller lochs and lochans.

Grateful to be a finalist for the Banff Mountain Book Festival article prize among excellent company for my @thefence.bsky.social story 'In the Shadow of the Mountain'. www.banffcentre.ca/articles/mou...

A brief tale of two young men planning their trek using ChatGPT. My latest for ExWeb. explorersweb.com/when-chatgpt...

One of my favorite stories I’ve written for ExWeb. Roman Dial is both an Alaskan backcountry legend and a mathematician. He combined the two to come up with a formula on how far you can hike unsupported. explorersweb.com/how-far-can-...

Swimming and wild camping should be a right for all people to enjoy in the English countryside, Labour MPs have said. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

On September 4, team of mostly Canadian paddlers brought their canoes ashore in Waskaganish, a Cree community on James Bay. They had completed a 1,200km journey that began three months earlier in Tadoussac, Quebec, where the Saguenay River meets the St Lawrence. explorersweb.com/canadian-tea...

In 1911, Scott and Amundsen reached for the South Pole with little grasp of human limits. A century later, tech and training have advanced, but sled hauling remains challenging. Three decades of research now reveal how Antarctic expeditions transform the body. explorersweb.com/what-antarct...

Alan Davison has completed a 6,800km solo kayak journey he calls “Australia’s longest inland paddle.” explorersweb.com/a-6800km-kay...

Canadian athlete Adam Mertens has completed a unique alpine traverse in Bow Valley in the Canadian Rockies, combining trail running, roped climbing, free solo climbing, scrambling, and even paddleboarding. My latest for ExplorersWeb. explorersweb.com/canadian-ath...

Reminds me on an xlnt book on water by an Oxford scholar. Water: A Biography. Tracks water from 10,000 BCE when nomads began to settle near moving water, rivers.

Did you know humans were caving 16,000 years ago? And not just easy stuff, technical sections too. This was an interesting one to research and write. explorersweb.com/extreme-cavi...

I'm writing an essay about how we need to expand access to public lands due to the potential of AI reducing the hours we need to work, and I ran across this interesting article. Effortful leisure is a source of meaning in everyday life www.nature.com/articles/s44...