It's not just one thing — it's another thing | TechCrunch This sentence construction ("It's not just this — it's that") has become so common in AI-generated writing that it's no longer just a clue that a piece of writing may be synthetic — it's almost a guarantee.

This sentence construction ("It's not just this — it's that") has become so common in AI-generated writing that it's no longer just a clue that a piece of writing may be synthetic — it's almost a guarantee.

The hill I will die on: Put that bucket list in the bin | Rose Rouse As I age, there are loads of things I want to do, but none are the kinds of bland, commodified ‘adventures’ that these lists imply, says Rose Rouse, editor and co-founder of Advantages of Age

"I like to meander down my own primrose path... That’s why I am making a f*ck it list."

Agree with the sentiment, but this list's going to be a bit too long.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Thank you. Every day, things gets more weird.

Probably not everyone... *googles "tom holland"*

Campaigners seek listed status for historic trig points that mapped Britain Pillars at Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire, and Thorny Gale, Cumbria, bookended the project that modernised mapping

“Nothing beats the modest triumph of standing on top of a trig point in a brisk wind and we hope these two modern obelisks of concrete in the countryside will soon be recognised.”

They should list all 6,000. It would be nice if some were more accessible too 📐
www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

And in case you're wondering about the subtitle, the missing words are "line rescue"... 🤔

The two great American kiss-and-tell K2 mountaineering books In the early 1970s, the slopes of K2 were still relatively untouched. Although Italians had first set foot on the summit, American climbers considered it to be their mountain. Two expeditions in 19…

Sad to hear that Jim Whittaker, first American to climb Everest, has gone.

I've just finished reading two classic books about the great American K2 expeditions of the 1970s, both led by him, which give good insights into his character 📚 www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/th...

Jim Whittaker, first American to Mount Everest summit, dies aged 97 The lifelong outdoors advocate and former president of retailer REI returned to Everest decades later with his son.

We were saddened to read of the passing of Jim Whittaker, an accomplished mountaineer, conservation advocate and businessman who in 1963 became the first American to reach the summit of Everest.

The Welsh Fab Four: Rhinog Fawr and the Rhinogs from Graigddu-Isaf The Rhinogs are not the most lofty peaks in Britain, but what they lack in height, they make up for in toughness. Paths are faint, steep and rough, and the peaks feel wild and remote. They had me s…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

The Rhinogs are not the loftiest peaks in Britain, but they make up for it in toughness. Paths are rough and the peaks feel wild and remote 💪

They had me staggering in exhaustion on my only previous trip. It was time for a return visit 😰
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/th...

Annapurna I, Annapurna South and Hiunchuli (Photo: Mark Horrell)

Happy Easter from Poon Hill 🥚

Everest 2026: Are Everest Climbers Being Poisoned? | The Blog on alanarnette.com The media is going crazy with this headline in, of all places, People Magazine:" Mount Everest Climbers 'Poisoned' by Guides Prompting Mass Helicopter Rescues in $20 Million Insurance Fraud Scheme, Po...

www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/04...

The two great American kiss-and-tell K2 mountaineering books In the early 1970s, the slopes of K2 were still relatively untouched. Although Italians had first set foot on the summit, American climbers considered it to be their mountain. Two expeditions in 19…

:The two great American kiss-and-tell K2 mountaineering books" -- @markhorrell.bsky.social
#mountainit #climbingbooks
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/th...

The two great American kiss-and-tell K2 mountaineering books In the early 1970s, the slopes of K2 were still relatively untouched. Although Italians had first set foot on the summit, American climbers considered it to be their mountain. Two expeditions in 19…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

"In the literature of the 1970s, bruised feelings & simmering resentments were replacing frostbite & hypoxia as the signature ailments of high-altitude mountaineering." 😠

My review of the 2 classic accounts of the 1970s American K2 expeds 📚
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/th...

Why scientists are exploring brain cooling as a defence against altitude sickness Could cooling the brain reduce the risk of altitude sickness? Scientists are beginning to explore the idea.

"Cooling helmets and collars are the most realistic options for expedition use. They are portable, non-invasive and becoming lighter." ⛑️

If cooling your brain is a defence against altitude sickness then taking your hat off on a high mountain should work too 🧠
theconversation.com/why-scientis...

Stop paying comedians to go on holiday! Why comics’ travel shows need to end Alexander Armstrong, Lucy Beaumont, Bradley Walsh … when will commissioners stop sending standups to other nations? It’s not like they have any insight or connection to these places – it has to end

"If it’s Palin we have to thank for creating this subgenre, it’s also Palin we have to blame."

Completely disagree. They should be paying more comedians to go on holiday. Some of the most enjoyable shows on telly 🎭 🌍
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

An ascent of Aran Fawddwy, the highest point in Merionethshire The Aran Hills form a north-south ridge extending 14km from the shores of Bala Lake to the sleepy village of Dinas Mawddwy, nestling between hills at a confluence of the River Dovey in southern Sno…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

The Aran Hills form a 14km north-south ridge in southern Snowdonia ⛰️

The central part of the ridge remains above 800m for more than 2km and reaches up to 905m on Aran Fawddwy, one of the more interesting County Tops 🚩

My trip report 👣📄
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/an...

What are Shabana Mahmood’s changes to the asylum system? Some of the home secretary’s major overhauls are already in place such as the 30-month review for refugee protections

"Mahmood halted visas for students from Sudan, Myanmar & Afghanistan due to the high numbers who claim asylum & the refusal of those countries to take back people whose claims had been refused."

Please someone tell her what's happening in those countries 🇸🇩 🇲🇲 🇦🇫
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

The world’s first (and best!) audiobook about climbing Baruntse After six years of heavy breathing, lolling tongues, hard swallowing and occasional salivation, I’ve finally finished narrating and publishing all my books as audiobooks. The very last one, T…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

After 6 years of heavy breathing, hard swallowing and occasional salivation, I’ve finally done it 😛

No, not that. I've finished narrating all my audiobooks. The last one, The Baruntse Adventure, went live last month on all the main stores 🎤
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/th...

Everest 2026: Rumor Fire Season | The Blog on alanarnette.com With the Everest 2026 season about six weeks away, the rumor mill is on fire, out of control. With the explosion of social media influencers and mainstream (and many outdoor/adventurous media) using s...

"I’ve been tracking these rule announcements for over ten years, and it’s fascinating to see repeats. The common theme is that virtually none are ever enforced."

The Everest silly announcement season is upon us. Here's what to look out for this year 🤦
www.alanarnette.com/blog/2026/02...

Not All First Ascents Are the Same - The Move to Commercialize Unclimbed Peaks » Explorersweb It's a good idea, but let's not lay on the 'historic' adjectives too thickly. Some peaks are unclimbed because they were deemed not worth the effort.

"Garrett Madison was among the first... He offered clients a chance to climb a virgin 6000er in 2021."

Not so fast, Garrett. I did a first ascent of Yangchan Kangri in Ladakh with Jagged Globe way back in 2007.
explorersweb.com/not-all-firs...

Climber faces manslaughter charge after leaving girlfriend on Austria’s tallest peak Kerstin G froze to death on Großglockner when Thomas P descended mountain to fetch help

"Thomas P left Kerstin G at about 2am in a state of exhaustion and unprotected when he descended the mountain to fetch help."

What a strange case. Even the victim's mother is saying he can't be held responsible for her death.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

"Every year, new regulations are proposed [for Everest]... We then wait to see which ones are actually implemented."

Yes, indeed. This time they are trying to turn it into a law, but even so, I will believe it when I see it 🤔

explorersweb.com/new-everest-...

Cracking Ben Cruachan: one of the finest peaks in the Southern Highlands We saved the best walk for the best day. Edita and I had spied Ben Cruachan’s airy summit and hair-raising summit ridge from the top of Ben O’Cockle two days earlier. I could also see from the map …

🌟 New blog post ✍️

We had spied Ben Cruachan’s airy summit and hair-raising descent from Ben O’Cockle two days earlier 🗻

I could see from the map that the walk across its top featured an enormous ridge. It promised to be a great walk 👣

My trip report 📣
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/cr...

Ben Lui: the finest peak in the Southern Highlands (my arse) A short distance east of our previous day’s Munros lay Ben Lui, a mountain considered by many to be the finest peak in the Southern Highlands. I once took a photo of it from the north-east, r…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

Ben Lui is considered to be the finest peak in the Southern Highlands 🗻

I once took a photo of it rising majestically like a marble throne above arctic tundra 📸

From that moment I wanted climb it. But would it live up to the promise? 🙏
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/be...

Barking mad: a list of dogs to have climbed all 282 Munros, including the Inaccessible Pinnacle 🐶 ✅ www.themunrosociety.com/canine-compl...

Beinn a’ Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich: fowling our way up the hooded peak It was the fifth year in a row that Edita and I would be spending the Christmas period in Scotland trying to get up some hills, and our expectations weren’t high. Icy blizzards, deep snow, freezing…

🌟 New blog post ✍️

It was our 5th New Year in a row in the Scottish Highlands and our first with three good hill bagging days in row 🎉

Here's my trip report for the first one, up Ben O'Cockle and Ben Eunuch 👣🗻
www.markhorrell.com/blog/2026/be...

Back in Scotland at last 🤍 After a tough year working in Haiti, it feels so good to be here. Two Munros today — Beinn a’ Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich — with perfect winter conditions and a gorgeous forecast ahead. Very happy to be back in the hills 🏔️✨

Doubts Surface About Tirich Mir Climb » Explorersweb Last week, we received an email from a Pakistani climber on one of the Tirich Mir teams this summer, saying they had not really summited. We investigated.

"The climbers’ sunglasses reflect a snowy slope in front of them and the person taking the picture." 😮

Professional adventurer's 101: if you're going to fake a summit photo, remember to take off your mirrored sunglasses 🤦
explorersweb.com/doubts-surfa...

Simone Moro Suffers Heart Attack Near Mera Peak, Evacuated to Hospital » Explorersweb Simone Moro of Italy was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu today after suffering a heart attack while in the village of Khare in Nepal.

"On Dec 10, Moro and Nima Rinji set off from Mera’s high camp and reached the top in 2 hrs 20 mins... Moro felt sick once back in Khare, and they called for an emergency evacuation."

Startling news. One of the strongest Himalayan climbers ever. Get well soon 🤞
explorersweb.com/simone-moro-...

False Summits Applies To More Than Mountains In Overdone Social Media In a day of social media exaggeration and Guinness records, adventurers overstate their escapades. Nothing wrong with doing this stuff, just be real about what it means.

"Let’s get real people, and call adventure tourism what it is. Nothing shameful about that. And let’s get back to the old-school definition of what having the right stuff means."

A bit of a rant, but it's a fair point 🎯
www.forbes.com/sites/jimcla...