Theres a first time for everything and we decided to test out our new GoPro Hero 3 helmet cam using it’s built in time lapse capture facility here at our base in the Alpujarras region of Andalucia. Our roof terrace overlooking the spa town of Lanjaron was an ideal spot to locate the camera. It [...]
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A land far, far away with fire breathing mountains waiting to be skied

In April 2013, Richard Hartley and Kiersten Rowland of Spanish Highs Mountain Guides are to join a team led by British snowboarder/mountaineer Julia Pickering attempting to become the first people to climb and snowboard down the largest active volcano in the Northern Hemisphere, Kamchatka in far eastern Russia. The team’s main sponsor is outdoor clothing and [...]
Read More 2XS Films, berghaus, julia pickering, kamchatka, Klyutchevskoy SopkaSkijoring in Spain or backcountry skiing with an excitable husky!

Nothing beats ski touring up and down a mountain (skijoring) with man’s best friend, in my case our husky, named “Khumbu”! Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains offer many opportunities for backcountry skiing with or without our four legged friends. The mountain side above Puente Palo looked bare. The thaw had devastated the snowpack. But we know [...]
Read More backcountry, husky, siberian, skiing, skijoringA day combining ski touring and easy mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada

It sounded good on paper. Approach using skis, climb some simple gullies and then ski out again. But a blocked road meant a longer ski in. Combined with the additional weight for mountaineering kit gave a very long hard day in the Sierra Nevada. We are always on the look out to do something different. After [...]
Read More la piuca, las alegasWading through thigh deep powder snow in the Sierra Nevada

An unexpected overnight dump of snow meant we had to change plans for our two day mountaineering skills trip into Spain’s Sierra Nevada. All our snowshoes were out with another group having, as it turned out, a fantastic snowshoeing day. We didn’t think we needed them. The overnight snow changed all that. For our 2 [...]
Read More alpine courses, bivvy, hoya de la mora, mountaineering courses, tajos del campanarioSky to Sea, Mountains to the Mediterranean

What better way to contrast the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada than with a few days at sea? As a mountaineer on a yacht I get that same feeling of wildness and remoteness, of being held in the grasp of natural forces, that I get when I am in the mountains. We recently met [...]
Read More marbella, sailing, sierra blanca, sierra de las nieves, yachtSouthern Patagonian Icefield Enhanced

A collection of some of our favorite images from last years expedition to the Southern Patagonian Icefield. Last years trip to the Southern Patagonian Icefield was of of the most memorable expeditions we have ever been on. The contrast from the previous battering that the weather elements gave us in 2010 was marked. Unfortunately we are not going [...]
Read More expeditions, patagonian ice field, southern patagoniaVideo Taming The Bear Trailer – Splitboarding

Julia and Warwick Pickering will be offering Splitboarding tours in the Sierra Nevada this upcoming winter season 2012/2013. For those of you that have never heard of a splitboard before, it is essentially a snowboard that splits into skis for ascents with the use of climbing skins and is reformed back into a Snowboard for descents.It [...]
Read More splitboard, splitboardingVideo – multi-day trekking with mule support in the Sierra Nevada

Our promotional video for our Sierra Nevada trekking tours using mules to carry all the heavy gear. We run these treks during the snow free months which generally this means between mid-June to mid-October. Our itineraries start in the western Alpujarras and head into the high Sierra Nevada between the towns of Lanjaron, Niguelas, Capileira [...]
Read More donkeys, mulesVideo Los Tres Picos Charity Challenges in the Sierra Nevada

Looking for a charity fundraising challenge? Something different? Is climbing 3 of the biggest peaks in Spain in 3 days tough enough? Try “Los Tres Picos” charity challenges in Spain’s Sierra Nevada mountains. Mulhacen (3482m), Veleta (3394m) and Alcazaba (3371m) Los Tres Picos Charity Challenges from Spanish Highs on Vimeo.
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