We ran off to the Dolomites last week for some Via Ferrata therapy and got back to find we weren't the only ones to desert the office. As usual, the OM faithful have gadded off on icy and rather scenic jaunts to Mount Elbrus, Nepal, and every corner of the British Isles. Here's what they got up to.
Everest Base Camp Trek
Sally Eathorne ranks amongst our top absentees from the UK hills at the moment. The Sally's Travels album takes in the Annapurna range as well as Everest, not to mention a spot of Kiwi wilderness, a few Corsican sculptures, and some good old Cornish coastline. You can't beat that for a world tour.
Walking to Everest, by Sally Eathorne
Billy Goat Gruff
Hamish Fenton has become king of silhouettes recently - that's silhouetted people as well as audacious billy goats. You can also fine the best bivvy spot we've seen in a while in the H album.
Billy Goat Gruff, by Hamish Fenton
Clouds, clouds, clouds
Craig Porter leads this month's photography competition with his cracking pic of Stob Ban, but this one of Am Bodach isn't bad either. For more cloud inversions, and a room with a view, try the Mamores 200708 album.
Am Bodach, by Craig Porter
Ice, ice, ice
Anyone feeling the lack both of blue skies and some good solid ice might get stuck on this photo for a while. It's not on its own either - for a more comprehensive fix of the white stuff, head for the Gerard Album which also has some great pics of Mount Cook and Kanchenjunga.
Ice, by Gerard Smith
Derwent Edge
Richard G has also managed to find some sunshine - we must have blinked and missed it. Oh well, here's Derwent Edge in the summer, before we forget what that looks like. It comes from the Bits and bobs album along with an impressive close-up of a Red Kite.
Salt Cellar and Derwent Edge, by Richard G
On Top of Europe
Marian Radu has often taken us on visual tours of her home mountains in Romania, not to mention Mont Blanc and other high-altitude honeypots. This time she's headed for the Caucasus and Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, which we don't see all that often on OM, so it's nice to get a glimpse. More in the Caucasus 2007 album.
Between Elbrus East and Elbrus West Peaks, by Marian Radu
Via Ferrata
As we said, we headed for sunny Italy to escape the British doom and gloom, only to discover it's been bright and cheerful over here in our absence. There's a bit of a difference in the scenery though. For wires, cables, and improbable rocky pinnacles, try the Via Ferrata album.
Dolomites, by Susan
And finally ...
This week's sunset comes from John Cameron and his Lochaber album. This link comes with a time warning though. Once you've entered the album, don't expect to re-emerge in a hurry:-)
Eigg Sunset, by John Cameron
That's all for now. Upload your photos here - we love looking through them - and if you want some inspiration for places to take your camera, try the
routes
section of the site. Also, the new, the wonderful, and the downright weird, from the world of outdoor gear, is always up for comment in our gear
reviews.
