Paradise

INTRODUCTION
A fundamental appeal of many expeditions is the idea of exploration. Discovering an ancient kingdom, exploring an underground cave system or simply placing a foot where none has gone before. The truth in the twenty-first century is that this is an increasingly rare element – Everest and the Poles, each the holy grail of exploration at some point in history, have all now been reached hundreds of times.

But there are still mountains out there that have never been climbed. Huge mounds of rock that have not had a single human being present on their summit. And you know what? They’re not that hard to find and they’re not always too difficult to climb either.

How do I know? Because I’ve run three of my own expeditions with the goal of making first (or first British) ascents, and I am neither an expert on mountain ranges of the world nor an expert mountaineer.

Here’s how you can go about finding them…

TYPES OF UNCLIMBED MOUNTAINS
In my mind there are two distinct types of unclimbed mountains: There are the ones that are really difficult and which have eluded the world’s mountaineers through their technical complexities, dangerous conditions or complicated access. These are fewer and further between (more common are “new routes” up previously conquered peaks) and, by their very nature, require a significant degree of expertise. It is for this latter reason that such mountains will not be the focus of this article.

The second type, however, are the ones that have never been climbed simply because no one has been there and had a go yet. We’ll explore the reasons for their virgin status later but it is this cohort which, with the right research and preparation, is open to the enthusiastic and well-prepared amateur.