Still Breathing

Ama Dablam, Nepal
Photo : Lion Deng

Tim Coburn's Blog

SIXTY

2018 is my sixtieth year and I want to remember it well. So, in November, I’m climbing Ama Dablam, one of the most beautiful mountains of the Himalaya range.

I don’t think of myself as a climber. I’m an enthusiastic and adventurous dreamer. I love the mountains and like many people, they inspire me to go to the top. Ama Dablam is beautiful. At 6800m, it’s cold and the air’s a bit thin. With bottomless drop-offs on both sides and some technical difficulty, the SW ridge is very exposed and I expect it will be exhilarating. I’ll be in good company - I’ll be with the Keswick-based guide and six times Everest summiteer, Tim Mosedale.

The journey, and the pleasure of reaching the summit and returning safely to friends and family back home, will stay with me forever.

THIN AIR

Thin Air is a personal blog. Not something I’ve done before but I hope, an interesting way to share the story. I’ll be writing about my preparation - fell-running, cycling and climbing in the Lake District - and the adventures they lead to. I’ll reflect on the ideas that motivate me, that make me stop and think… and be amazed. I’ll write about the expedition and about Nepal’s Sherpa families who, like you and me, want their children to have the best educational start in life. I want to raise awareness of the challenges they face, and raise money to give something back to the communities who make it possible for visitors like me to climb their mountains safely.

Recent Posts

Supporting Nepal's Children

Supporting Nepal's Children

Improving their Schools

Take Me There

Take Me There

I want to go.

Zinalrothorn, 4200m

Zinalrothorn, 4200m

Because we can.

A Special Place

A Special Place

I love you.

Outrageous

Outrageous

Exposure.

Les Perrons

Les Perrons

It was heavenly up there.

I Like This

I Like This

No. This...

Small Things Matter

Small Things Matter

Because they are so big.

Wasdale Head

Wasdale Head

I stop and stare.

We Answer Back

We Answer Back

Don't we?

Capture a Shadow

Capture a Shadow

Begin at the end.

Ndio Tunaweza!

Ndio Tunaweza!

Yes, we can!

One Day

One Day

It will be.

In Glorious Memory

In Glorious Memory

I will remember them.

Up to the Golf Ball

Up to the Golf Ball

Beyond the snow poles.

Ama Dablam

Ama Dablam

By the SW Ridge

Children

Children

They need us.

Mont Blanc

Mont Blanc

The finest routes.

Safe and Secure

Safe and Secure

Feelings matter.

Tour de Yorkshire

Tour de Yorkshire

20% is barely a pass.

A Brighter Future

A Brighter Future

Starts here.

Rolling Planet

Rolling Planet

Bring me round.

Great End

Great End

Just keeping alive.

Melbreak

Melbreak

Would you run it?

Meet Tom

Meet Tom

Mountains leave memories, but they never leave you.

Kit

Kit

An old, unlocked mobile phone and charger.

Nine Standards

Nine Standards

They patrol the Pennines above Kirkby Stephen.

The Mask Road

The Mask Road

There’s a whiteout across the country and here’s what it looks like on the roads near to me.

Tim Mosedale

Tim Mosedale

Heart and soul.

A Life Story

A Life Story

'We assume that life produces the autobiography as an act produces its consequences'

Education

Education

In our world, it’s easy to take it for granted.

Stunning

Stunning

'Ama Dablam is, without a doubt, one of the most stunning mountains in the world'

Feet Up

Feet Up

I’ve had my feet up since early November!

The Eden Valley

The Eden Valley

The Eden Valley Epic, a 95km cycling sportive passes this way next Sunday, 4th March.

A Beautiful Day

A Beautiful Day

On a beautiful day, this was an early calibration ride.

Namaste!

Namaste!

‘I greet the God within you!’ Could there be a more moving greeting?

'The life story seeks coherence, credibility and reconciliation.'

Dan P. McAdams