About John
John Roberts
Disruptor, innovator and entrepreneur working mainly in education, industrial relations and technology. Expect blogs on climbing, edtech and trade unions.
Read my profile in Schools Week.
Latest Posts
First things first, how you vote, is entirely your decision, and I encourage you to read the documents attached on each item at the top of the voting card. If you disagree with me on how to vote, then that’s fine! However, if, like me, you… Read more
On Friday last week, 2nd March, we handed over to the BMC, our work on the independent Organisational Review Group. The final report was an amended recommendations report, following a 3 month consultation on our initial report in November. As of last Friday, the ORG as a body, was disbanded, and its members, now well versed in the complexities of the BMC, are back to their respective roles, or are simply just back to being BMC members. Read more
Since April the BMC Organisational Review Group has worked collectively for thousands of hours, sent thousands of emails, written a 40k word report with 51 recommendations, gathered the views of over 4500 BMC members, spoken to c. 25 partner organisations and stakeholders, launched a further consultation, and done a tour of England and Wales presenting the report at local area meetings, to over 400 BMC members. Read more
The week in Chamonix began by getting caught in a storm, and ended the same way. The first one expected, the second one less so, but sandwiched in the middle was a couple of peaks that will make the week a memorable one.
Some obscure routes and some classics: El Niño, Madame Rêve, Digital Crack and République Bananière. Read more
Back in March, just before the AGM I wrote about the motion of no confidence raised against the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). Of course, the motion was defeated, but the BMC was, and is, under a period of potential reform. Read more
A six part yoga for climbers video series in partnership with Epic TV, Prana and the Depot Climbing Centre Manchester.
Each episode is 10 minutes, so you can do the standalone sessions as a great pre-climb warm up, or post climb cool down, mix and match sessions to create a climber specific workout, or complete the full series as an hour long challenging yoga session specifically tailored to climber’s needs. Enjoy! Read more
Instagram Gallery
Where on Earth did the last four years go? Time to find some new climbing goals post 🦠? Any ideas?
📸 @daniarnold_alpinist and @feath_swift
#digitalcrack #aiguilledumidi #chamonix #france #goals #chamonixmontblanc #hautesavoie #arrampicata #climbing #escalade #escalada
The early bird catches the blue sky, or something like that.
Beautiful sunrise and cloud formations over Italy this morning on a traverse of the Weissmiess with @theultrarunnergirl
#weismiess #saas #saasfee #alpinism #mountaineering #switzerland #switzerland🇨🇭 #sunrise #arrampicata #escalada #escalade
When there’s a cloudy storm in Chamonix, go through the magic tunnel, and the sky goes blue.
#chamonix #italy #valgrisenche #rockclimbing #climbing #arrampicata #escalade #escalada #montblanctunnel
🏔 How it started vs How it’s going ⛰
Pretty much everyday over the last 6 months, I’ve looked at this photo, then looked out the window in Les Bois and seen how much the landscape of the mountains in Chamonix has changed.
There is no date on the first photo, I’d guess just before the turn of the 20th century, little over 120 years ago, when the end of the Mer de Glace used to touch the base of the valley, and before you could easily access the glacier from the Montenvers railway (built 1909).
I went for a walk this morning to try and recreate the photo. The growth of Chamonix, the golf course in particular, and unexpectedly, more trees in the area, made this quite hard to locate but I got as close as I think possible, without climbing onto some buildings. In the end I took this from the land @orlandobloom bought recently and on which he plans to build a chalet.
The difference between the photos, the snowy niche on the North face of Les Drus, and the glacial recession is really stark. Come 2021 and the Mer de Glace is rapidly retreating away as temperatures rise globally.
Glacial recession is just one observable metric of how our climate is changing and it’s a privilege to be able to be in Chamonix, let alone comment on the snow or permafrost conditions affecting climbing or skiing.
As a climate inquisitive 15 year old, back in 2000, I did my work experience at @ipcc who now warn: “Taken as a whole, the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.”
Bundled in the phrase “net damage costs” is highly likely drought, famine, and the challenges of significant human migration. It’s also likely that those who are already living precariously will be most affected. We’re all going to have to change and adapt and compromise.
There are rarely, if ever, simple solutions to complex macro problems, but what are you doing to change, compromise and adapt?
#chamonix #merdeglace #climate #climatechange #lesdrus #lesbois #chamonixmontblanc #chamonixvalley #france #glacier
Reminding myself I’m not a “runner” by “running” 75km and 4500m of ascent over 2 days on the Tor des Glaciers course (which is 375km and 28k of ascent longer 🤷♂️).
Something like:
• Surier
• Bezzi hut (overnight)
• Col Bassac Derre
• Benevolo Hut
• Col Rosset
• Savoia Hut
• Pont
• Almost to the Vittoria Emmanuelle hut
• Chabod Hut (overnight)
• Col Neyron
• Col Lauson
• Sella hut
• Top of cogne valley
• Valnontey
Saw so many ibex, marmots and chamois, and travelled a few places I wouldn’t ever go normally for climbing, and all without breaking an ankle. @theultrarunnergirl also put up with my moaning which is probably the most impressive part.
#ZigZagz4Dayz
#CouchTo75k
Returning to climbing and flying related content soon 🙏
Stepping away from the Chamonix crowds on a pedestrian paced traverse of the Écandies.
I reckoned there was a 20% chance that Digital Crack would be in climbable condition with a ton of new snow and a marginal forecast but @ashimashiraishi was psyched to try anyway. It was actually climbable and probably great condition very early on, but the sun made a fleeting appearance and some of the snow melt started to drip down the groove and it became impossible. Probably the only person in the mountains with rock boots on yesterday!
Full winter conditions on the way out the cosmiques. Swapping trainers and shorts for ice axes and crampons this year! A fun day out with a 💪💪 crew @ashimashiraishi @gajdaphotography @alexhonnold @korra_pesce
Alpineering at its best. At least that’s what you post on Instagram…
Anyone want to see a video of @tomripleyguiding stuck waist deep in snow with his boot jammed under some rocks?
Clouds. Sun. Climbing. Altitude. Breath taking.