Scottish hill runner and mountaineer Finlay Wild has some questions for the mountain community...
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Ben Tibbetts talks to me about alpine bivouac huts, and his project to visit and document hundreds of lesser known cabins and mountaineering routes across the Alps.
Ben is an IFMGA Mountain Guide and a professional photographer whose first book Alpenglow showcases the finest routes on the 4000m peaks of the Alps. With his partner Valentine Fabre, he has recently self published Cabin Wild: Alpine Bivouac Huts in two volumes which explore a selection of simple mountain shelters across the Alps detailing the trips and common mountain itineraries accessable from these special places. The books are illustrated with Ben's stunning photography throughout.
We talk about the allure of these (usually) quiet huts, and get a sense of the scale of Ben and Valentine's project to visit them over the past decade or more. Ben's interest in the history of alpinism is clear, and the link between mountaineers and bivi huts across the ages is also a fascinating journey. Ben's interest in simple mountain shelters started with Scottish bothies, and we compare and contrast the UK and Alpine networks.
We delve into some alpine mountaineering history, as well as the paradox of promoting quiet places. Ben sees a lot of scope for a spreading of demand across a wider number of places and objectives - for example we discuss the brilliant Balanselmo Traverse, a practically unknown route at around 3300m altitude above the Gressoney Valley.
Mountain cabins are not without issue or conflicts, and we discuss visiting these places with respect, as well as the cultural generosity of those who build and maintain these places.
Ben's website is at www.bentibbetts.com (https://www.bentibbetts.com/) where you can find out more about him and his books: Alpenglow, The 4000m Peaks of the Alps (West), and Cabin Wild. The Central volume of his 4000m guidebook is due for release later this year.
If you want to buy me a cuppa to help support the podcast, thank you and please do at: https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild (https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild)
29 Mar 2026
Episode 60 - The Wallers Way with Bobby Gard-Storry
Bobby Gard-Storry tells us about his Wallers Way - a month long 30th birthday celebration in March 2025 in which he ran between the 26 major valleys of the Lake District, repairing a dry stone walling project each day, and sleeping out on the hills each night.
Bobby has lived in Cumbria for most of his life and was introduced to the outdoors at an early age. However, it was only later that his passion for the fells and running developed, and time away in the city only strengthened his wish to live and work in the rural Lake District. He became a dry stone waller, working long hard days outside and running the fells in any spare time. He slept well.
He devised his project to combine his work and hobby in a celebratory month which was more an unscripted personal interaction with the land than a traditional 'round'. Sometimes he ran and worked alone, sometimes with friends. He went to summits as the fancy took him, often seeking out routes new to him. Some farmers were perplexed by his project, but mostly they were oblivious: many of the walling repairs are in obscure and rarely visited corners of the Lakes. He camped, bivvied, slept in caves and barns. It was cold - some nights he had to get up to sprint and generate some warmth.
Bobby tells us about his journey in walling and in running: how he got started and what keeps him motivated, how you can never fully know a place - there is always a different side to it, in a different season or different weather. He talks about the history of walling, the unknown wallers of hundreds of years ago, and the connection he feels to that world when hefting the same rocks, below the same fells.
We talk about similarities he sees between walling and running: the flowing states of mind that can occur in both activities. The games we play and the stories we tell.
Bobby's article 'The Wallers Way' can be found in Fell Runner #142 (Summer 2025), or on his website at: www.spidershankes.com (applewebdata://FF9C27B3-3511-461B-9F88-06373C7C173D/www.spidershankes.com)
Before and after photos of his 30 wall projects can be seen at: www.spidershankes.com/the-wallers-way (applewebdata://FF9C27B3-3511-461B-9F88-06373C7C173D/www.spidershankes.com/the-wallers-way)
If you want to buy me a cuppa to help support the podcast, thank you and please do at: https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild (https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild)
9 Mar 2026
Episode 59 - Grand Alpine Arc Traverse with Ben Bardsley, Es Tresidder and Jon Morgan
I speak with Es Tresidder, Ben Bardsley and Jon Morgan about our week-a-year traverse of the Grand Alpine Arc, from the Mediterranean to Vienna.
Starting in 2016 at Menton near Nice, we have skied together on 9 iterations of this 'Speedy Tours' project where we utilise skimo racing kit for big mountain travel.
February 2026 was our final week of the traverse - restarting at our 2025 finish point at Seeweisen we finished out a further 6 days to finish at St Stephen's Cathedral at the heart of Vienna.
Reflecting on the project a few days later we discuss our tactics and tribulations. Some of the best memories from this long term project relate to working as a team towards a common goal - the moments of shared adversity or critical decision-making forging a bond between us.
The project took 61 days over 9 weeks across 10 years, with only one of these days as a full stop with no forward progress due to weather conditions. We skied on every day of the traverse except the very first day, and the very last. Total distance was 1788km, 104,000m ascent and 504hrs.
For more on Speedy Tours please see Episode 26 which was recorded with Ben Bardsley and Jon Morgan from a bivi hut on year 6 of the project. Also see my Speedy Tours videos on my Youtube channel (finlay wild).
David Hamilton's website which we found particularly useful as a planning resource is at highadventure.org.uk/introduction.html (https://highadventure.org.uk/introduction.html)
If you want to buy me a cuppa to help support the podcast, thank you and please do at: https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild (https://ko-fi.com/finlaywild)
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