Mountains clear my mind. It has always been so. They provide solace and solitude, asking nothing in return. I give them things, though: blood, sweat and respect. My respect for wild places is infinite, as is my love for the beasts who inhabit them.

My first climb of 2015 was with Cal, whose father Big Tony – and I have scaled Scotlands highest peaks together, saving each others lives several times along the way. Cal first accompanied us on a climb when he was eight. So happy was he upon reac...