Today, down jackets built for K2 are worn on the school run and premium waterproofs pop up in pubs. In their photo book, Max Leonard and Henry Iddon track down hard-as-nails but unheralded mountaineers and the fabric innovators who put them safely – and sometimes even stylishly – on summits to ask how we got here

Free-range history

Alicante is famous for its beaches; less so for its hiking. But in the Sierra de la Serrella, a short hop from the city, Isis Taylor discovers a network of trails that combine natural beauty with an insight into ancient cultures

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Rachael Blackmore inspired a new generation by smashing glass ceilings in a male-dominated, physically punishing sport. So where are jump racing’s next female superstars? Jennifer Donald explores

It’s been a long mile, trudging uphill in the rain, across uninspiring fields, past rickety ruins of long-abandoned farm buildings, mud slowly working its way up my waterproof trousers. Sometimes walk