Don’t get blood on the ice if you can help it

In the latest in his series on memorable walks and pathways, Will Gore recalls a moment when having the right kit helped avoid injury

The Mont Blanc massif is a challenging environment (Getty)

A reading party sounds like something librarians get up to after hours.

Once upon a time, before technology ruined everything, reading parties (as in groups of people, not a hall with balloons and dancing) were quite the thing among student communities and intellectuals.

Get a bunch of smug poshos together, place them by the sea or on a mountain, add books, earnestness – and almost certainly a dab of sexual tension – and there you have it.