About Me

After a very young start being taken up mountains in the Lake District by my elder brothers, I was sufficiently inspired to go straight from school into outdoor centre work in Speyside, Scotland.

There I was trained to instruct mountain based skills, climbing, field studies, management training, kayaking and canoeing. Back in the old days when there was proper reliable snow, I also did several seasons as a ski instructor, working at Cairngorm, the Lecht and Glencoe.

From there I moved to North Wales and worked in an independent outdoor gear shop that operated as a guiding agency, so I kept my hand in instructing and guiding; and added mine exploration and dry slope ski instruction to my repertoire.

In the early 90s I moved back to the Lakes, and got a lot more involved in mountaineering again, leading treks in Britain, Europe and Morocco, as well as teaching mountain skills for organisations, schools, individuals and D of E.

At the end of 2019 I upped sticks again, and after a month in Nepal, established my base of operations in the South Pennines.

Over the years I've picked up the Ski Party Leader, Summer Mountain Leader, Single Pitch Award, Trail Cycle Leader and various paddling awards. I am an Accredited Gold Expedition Assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and have completed the Winter Mountain Leader Training and International Mountain Leader Summer Training. Just to keep me sharp, I'm embarking on the Local Cave and Mine Leader Assessment Scheme. I'm a member of the Mountain Training Association, the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Institute for Outdoor Learning, British Caving Association, Austrian Alpine Club and I'm an Associate Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation. After jaunts with mountain rescue teams in Scotland, Wales and the Lake District, I am again an active member of Mountain Rescue in the West Yorkshire.