I’m a fully qualified International Mountain Leader, UK Summer Mountain Leader, and Aspirant UK Winter Mountain Leader. I also hold the Rock Climbing Instructor award and the British Cycling Mountain Bike Leader Award.
I actively participate as a full member of BAIML (British Association of International Mountain Leaders) and the MTA (Mountain Training Association). These associations require me to complete Continual Professional Development and keep my First Aid and Insurance up to date. Additionally, I hold the French Carte Professionnelle Educateur Sportif, which allows me to comply with French law and ensures that my International Mountain Leader qualification is equivalent to the French Accompagnateur qualification.
Let me share a bit about my background. I entered the outdoors a bit later than most. My family holidays with my parents and sister often took us to Yorkshire and other parts of the UK, but our walks were usually short and on well-maintained paths.
At 16, I joined BT as an apprentice telecommunications engineer, and the standard induction for apprentices included a week on an “Outward Bounds” course. I thoroughly enjoyed camping, abseiling, walking, and canoeing on the Isle of Purbeck, but it took another eight years before I joined a Mountaineering Club and began climbing and walking throughout the UK and overseas.
Since joining a Mountaineering Club, I have consistently sought to improve my outdoor skills. In 2008, a friend and I booked an International School of Mountaineering (ISM) Alpinism course, which sparked my love for Alpine climbing, adding to my skiing passion that began in 1991. Since 2009, I have booked with Andy Perkins, an IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Chamonix.
As I grew tired of piste skiing, Andy encouraged me to switch to ski touring. This decision has led me on trips to Austria, Norway, Iceland, and Greenland, as well as discovering ski tours in the French Alps. To enhance my off-piste skiing, I have also taken courses with Alison Thacker, who is also based in Chamonix.
