• Winter & Summer Mountain Leader
• BASP Emergency First Aid Course
• BSc(Hons) GeoSciences
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme Supervisor and assessor

I have been leading groups in the UK hills and overseas in one form or another since 1990. In the mid-90s, I was a military Combat Survival Instructor for 4 years instructing fellow RAF Aircrew on how to survive, escape and evade in all environments. I got to know Dartmoor, Wales, the jungles of Brunei, the Mojave desert, West Virginia, Arctic Norway, Bavaria and the sea off Plymouth Sound all too well !

The early 2000s presented a shift when I started to support youngsters in achieving their Duke of Edinburgh Awards by becoming a volunteer D of E expedition supervisor for the local Council usually operating in the Cairngorm mountains. I also started to lead International expeditions mainly with young people in my spare time. These have taken me to the Indian Himalayas, Nepal, Borneo, Morocco, Ecuador, Iceland and the highest peaks in Eastern Africa. Highlights have included swimming with whale sharks and walking alongside a family of warthogs during a walking safari in Botswana and many more. These have been great experiences and have been a conduit to share experiences and passion for adventure and the great outdoors with young people. Similarly, working for Wilderness Scotland allows me to share the stunning dramatic scenery, landscapes and history that the Scottish Highlands and Islands offer. What I love doing is sharing those special moments with others.

It has to be Denali, Alaska where I have been fortunate to have been twice. On the last trip we reached the 17200 foot camp and were all set to go for the summit the following morning. Unfortunately when we woke up, one of our number was not well suffering from Altitude sickness so instead of going up we had to go down rapidly to the Basin camp at 14000’.

Once down safely at the camp and rested, we put our disappointment aside and had an impromptu jamming session miming to Guns and Roses classics from someone’s walkman and playing with musical instruments cut out of ice. Quite probably never been seen at that camp before or after. Big lows and highs all on the same day.

If you have any difficulty in sleeping, I am very knowledgeable on the Geophysical factors affecting sound propagation and losses in the Ocean.

On the hill, I have a keen interest in the environment, geology, history, wildlife and bushcraft. Off the hill, the best coffee shops and whether to have the cheesecake, Victoria sponge or flapjack to go with it.