Having qualified in 1983, I am an experienced and enthusiastic guide offering:

· Summer and winter alpinism.

· Rock, mixed and ice climbing.

· Off-piste skiing and ski touring

· Expeditions to the greater ranges

· Avalanche training

· Leadership training

I am based in Leysin in Switzerland, which is close to the famous climbing and skiing areas of the western Alps: Arolla, Chamonix, Cogne, Courmayeur, Grindelwald, Saas Fee, Verbier and Zermatt are all close by. Leysin is easy to reach by road or rail from Geneva airport, and surrounded by some excellent climbs and peaks, and fantastic early season off-piste skiing and ski touring. Leysin is in a great position to take advantage of the prevailing weather and conditions to enjoy wide range of excellent objectives in the western Alps.

My ‘climbing life’ includes extensive experience making first ascents in the UK, the Alps and one long new route in the Grand Canyon, Arizona; and on 23 trips to difficult and remote peaks: in Alaska, Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash, Baltoro and Hispar Karakoram, Daxue Shan, Himalayas (several ranges), Tien Shan, Sikkim and Tibet. These include exploratory trips to technical peaks such Changabang, Pumari Chhish and Chomolhari; and also some of the 8000m peaks in the Karakoram. I also have experience of expedition filmmaking and producing mountain training videos.

I have a professional background in education and national and international mountaineering organisations. The later includes being National Officer (1989-96) and then General Secretary (1996-01) of the British Mountaineering Council (BMC), and the first Sport and Development Director (2001-05) for the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation (UIAA). More recently, I have experience of designing and delivering leadership development programmes for organisations including the World Economic Forum, the Hunter Foundation and McKinsey and Co.

I also have voluntary experience working with mountain development organisations such as the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP), the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In 1992 and 1993, as part of expeditions to Broad Peak and K2, I worked with the AKRSP and expedition sponsor Eastern Electricity to facilitate the installation of micro-hydro electricity schemes in two remote mountain villages. In 2002 I organised an expedition to Nepal for the UIAA and UNEP to raise awareness about the impact of global warming in the Himalayas and the threat of glacial lake outburst floods, which resulted in the film ‘Meltdown’. Also in 2002, I organised for the UIAA and IUCN a ‘Swiss Summit’ to promote protection of mountain areas in particular the Siachen Glacier, which was then the scene of the world’s longest running military conflict. More recently, I have been advising on mountain recreation as a means to support sustainable development in Sikkim and supporting the Sikkim Amateur Mountaineering Association with their guide training programme.