KERNOW KLIMBER    

A move to Scotland in 1997, meant less rock climbing and more mountaineering, plus a good grounding in winter climbing.   I joined the RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team and spent most of my weekends in the big hills, assisting those in need and planning expeditions to far-off places. These expeditions included several visits to the Alps, with ascents of Mont Blanc and the Walker Spur on the North Face of The Grandes Jorasses (considered by many alpinists to be a better climb than the North Face of the Eiger). During this period, I also led an expedition to the remote Cirque of the Unclimbables, in northern Canada, and climbed the spectacular Lotus Flower Tower, a route considered by many climbers to be the finest rock climb in the world.

A natural progression as a climber/mountaineer is to visit the Himalayas and I have been lucky enough to climb Ama Dablam (6812m) by its South West Ridge and was also a member of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service Everest Expedition which put 2 people on the summit in 2001.

Having resided in Cornwall since 2000, I take every opportunity to explore the wonderful climbing available here. Recently I have been busy working to update the Chair Ladder (premier Cornish sea-cliff) section of the West Cornwall Volume 2 climbing guidebook for The Climbers Club. (That's me on the front cover!)