Sport
Climbing
I started climbing as a young kid but became more serious about it in my late teens. Growing up in the Southwest of England, I spent much of my youth climbing on soggy sea cliffs, slippy limestone and sharp, weather worn granite on Dartmoor. This apprenticeship lead to trips “up norf” to the mountain regions of the UK such as North Wales and Scotland. I would often take trips during the winter to climb icey faces and mixed routes sometimes in a long weekend driving from Devon. Soon came trips to the alps and with this, the discovery of long mixed and ice faces, beautiful granite climbs and flowing alpine ridges. During my 14 years of climbing in the alps I’ve made ascents of some of the biggest faces in the alps including the North face of the Eiger, North face of the Grandes Jorasses (4 times now!) and North Face of the Matterhorn to name a few. One of the highlights of my climbing career so far was Soloing the 1000m North Face of Les Droites in the argentiere basin via the Messner route in the autumn of 2014.
Skiing
I never had the chance to ski when I was a kid, so when I had the freedom to travel I desperately wanted to give it a go. I went to chamonix on a climbing trip in my late teens and managed to climb my first major Alpine climbs including the Gabarrou-Albinoni on the west face of Mont Blanc Du Tacul. After this, the weather turned bad for climbing, however it was possible to ski. The first few times I did it I could tell it was going to be a lifelong passion of mine however it didn’t feel that similar to the other mountain activities I did away from the crowds and in nature. After a year long sabbatical and my first summer spent in the alps I decided to do a full ski season in Chamonix to really give it a proper go and discover the wilder side of skiing that is ski touring and mountaineering. I threw myself at it and pretty soon realised the potential and more importantly the fun that it had to offer! As predicted after a couple of seasons skiing quickly became my main passion and an obsession during the winter months as I developed my skills on the often steep slopes of the Chamonix Valley. After several seasons I turned my attention to steeper slopes and found a passion for riding these mythical lines in good snow. I love the mix of planning, preparation, endurance, technical skill and decision making that go into climbing and skiing a big line in good snow. Bellow is a list of some of the steeper descents I have made in the area and further afield.
These days you’ll find me out most days of the winter on a pair of skis either freeride skiing from the big lifts of chamonix or exploring the various corners of the Mont Blanc Massif or further afield. I’m fortunate to work with some amazing brands such as Salomon and Smith who provide me with top end equipment to enable me to ski as much as possible!
Paragliding
In the past few years I have discovered my passion for paragliding! I learnt to fly with a local paragliding school in chamonix who taught me on a lightweight wing (1.4kg). After several months of learning and completing many simple flights I started to turn my attention to flying from loftier summits. I have now flown from several 4000m peaks in the alps including Mont Blanc twice, Aiguille Verte twice, Mont Blanc du Tacul and the Grande Combin. I’m looking forward to many more amazing adventures and learning new aspects of paragliding with the goal to one day offer the dream guiding day of climbing an alpine peak and flying me and you down!
Mountain Biking
I’ve ridden mountain bikes for years and these days you’ll frequently find me out on my enduro bike riding the local trails around my house in Argentiere of an evening or pushing or carrying my bike up a high alpine pass in search of pristine high alpine single track. I’m excited for the future of mountain biking and love the constant feeling of progression and ease of getting out for some exercise!
Guiding
As a certified IFMA Mountain guide I’m fully qualified and insured to take you out into Glaciated Alpine terrain either climbing or skiing, anywhere in the world. During our time together I will manage the inherent risks and look after the safety of the team, whilst hopefully sharing some knowledge and building your skills along the way! I’m passionate about offering fun and exciting adventures tailored to your mountain goals. I have an extensive knowledge of the Mont Blanc area and pride myself in finding the best snow around! Learn more book book me as a guide here.
In 2020 I embarked on the journey to become a fully qualified Mountain Bike Guide in the alps. I hope to be finished with the process some time in 2021 and look forward to sharing some epic riding with you in the future. Please feel free to get in touch to talk about potential trips in the future. I’m happy to discuss ideas and plans to bring you to what I think is some of the best natural mountain biking trails in the world.
Presenting
Alongside guiding and practicing the sports I love, I also have extensive experience with on-screen presenting, video editing and production and event-hosting. I love sharing my knowledge and experiences, whether it be on the mountain or via a video. If you are looking for a speaker/presenter/host then please get in touch via my contact page.
