How did you become involved with EOCA: EOCA member, Mountain Equipment, who are one of my equipment sponsors asked me if I would be interested!

The quality of the environment obviously has an impact on the quality of the experiences we have when we go into those environments, so preserving these qualities is important. I also think having wild places is important for getting people in touch with the beauty of the natural world, and helping them realise the importance of engaging with the more serious environmental problems that we face globally, notably the urgency of dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

I view being part of EOCA as an opportunity to engage with environmental issues - but just because you are involved - don’t let that mean you take your eye off the environmental impact of your own business activities.


What else do you promote to support conservation: Nothing specifically to do with wildlife conservation, but I am doing a PhD in environmental architecture because I am very concerned about climate change and related environmental problems, and I try and limit the impact of my own adventuring through choosing objectives closer to home and by travelling overland wherever possible.

I like the Surfers Against Sewage project (2009) because it is an example of an interest group getting involved in campaigning against something that affects them very directly but that is also very important in a wider sense – clean oceans make better recreation for surfers, but, more importantly, are also crucial for healthy fish stocks and biodiversity, which have implications for all of humanity. Perhaps as mountaineers we could launch something similar – “skiers against CO2” or “climbers against coal” or something! Again this is a massive issue for mountaineers for entirely selfish reasons (warmer winters, less snow and retreating glaciers all have an adverse effect on the activity we love), but the wider implications for the rest of humanity are far more severe.


Favourite wild place: Winter mountains. There is something that I find especially beautiful, inspiring and exciting about mountains covered in snow! Although I do appreciate the freedom of being able to run through them in the summer as well.