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 Ascent Training is run by Paul
Platt whose mountaineering experience began in 1987. "I undertake trips to climb rock and
ice; as well as alpine and big wall climbing. A recent trip to Yosemite, in June 2006, was successful with an ascent of The Nose on El Capitan".
"I have extensively
climbed in the UK and the alpine regions
of Europe and have also had a number of expeditions to North and South America, which has included an ascent of Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska. In 1999 an attempt at an unclimbed big wall in Lows Gully in Borneo was made; though this was not successful due to a huge amount of rain we had an excellent adventure".
I am a holder of the Mountain Instructor Certificate (MIC) and a full member of
the Association of Mountain Instructors (AMI).
"I first caved in the late 1980's but have caved
extensively in Yorkshire since the late 1990's with trips to the Peak District
and South Wales (including a trip to the end of Darren Cilau and out in one push) and further afield to the Vercors, in France. I am a holder of the Cave Instructor
Certificate (CIC) and a full member of the Association of Cave Instructors
(ACI)".
"Besides being extremely passionate about these sports, I have a wealth of experience instructing. Having first worked in outdoor
education in 1987 I have worked at a number of Local Education Authorities' Centres
(LEA's) in England and Wales, as well freelancing
for the National Mountain Centre, Plas y Brenin, in North
Wales".
Ascent Training's courses are run by Paul Platt and a team of highly qualified professional freelance staff, all of which have an extensive amount of experience in the mountains and/or underground. Here is a little information about some of the staff we use:
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Stuart Halford has been a climber, skier, caver
and canoeist for over twenty years and holds a range of instructional
qualifications including the MIC (Mountain Instructor Certificate).
He has travelled widely to climb in the UK and abroad, visiting
Continental Europe, North and South America, the Middle and
Far East, and Australia and has a number of first ascents to
his name. Based in the Lake District, Stuart works in the experiential
development training industry besides working for us.
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Neil Mathews, a local lad, has been working in
outdoor education for over 15 years. He holds many instructional
certificates including skiing, canoeing, kayaking, caving and
windsurfing but primarily now works as a freelance mountaineering
instructor holding the Mountain Instructor Certificate (M.I.C.). Neil has worked in a wide range of outdoor centres and
is a qualified secondary school science teacher. |
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Simon McCabe has been climbing since 1987 and instructing
since 1994. A freelance climbing and caving instructor based near Ingleton, North
Yorkshire. His qualifications include the MIA, Winter ML, IML and CIC. He has climbed
extensively throughout Europe and in Canada,
USA, Australia and New Zealand. An extremely competent
caver and caving instructor who has had a number of trips to the Vercors, Simon
and Paul regularly cave together in Yorkshire
on winter evenings. He is a well-travelled wanderer who takes too many
holidays.
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Fiona Drake is active in many adventurous activities with the main passion being rock climbing and mountaineering. She has been climbing for a number of years and is a holder of the summer ML and SPA awards among others. She works full time at Lanehead OEC on the shores of Coniston Water and a very popular instructor besides working for Ascent Training. During the winter of 2006/7 she did her winter ML training and hopes to undertake the MIA training soon. |
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Phil Baker first met Paul in a snow hole in the Cairngorms ten years ago, and they have
shared many adventures ever since! A
very active climber, mountaineer, caver, and holder of both the MIC and CIC,
Phil also runs an outdoor centre for a local authority in the Peak
District. He has been active in the
outdoors for 28 years and has climbed in Alaska,
America,
Europe and the UK both in winter and summer. He has also caved extensively in Britain and has
had many trips to the alpine caving region of the Vercors including descending
the classic Gouffre Berger (-1200m). He
rates his favourite personal outdoor experiences as The Nose (Yosemite),
Denali (Alaska),
bottoming Daren Cilau in 17 hours (grim!), 15 new ice routes in Norway and taking
his 7 year old daughter down her first cave.
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Stu Stanley's passion in the outdoors started at school when he joined
the canoe club and today he can often be found in his sea kayak around
the North Wales coast. He holds both the Coach Level 4 Inland and Level
3 Sea awards. They say one drug tends to leads to another, and for Stu
it was rock climbing. He still remembers the transition today! Crying
on an introductory climb in N Wales in the rain (of course) whilst
wearing a dry cag! Things rapidly improved after that day and a new
lifestyle was introduced to him. Today, 17 years on, a life without
climbing would be difficult to imagine and to date he has sampled most
forms of climbing in many amazing places. Stu also holds the Mountain
Instructor Certificate (MIC). |
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