Mountain Leader Profile

Rebecca Becky Coles

Originally from Kent, Rebecca drifted north to Sheffield when she went to Uni to study geography. Some years later she emerged with a doctorate in Glacial Geomorphology but somewhere along the way she decided that the life of an academic was not for her and turned her attention to a life that provided an outdoor office.

Signing up with Mountain Leader Training she has progressed through various ML awards gaining International Mountain Leader status last year, then complimenting her IML with the demanding Mountain Instructors Award in 2013. When asked would she be pursuing a Mountain Instructors Certificate or going for IFMGA Guide she replied, “Not sure yet. I need to get off the ML treadmill for a moment, but I do love my Scottish Winter climbing. For the time being I have to concentrate on my forthcoming expedition and making a living as a freelance instructor.” Which is one of her reasons for moving from Sheffield to Snowdonia and Llanberis.

When asked about her Alpine experience, she says, “I don’t have that much alpine experience”, adding modestly, “Just the Kuffner Arête on Mont Maudit and a number of first ascents in South Georgia. I suppose I'm more of an expeditioner and rock climber really.” This was followed by a conversation about her forthcoming expedition to the Muzkol Range in the Eastern Pamirs of Tajikistan, where, with three friends, they hope to climb a number of unclimbed 6000m peaks including the Matterhorn of Muzkol. “Working with a number of trekking companies I have quite a lot of experience leading expedition graded treks to Nepal, Bolivia, Peru and Southern Africa.” And what plans have you got after you return from your own expedition? “I have another trip with Jagged Globe to the Ecuador Volcanoes.”

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