I've known Ben for around 3 years and he has attended a number of Mountain Training courses and a workshop that I have run. His enthusiasm, motivation and professional approach stands out and I have witnessed the huge strides he has made as he makes the transition from being a recreational climber to becoming a professional in the industry. Ben has worked hard to develop the way he communicates with clients and is an able coach. He has managed (in a relatively short timeframe) to progress on all fronts and has recently completed his RCDI training. He has in mind the myriad of 'set pieces' that can be used when working with improving climbers and has just started the consolidation process. His knowledge of the progressions towards lead climbing (from CWDI) and his thorough understanding of both Coaching behaviours and fundamental movement and techniques puts him in a strong position as a trainee RCDI. I know that Ben will wish to complete the RCDI and register for the MCI training for which his logbook is sufficient. I also know that Ben will wish to further strengthen his logbook experience and progress his personal climbing so that climbing VS in a range of environments is comfortable. Recent injuries have made this a challenge and Ben has done well to get to where he is now and I have no doubt that he'll further develop his personal climbing in months to come. Good luck with it all Ben.

Ben and I are both providers of the BMC FUNdamentals workshops. However, that doesn't really explain our relationship fully. There are 13 approved providers for these courses and I don't have much to do with the majority of them. In fact, there are only really four who I speak to on a regular basis and Ben is one. The conversations run deep and if there is one thing that's clear it is that Ben is passionate about learning and developing, as well as providing the highest possible standard for his clients. While we've discussed FUNdamentals 1 and 2 significantly in the past, working together but pushing each other to develop in effective and engaging delivery, the courses where I've seen him at his best are both Physical Training 1 and Coaching Children. Ben came to observe one of my Coaching Children courses and it was clear that he was both engrossed in the course content I'd included that differed from his previous observation and looking for ways to bring his own experiences and knowledge and enhance the course further. After the course, we had an in depth debrief and have subsequently arranged to work together again for the next stage. Likewise, his observation of my PT1 course led to hours of conversation where we both worked hard, bouncing ideas back and forth, with Ben providing me excellent feedback that has proven incredibly useful. With these courses, it would be very easy to simply to jump through the hoops, gain the providership and go through the motions each time. Ben does not do this; instead working hard to gain greater understanding. He will identify the learning objectives and syllabus for the day and then work hard to develop this into a session that is just right for those that are going to attend. It's clear that Ben takes great pride not only in providing courses, or even providing GOOD courses but also helping to grow climbing coaching across the industry. Ben pushes me to grow as much as he soaks up any information he can gleam from me. He is attentive, eager and intelligent and a pleasure to work with.