After University and Further Education, I trained as a Primary teacher and worked for a short time in the South East...but inspiration led me back to the Lake District and I worked for a worldwide mountaineering expeditions company. How excited was I to be unpacking filthy tents from Everest expeditions and re-writing their glossy brochures?! I quickly registered for my Mountain Leader Award and had well over 100 days for my logbook, thanks to experience with family, friends, clubs and societies. By 2007, I had gained my first Mountain Training award, met my husband Ross (we met at Plas y Brenin on our Mountain Leader training course) and was working full time for Adventure Cafe, in Kent, heading up their UK event organisation which involved sales, admin, logistics and leading on the hill - such great experience. From 2008, I was freelancing further afield, building good relationships with employers and travelling a lot from home, including overseas. In 2010, Ross and I decided that living in Kent was too far from the mountains we loved. So we moved, with our then 10 month old daughter, to North Wales, where I had spotted a house for sale at the foot of Snowdon. The plan was to keep developing our own business, RAW Adventures, from a place where we could incorporate work, family and life a little more cohesively. I have since gained my Winter Mountain Leader Award and am loving living in Snowdonia, mixing business and family life - it's always a challenge and never dull!
I am currently painstakingly adding as much of my general mountain experience to DLOG as I can - it's a long term goal!