Stuart McAleese

Senior Instructor

IFMGA Mountain Guide and WMCI

Who or what was your biggest inspiration?

Hillwalking and intro rock climbing with the Venture Scouts and Outdoor Education at School first got me interested in the mountains and climbing. I was lucky living near the Lake District mountains, and it was here that really inspired me, and I slowly found out more about the mountains around the UK and the world.

How did you become an Instructor?

After leaving school I got a job as a trainee instructor at Howtown Outdoor Education Centre, Ullswater in the Lake District. Here I was taught all about all about the outdoor industry and its qualifications. Working with Mountain Guides and Instructors I found out what was involved with teaching and leading people in the mountains. This really inspired me, and I followed the career pathway, with advice from my early role models and climbing friends.

Tell us about a favourite route?

I’m really lucky, and during my 20s and 30s I climbed all over including first ascents of

mountains and routes in places such as Patagonia, Alaska, Baffin Island and Kyrgyzstan.

Climbing all the 6 Classic North Faces of the Alps, including the North Face of the Eiger,

was a great experience and my most recent expedition was climbing Cerro Torre in Patagonia.

My very first rock climbs were Little Chamonix and Troutdale Pinnacle in the Lake District.