A little introduction. I have known Ian for over 13 yeas and we have spent countless weeks climbing all over Europe together. He was one of the first people that started pushing me with my climbing in all the different disciplines from sport, trad to ice and winter climbing. Ian is an MIC guide, who has vast experience climbing and guiding across UK and Scotland, but also partaking in many expeditions across the globe. I have asked Ian 16 interesting questions to give you an in-depth look at how Ian got to where he is today!
1. When did you start climbing and why?
IM: I did my first ‘real’ rock climb at a Scout Camp in the Peak District (UK), on Harbrough Rocks, when I was at school. It was super scary, but I remember being really pleased to got to the top. Encouraged by an older school friend, I later earnt a place on an expedition to the Arctic Islands of Svalbard with the British Schools Exploring Society and that really got me hooked. Before going to University, I deferred my place to spend a year as a Voluntary Instructor at an Outdoor Education Centre near the Black Mountains in South Wales. Living at the Centre, I had access to equipment, knowledge and crags - so whenever we had any time off, I would tag along with the other more experienced Instructors who were all super keen and they literally taught me the ropes. In short, I loved the adventure of it all, the new places and having the skills to get yourself into and out of have some outrageous situations.
Welsh winter classics
2. What inspires you most?
IM: I'm almost always inspired by a good view. A photograph of a peak, rock face or landscape has been the starting point for quite a few of my expeditions and climbing trips. I have often found myself looking at an awesome photo in a magazine thinking – I want to do that/see that/experience that. The inspiration is one thing, but I usually try and make sure that if I’m going to have an adventure, it’s with close friends in an amazing place. If I had to whittle it down to just few words it would probably be “good friends, sunny rock, snow-capped peaks and blue skies”.
3. Where’s the best place climbing has taken you in the world?
IM: Climbing has provided me with a great excuse to visit all kinds of places around the world which I would have never even thought of travelling to previously; Bulgaria, Kenya, Turkey, Romania and Morocco have all provided wild adventures thanks to climbing.
Generally, the rock climbing in New Zealand is nowhere near as good as what we have here in Europe but the Islands themselves are an incredible place to explore. Having the climbing guide gave us a starting point for planning our itinerary and helped create a really memorable trip a few years back (as well as the ‘stop-off’ to go surfing in Fiji on the way home).
Travelling in our van around Europe has always given us great adventures at some of the best climbing regions. Visiting Australia, California, Colorado have also all been all amazing climbing road trips; the fact that there was climbing there as well felt almost a bonus at times.
4. The craziest thing you ever experienced while climbing?
IM: So, off the top of my head, one thing that springs to mind is an ‘incident’ that happened while climbing a route in a relatively remote forest in Bulgaria. I was belaying at the base of the wall while Clare was on lead. She was about 25m up above me when she gave a shriek. The following few seconds happened in slow motion - a snake came flying through the air and landed in amongst the ropes at my feet. It had been chilling on a ledge and when Clare reached up to grab a handhold, she put her hand on it! She managed to cling onto the rock with her other hand, but the snake made a dive for it and landed safely at my feet in the rope bag. It was difficult to say who was the most shocked of us all!
Being outdoors a lot, the weather has also provided many crazy experiences and phenomena. While out rock climbing and mountaineering, I’ve occasionally been caught out by the odd thunderstorm, although none quite as frightening as suddenly being pelted by huge hail stones, while hanging off an exposed belay in the Dolomites. Back home here in Wales we had a close encounter with an electrical storm a few years back and had to descend fast with our hair standing on end and our ice axes vibrating and humming!
5. How has being a teacher of Outdoor Education changed the way you approach your personal climbing and mountain sports?
IM: I’m not sure if my approach has changed, but I’m certainly more aware and mindful of thinking about how I could incorporate some of my adventures into my next student expedition. I always want to help give them the experiences I’ve had and to inspire them to have the skills and confidence to go on and have their own adventures once they’ve left.
6. How do you earn your keep? What does that entail?
IM: I'm in charge of running the Outdoor Education Department at St David’s College in North Wales. It has a well know historic reputation for running adventurous expeditions through it’s curriculum program of Outdoor Education. I love being part of it and being able to continue to fly the flag for genuine Outdoor Education experiences with young people.
I'm also part of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI). The Association is sponsored by Rab, Lowe Alpine and DMM and I am part of the AMI Test Team so am involved in product development and testing some of their great kit.
Yosemite cruising
7. What was your best climbing day thus far in your career? And why ?
IM: Ah so many to choose from! The best days of climbing that I have had usually involve long routes, with some sort of journey or memorable shared experiences attached. I’m definitely more attracted to the potential ‘experience’ over the potential ‘difficulty’ or grade of the climbs I choose.
One day that springs to mind, is climbing a route called ‘Espolon Rojizo (V-, AD) on the west face of a peak called Santa Anna in the Picos de Europa in Spain. The route is quite remote, so took a day to walk in to and involved a bivi in a crazy small hut the night before the climb. We then had to find the route, get up it, summit the peak and walk out again. The whole experience was so fulfilling on many levels, even though the climbing was at a reasonable grade.
The name of the route escapes me now, but I remember climbing a classic route in Yosemite Valley National Park and experiencing full-on ‘flow’ conditions. We arrived at the base at the same time some other teams who very generously let us go first. The climbing was immaculate, but the real buzz was flowing up the rock at speed, swinging leads without a single tangle and generally feeling like heros! We were back in the valley before the next team were even halfway up the route.
Man, you’ve got me going now!.... I spent a year living in Switzerland where there is no shortage of classic routes. The huge slab of the Mirror d’Argentine was something that I could almost see from our apartment and I’d been itching to climb it since the day I arrived. When we finally got to climb it, my parents were visiting, so they they watched us from the meadow through binoculars and then met us in the Hut at the top. After treating us to celebratory hot chocolates, we got a ride back to the valley with them in the guardian’s 4x4 in time for a celebratory fondue!
Okay, one last one or I’ll be here all day…. During one winter I spent almost all of the climbing season with a friend living in the British Mountaineering Council’s Hut on the West coast of Scotland. We climbed almost every day and amassed loads of great routes together, but our winter ascent of Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis was a classic day indeed. It's a long route and having stayed a few days at the CIC Hut, under the cliffs of the North Face, we had the privilege of having the mountain to ourselves. It felt like we were climbing a little bit of history.
8. How has your approach to training changed over time?
IM: I've never really had a fixed training regime, but have always been active – generally, I've just gone climbing a lot. I come from a family of builders, so I’d always been involved with ‘physical’ work as I grew up; moving bricks, was a good way to keep in shape. I would say these days I vary my climbing with other pursuits that have a similar fitness ‘entry requirements’, such as cycle-touring and surfing. Yoga, Somatics, stretching and even breathing exercises, play a much more important part of my training these days in order to stay supple. Now I think about it, I’ve only even been in a gym a couple of times.
9. You’re constantly out in the mountains with kids. How do you balance training and work ?
IM: I have the flexibility with my work to choose where I go with my groups. If I’ve had a big day with my students , I’m likely to take it easy in the evening, but otherwise, I’m usually pretty psyched to get out in the evening to climb – I feel that if I’m psyched, it rubs off on my students.
Scotlands finest
10. If you could only climb one route for the rest of your life what would it be? And why?
IM: Ugh…. Tricky…. Probably a long one, with good gear, a stunning view and decent belay ledges.
11. Five things you can’t leave home without?
IM: 1.Camera/iPhone – I love taking photos almost as much as I enjoy looking back over them years later. Climbing and mountaineering take me to places that a lot of people will never go to or see, so it’s nice to be able to share the adventure afterwards.
2.Lippy – Gotta watch those UV rays
3.Sunglasses – It’s not just about looking cool; I can’t close my left eye very well, so they stop me staring at the sun!
4.Food and water – I need constant top-ups!
5.Rab Kinetic Soft-Shell – the first lightweight waterproof soft shell – amazing!
12. Who are your key influencers, in your climbing career? And why ?
IM: I've been lucky enough to have spent time in the mountains with many great climbers, mountaineers and thinkers. There are so many different people who have all influenced me in different ways. For example, a guy called Andy Brown who took me on my first climb in the Peak District, really influenced me and my outlook, when I was younger. At University my lecturers, Dave Hardy, Andy Boorman, Tim Jepson (to name a few), were people that were quietly getting on with doing hard climbs or big ski descents and I liked that style – it resonated with me. When I started working towards my qualifications in the rock climbing and mountaineering world, the Mountain Guide Phil George gave me encouragement and motivated me to be the best I could be, rather than just ‘getting through’ the tests.
There are hundreds more but generally, it's been the people who actually practice what they preach - those who really walked the walk not just talked the talk. People like Nicolas Favresse and Alex Honnald spring to mind. They are both operating at such a high level of physical and mental skill, yet they always seem to be making sure that the climbing is fun – as it should be. That’s great style in my opinion.
Chamonix granit
13. Which one person has the biggest and most impact in your career to get you to where you stand today? And how?
IM: Ahh, that's an impossible question as I have been impacted in so many ways by so many different people. I’ve been lucky in that I have lived through many experiences and with people who have positively impacted not just my climbing and mountaineering but in all areas of my life.
14. (Nutrition) Run us through what’s on your meal plan for a full days climbing and working all day?
IM: Everyday starts with several mugs of hot water (60°C) with a slice of freshly squeezed lemon. Breakfast is almost always involves a big bowl of organic, sugar free granola, mini-shredded wheats, a sprinkle of bran flakes, a dollop of organic natural yogurt, half a sliced banana, a good amount of milk and some fresh blueberries if we’ve got any in the fridge. I picked this routine up from my cousin when I stayed with him in my mid-teens and it’s been my go-to daily staple ever since.
Elevensis snacks could be a coffee, flapjack or green smoothie, depending where I am. Lunch is usually a sandwich of some sort. When I’m climbing, I usually have some grain bars, cashew nuts and apple as my preferred nibbles. Clare and I usually have a brew together in the late afternoon and then eat dinner later in the evening.
15. Run us through your typical day to day routine as a MIC mountain instructor / outdoor education teacher?
IM: The best thing about my typical day, is that there is no ‘typical’ day. Having said that there are some common themes that run through most days for example I usually finish and start the day studying the weather forecast. Knowing the conditions allows me to make the best decisions for my group not just for their enjoyment but also for their safety as well.
I'm usually up pretty early as I like to spend some time reading and relaxing to get in the right frame of mind before the day really gets going. Depending on how energetic my day has been I usually try to climb, surf or go for a bike in the early evenings. One rule I do have though, is that I don’t check my emails after 19:30 and my phone switches itself off at 22:00 to ensure some off-screen time for my brain to wind down before sleep.
16. What’s next for you, any future plans and objectives? (expeditions ?)
IM: As always, I’ve usually got a few plans bubbling away. I’m a few ‘esoteric’ scrambles away from having ticked the local North Wales guidebooks. Unfortunately, they are generally the ones that no one ever climbs because they are overgrown wet and green so finding a suitable partner can be as much of a challenge as the routes! Ha-ha!
Naturally, this year’s expeditions plans have all been put on hold for the moment, so currently I am looking up more local (UK) options for the nearer future. Classic long lower grade routes are ones that catch my eye; especially if they're off the beaten track.
I would love to explore some remote peaks in Greenland in the future. I’m looking forward to getting back to some long rock alpine rock routes and we also have a half-baked plan for an extended adventure cycling expedition in North Eastern Europe. Ah, so much to do!.....
Thank you so much for your time Ian! Make sure you check out Ian’s blog (click the button below!)
