About Me
From the moment I took the book off the library shelf I knew it would be a place I'd visit. I was at University at the time, studying Engineering Surveying. I'd wanted to be a Land Surveyor since the age of 12, but this course kept my options open.
I had decided that if I secured a good job after University I would pursue a worthwhile career and if the job wasn't brilliant then I'd work for a year before going traveling.
Upon graduation I secured a position with a Survey Company based in Aberdeen, working in the Oil Industry. Before long I was traveling to work by helicopter to Oil Platforms in the North Sea and had also carried out similar work in South Korea and Thailand. Although the work was stimulating, my desire to see the mountains of the world was growing and despite being an excellent job (by far the best paid I've had to date, with excellent career prospects), I quit in July 1997 after only working for 14 months, to discover the Patagonian Andes I had read about in the Library. What followed was a 6 months travel in South America, one year in New Zealand on a Working Visa, and 3 months trekking in Nepal.
On returning to the UK I embarked on a career in Sales after enjoying the people contact I had whilst working in the Ski Resorts as a Lift Operator in New Zealands South Island. I quickly became bored with Telesales and moved into Recruitment before the Cold Calling became my wake up call and I realized there was more to life then working in an office.
I quit another prosperous career and again went in search of new adventures. The Alps were the destination and included trekking, a Mountaineering Course and finished with an ascent of Mont Blanc (4808m). The following 3 months were office based, saving for my return to Patagonia for 3 months of Trekking and volcano bagging.
My next career move was the most sensible to date; to that of a Tour Leader; doing something I love, and getting paid for it. First I worked for Exodus, guiding Adults along the trails of the French Pyrenees and then in 2003 I landed my dream position with VentureCo, leading Gap Year trips around South America. These incorporated a language School a Project and an overland journey; stimulating my brain, enabled me to give something back to the countries from which I had gained so much and fulfilled my desire to travel.
In 2004 I spent 5 weeks on an Expedition to Iceland as a Mountain Leader with BSES Expeditions and in 2005 completed my 6 year dream of a solo ascent of Aconcagua (6959m) highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. In 2005 I also bought a run-down apartment in Buenos Aires, Argentina and completely renovated it. In the same year I secured a temporary residency Visa.
I now rent my Apartment in Buenos Aires to tourists and live in the Mountain town of Bariloche where I purched an apartment in September 2008. In November 2009 I secured my Permanent Residency Visa in Argentina. I spend my free time mountain biking and trekking during the summer, skiing & snowboarding in the winter; designing web sites and staring out my apartment window at the Andes Mountains !