The Summit is Optional

The Summit is Optional Rock-climbing, mountaineering and navigation courses in North Wales, the Lake District and Scotland.

I’ve been active in the mountains for a long while, starting from humble beginnings on my Bronze DofE Award. I’ve now been a climber and mountaineer for over 40 years and have climbed all over the world. Since deciding to make this my line of work, I have become professionally qualified as both a Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor (WMCI), which is the highest UK national qualification for

climbing and mountaineering, and an International Mountain Leader. I am a member of both the professional bodies for those groups (AMI and BAIML).

08/08/2026
A little bit of a change - a trip to Kyrgyzstan for an ascent of  .Sadly no Lenin summits mainly because the weather pla...
30/07/2026

A little bit of a change - a trip to Kyrgyzstan for an ascent of .

Sadly no Lenin summits mainly because the weather played havoc with our rotations. However, everyone did summit Razdalnaya, which was good.

peaks

27/06/2026
25/06/2026
26/05/2026
19/05/2026
18/05/2026

Volunteers for Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) have had about 75 call-outs since the start of 2026, with the team attending 160 for the whole of last year.

Read more: https://bbc.in/4fkTT6H

01/05/2026

Address

Leeds

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Summit is Optional posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share