Testimonials

Yo Guy,

So you're on JSA then? Thanks again for an amazing 2 weeks you pushed me to what I wanted to achieve and had a great time. 

The last day was a classic in my climbing memories. Brilliant. Good walk in, hard climbing (I'm struggling!) and amazing scenery. I finally got it that day. Legs apart, don't climb the axes, rest the arms. 

Another great moment was listening to Dave's tirade of abuse when he lost his belay plate and had to descend using an italian with icey ropes. I haven't heard someone swear that much in ages. I liked him more after that.

I also want to thank you for taking the time to go to the hospital with me. You didn't have to do it and isn't part of your job. And it turns out my foot is broken! Thats why the hospital were trying to get hold of me...they had a 2nd look and there is a fracture in there. That vindicates my moaning i feel. They posted me a letter which i received when i got back. Oh well, it didn't stop me climbing.

I can honestly say you are one of the best guides I've come across and hope to climb with you again. You're up for doing something mental and not backing off even though you knew i would struggle. I'll get you a pint next time aye? I did write a letter to Martin last time giving praise but he didn't reply so not sure if it filtered down. 

All the best, keep safe and what's your tipple (whisky, rum, vodka, gin?)

Tom - Norway Intermediate Ice

Thought I'd drop you an email whilst in on the train to Geneva airport to say what a brilliant week we had. Andy and Guy were excellent guides and lovely people to spend a week with. They are both patient and natural teachers whilst also kept things fun and interesting. They judged the experience and fitness of the group well and paced the week excellently. 

I really enjoyed the fact that the course was very hands on and we were given freedom and responsibility to look after ourselves. A lot of the other course groups I saw in the mountains during the two weeks I was in Switzerland were roped up to a guide and they just followed. On the other hand we worked in pairs, with Andy and Guy floating between pairs to offer advise and correct mistakes. This is probably a lot more stressful way to "guide" as there has to be trust in the clients, however it gave my friend and I the skills and confidence to go off alone the following week and climb three further peaks (without any mishaps!). 

I don't often go on guided or group trips for fear that the pace will be too slow (I don't like to spend my holidays sitting around!), feeling that I am being babysat or I won't get as much out of it as I feel I should for my money. However the ISM Skills and Summits course surpassed my expectations. 

I really like the fact that the price was all-inclusive.  Switzerland is an expensive country, but once I'd paid up a couple of months in advance I could forget about the price and just enjoy the holiday, rather than being reminded about the price of things at every mountain hut, restaurant or lift. The group packed lunches were good too, it meant that we could share a variety of different things, not need to buy expensive lunches at the huts and it was sociable too.  

Overall I think the course was excellent value for money and I'd certainly recommend ISM to friends. Hopefully all your courses are as good as this one! 

Please also pass on my compliments to Guy and Andy. Andy organised an excellent week, we had great fun whilst also learning lots. I wish Guy all the best for this Aspirant training- he'll make an excellent Mountain Guide. 

Many thanks

Rachel - Skills and Summits 4000m

Guy,
Just about back down to earth now - fingertips have peeled, aches have subsided and work's back to full-on crazy. Didn't take long, but memories of a brilliant week will keep me going. Thanks for a perfectly judged traverse; doing the climbs was exactly the right thing to do and I'd do it all again tomorrow if I could. Must say too that I actually enjoyed our climbing day! Never really thought I would enjoy climbing for its own sake, but maybe there's been a bit of a light bulb thing. I know it was dead easy stuff, on a perfect day on perfect rock, but still!

So, thanks again, and if you fancy some work on Great Gable I'll be there!

BDC - Cuillin Traverse Week (5 days)

Hi Guy

Just a quick note to thank you for your excellent guiding last week in what must have been some of the most challenging conditions of this depressing winter. I could not have hoped that we would have enjoyed three days as rewarding as the sopping wet Cioch Nose in big boots, the superb cliffs of Beinn Eighe and that eye-opening assault on Tower Ridge. The dry tooling was great fun (while brutally revealing my limitations) and Nathan told me how much he enjoyed his winter leading masterclass in Sneachda.

I like to do plenty of exploring in the mountains either solo or as the older head in a regular partnership but it does pay to go back to school with an expert from time to time. And of all the guides I've climbed with, I feel I've seen and learned more from you.

Keep up the good work and here's hoping winter has not sounded its last. 

Cheers

Julian Goddard - Technical Winter Climber

Hi Guy

Just to say thank you for a great days climbing  on Sunday with the weather being an added bonus. For me it was good to get used to crampons even if the snow was a bit thin and Grant was fairly buzzing after taking in what he had achieved. He was encouraged by what you told him eg being suitable for curved ridge. (He's not quite ready for Tower Ridge or the Inn Pin)

I hope it has kicked off a great winters climbing season for you and I'll look to be in touch March(ish) for next time.

Have a good Christmas and New Year when it comes.

Kind regards

Grahame - Ben Nevis Winter Mountaineering

Hi Guy

Just a line to say thank you so much for your superb leadership skills (and the two Andy's) last Friday on the Aonach Ridge - a fantastic day.

I found the whole day most stimulating and exciting and wish I had done that sort of thing years ago! 

I do hope the weather improves for you and Sean on the Isle of Skye this week and you get some good climbing done.

Thanks once again.

Regards

Robin Hayward - Aonach Eagach

Guy,

Thank you for a superb three days on Skye.

The Traverse was sensational and the Cioch a spectacular treat.

My Dad and I had a great time and really appreciated your calm leadership, expert guidance and great company. We really improved our climbing and learned lots of new “hill skills”.

I’ll definitely be in contact again if I can sneak off for another mountain challenge and would whole-heartedly recommend you to anyone interested in a similar adventure.

Thanks again

James - 2 day Cuillin Ridge Traverse + Cioch ascent

Hello Guy,

I hope your week in Torridon is going well and that you did not inherit my cold and cough which I am still trying to shake off.

I had a great time with you during our three days together and very much appreciated your patient, reassuring and expert help.  I learnt a lot and really enjoyed the experience; it was good to be sensibly pushed outside my comfort zone.

You were also going to let me know when you plan to be in North Wales in case we can fit in some climbing there later in the year.

We also need a chat at some point before too long about the June/July Skye trip and whether to climb An Teallach during that week

Sean - 3 days Winter Mountaineering

Guy,

That was one of the most memorable and amazing experiences of my life.  Thank you very much for guiding Wallace and I. Totally breath-taking views – my heart was literally in my mouth on a number of occasions.  I think I’m still pumping 5 times the normal amount of adrenaline around my body - two days later.

I could not commend your skills, calm and assurance more highly.  I’ve already passed your name to a friend who’s brother is interested in doing the ridge.  I also have a little unfinished business on the In Pin to sort out next year.

Brilliant, awesome, thank you.  I’ll post picture and videos on your dropbox.  Best of luck with the trip around the islands and future ventures.

Neil - 2 Day Cuillin Ridge Traverse

Hi Guy,

Hope your summer is going well and you are enjoying all the good weather.

I am still buzzing from the fantastic week on Skye in May - I am sure due to your very kind attention and advice about my clumsy footwork on the ridge.  I expected to "get Skye out of my System" after the May week but it's had the opposite effect.  

I would like to try the traverse at some point but recognise the need to get some climbing experience to tackle -maybe that's one for another year!

Look forward to hearing from you.

Helen - 4 day Cuillin Munro's

Hi there Guy, I'd be grateful if you could share this with Donald, but a quick note to thank you both so very much for your expert guiding over the weekend. It was an incredible experience made possible by the sum of both of your skills, in communicating, encouraging, instilling confidence and trust in me and my ability. I'm extremely grateful for your diligence in ensuring I was safe and not pushed beyond my bounds.

It all made for an amazingly enriching experience and one I am desperate to do again. I was of course challenged like never before on the hill, but it felt great and I've realised today that there's nothing quite like the thrill - I feel I just have to go back and experience it all again.

You were able to convey the essence of the island and its attraction, by sharing your knowledge of the landscape, rock formations, flora and fauna which all added to the appreciation of such an amazing environment. Thank you for that.

Thank you for it all.

It's safe to say there's a high likelihood of us booking again soon if you'll have me/us and hope I'll be lucky enough to benefit from your admirable skills.

All the best for a prosperous remainder of the season….

Kind regards,

Rory, Mark, Phil and Rupert - 2 days Skye Mountaineering

Guy

Thanks for the photos and for our successful Ridge last week, I know you say we were lucky with good weather – this is true – but also you are too modest. I have met a quite a few instructors in the past but no-one quite like you: highly competent but also really good judge of character and people’s abilities and so much fun to be with! Your passion for the mountains is infectious and you seem to actually enjoy the work too (or am I just flattering myself…) which makes such a difference. You definitely have a rare combination of technical and social skills – lucky clientsJ.

The Ridge was a totally amazing experience – I just wish I could take it all in properly: there was so much going on that it is hard to remember everything (other than the obvious highlights such as the dripping wet Sgurr nan Gillean scramble which was certainly memorable). Guess I am just going to have to do it all again some day…

Till next time!

Katya - 2 Day Cuillin Ridge Traverse

Really enjoyed the two days and Guy was super all round. Tower ridge went well for us on wed too so overall a very good week considering the weather we got.
 
Tks again and see you next year!
 
Niall - 2 days Winter Climbing

Top notch guiding in less than ideal conditions. Great on you for sticking to the task when the weather didn’t improve as early as forecast.  The bypassing of some of the usually included more technical sections didn’t matter for our traverse as the greasy nature of the rock on many of what are normally straightforward sections more than provided enough excitement on the day! Top man.

Cheers!

Malcolm - 1 Day Single Cuillin Ridge Traverse

I did try to leave a comment but don’t know whether the system accepted it so I’ll say it again – thanks for a great day and taster of what “real” climbing’s all about. Nicely judged to give us both a bit (a lot in my case!) of a challenge I thought.

Cheers!

Rachel - 1 day intro to rock climbing

Thank you for organising Guy for us.  He was an absolutely brilliant guide, all round.

He looked after us exceptionally well.  We all felt confident under his guidance – both climbing and the local knowledge.  I dread to think how much double-backing we would have been doing, both up-down and forward-back, if we had been up there ourselves, trying to find the way.  And he judged things for the inclement weather perfectly.

And on top of that, Guy was extremely good company, a very personable fellow.

Nick’s just pointed out that Guy’s just done a nice write up on his blog of our week.

I can see how the climbing bug can get you.  It sounds like you and Guy have certainly caught it big time!  I did enjoy the week and the experience, but my word, the exposure at times does call for nerves.  It can be quite an intense experience, as a result.  Personally, I felt encouraged that I managed what we were presented with better than I had at times feared.  So let’s see if I go for more.  I shall certainly recommend you and Guy to any friends who want to go climbing up in Scotland. 

 Very  many thanks, once again, and best wishes,

Martin (+ James and Nick)- 4 days Cuillin Munro's

Hi Guy

I just wanted to say thank you for a fantastic 4 days "Munro bashing" on Skye. Your guiding enabled us to achieve what we wanted to do, and to challenge ourselves and really enjoy the mountains. You quickly sussed out our abilities and led us skilfully so we went beyond simple peak bagging and really got to grips with some fantastic scrambling. Your enthusiasm and your love of the mountains shines through everything you do. It felt like going walking with a knowledgeable and respected friend, who joined in the banter and swapping of tales, but who quietly knew the way and how to keep us all safe and confident in ourselves. That's a great skill  and a great art. Mike at Skye Guides was saying how lucky he is to have you working for him and I agree. Once my knees have recovered I'll have to start plotting another adventure!

Andy
(+Phil, Roger, Ian and Jim) - 4 days Skye Munro's

Thanks again for everything last week - a really cracking week that really couldn't have been any better in any way!

Cheers,

Ian - 4 days Skye Munros

 I climbed with Guy for 5 days in an effort to fall in love with the mountains again. After Everest in 2012, I had little appetite for the hills, but was sure that with the right mountain experiences I could find that passion again. Guy totally “got it”. Over our five days his enthusiasm, passion and energy and careful planning of appropriate routes got me back in the groove and I got the passion back. His enthusiasm is infectious – and I caught it again. If you want a lot of laughs, boundless enthusiasm, encouragement, and a great climbing partner, then Guy’s your man. He was clearly a Labrador in his previous life – full of energy and always wagging his tail. I cannot recommend him highly enough.    

Take care out there mate, and I love the blog.

Cheers,

Roger - 5 Days winter climbing

Hello Guy,

I hope you didn’t overdo the Christmas celebrations yesterday!

Just a wee note to say a big thank you for giving us all a cracking weekend.

You and Kenny do your jobs very professionally and make it look very easy.

I really enjoyed Lost the place and as usual picked up some more handy tips watching you boys in your element,

All the very best for the Festive season I very much hope we get out with you again,

Andy - 2 days winter climbing based at the CIC hut

Hi Guy

Thanks for the weekend trip up the Ben. I had a smashing time on Saturday with you and Paul.

Have a great Christmas and New Year. I am away to practice my clove hitches!

Cheers

Calum - 2 days winter climbing based at the CIC hut

Hi Guy

Thanks for a top day on Saturday.  You were just what we were looking for and made the day really enjoyable.  We were all pleased you wanted to ‘beast’ the other 3 munros with us.

Cheers.  

Keith Small - Inn Pinn plus more

Guy

Thanks for the guiding it was a great expedition, you were great at finding your way through the maze of the cullin ridge and ensuring we kept the momentum up. I will ensure to stay more upright next time. A shame we couldn't finish the ridge, next time I will make sure I give Mark a full kit inspection.

Thank you for the pictures they are great, also enjoyed reading your blog.

Hope you have a good winter season hope to see you next year to complete the ridge.

Regards

Paddy - Single Day Cuillin Ridge Traverse attempt

Hi Guy

Thanks a million for your swift action providing us with all the great pics (and not mentioning the famous Swiss shoe drop trick in your blog). Great memories to show to friends and family.

As Erik mentioned, we really appreciated your company and your professional skills. My girlfriend is indeed interested in having a similar experience, a necessary step before completing the full ridge with Erik.

Warm regards

Fabien - 3 days Skye sea cliffs and Mountains

Hi Guy – just wanted to thank you again for a great couple of days.  It was great knowing you and we think you are not only a great guide, but a great guy as well (no pun intended…).  

We'll have to redo this again soon, although it sounds like Fabien needs to take Cecile on a romantic Scottish holiday first, so Fabien pls get on with it!

Take care and until next time,

Erik - 3 days Skye sea cliffs and Mountains

Hi Guy,

Just a quick one to say thanks for the last two days, really enjoyed it and learnt so much stuff, will for sure have to get out a lot more and now have more confidence to do so as well. Just have to keep practising and practising!

All the best for the rest of the summer and getting on the guide scheme.

Thanks again.

Ben -  2 Days Private Guiding

Hats off to guy who managed 3 guys who were old enough to be his dad and his uncles.We could not have wished for a more proffessional and knowledgeable guide who gave us an unforgettable experience and managed us in a very effective manner such that we enjoyed every minute of the day . 

Regards 
Paul  2 Days on Skye


Guy
Many thanks for providing us with two superb days on the Black Cuillin.  You are an excellent guide and I would recommend you to any of my friends.Your assistance, guidance, support and encouragement was first class and without this we would never achieved our objectives, especially the climb and abseil of the Inn Pin, which was great.

I have advised Mike Lates of Skye Guides of your qualities of leadership, which are premier division.

Thanks once again on behalf of myself, Paul and Ric.

Have a good summer.

Regards

Mike Denner 2 Days on Skye

Hi Guy, I hope you got to the hotel ok.

Thank you again for today - it was great and I thoroughly enjoyed the climb.

Raffaella  Aonach Eagach

Hi Guy,

I´m very sorry I have taken this long, but I just wanted to say a massive thank you for sending us the cd with pictutes, you have taken some very good ones! I also wanted to thank you on behalf of Giles and I for a fantastic course. We learnt loads and feel a lot more confident. You are a brilliant teacher.

We are hoping to get up to the Torridon in Easter, hoping for snow (doubt it!!!).

Hope work is going well.

Ivon and Giles - 5 Day mountaineering course

Hi Guy 

           Finally home thanks for taking us out and teaching us new skills in the mountains had a great day despite the cold cold gulley. I went out and bought some new gloves at Nevis sport the next day. I need some belay gloves too.Thanks also for writing up the blog with no swear words- hehe.

Just wondered if you had the photos of the day as i cant access the ones on the blog -think you also have some nice ptarmigian pics too.

You turned over the page in the book with regard to walking poles was this for Leonie; I have a pair but didn't want to use them as extra kit to carry and im happy to forego using them.

Its flipping tropical down here -hose pipe ban due shortly due to lack of water. Spring is here.

Knot it off

Claire - Intro to winter climbing

Hi Guy

Many thanks once again for taking me out on Ben Nevis last week. I had a great day which absolutely met all of my objectives - I'm very impressed by your teaching style and ability to impart skills and confidence in a subtle yet effective manner. I also appreciated your flexibility in moving dates from the Monday to Friday following our holiday delay. 

I would be grateful if you would send some pictures of the day to me as I forgot my camera. 

Feel free to point any clients in my direction if ever requested for a client reference - id be more than happy to recommend you. 

Good luck with your MIC assessment - whenever it may actually happen!


Best regards

Calum - Mountaineering Skills

Thanks for the photo's Guy, that's great.

Had a great day out, thanks again and if were ever up in the same area and up for climbing again, we'll give you a shout.

Take care,

Leonie - Guided winter climbing

Just wanted to drop you an email so you can pass on my thanks to Guy for an excellent day out on Monday, I really enjoyed myself. Guy was prompt and after a discussion about what I wanted to achieve for the day a plan was made. He was excellent in not only helping me formulate the plan but also informing me of the thought process he was thinking about to. We headed to Corrie an t-Sneachda with the intention of walking the Fiacaill ridge, but the wind was just too strong so we changed to plan B and headed for the goat track as I wanted to get into some steeper ground, around grade 1. Guy made me feel very confident in pushing my experience to this level, and I felt safe throughout the day, he was very down to earth and we had a great chat as we walked. After a successful climb we did some more nav work and headed to the top of Corie an Lochain, before returning to point 1141 and heading back to the car.

Overall the day was a fantastic trip, the benefit of 1:1 guiding was invaluable and I feel I not only managed to put into practice the skills I had learnt on the weekend winter skills course but also build and improve on these with Guys help. He has given me the confidence to go out and enjoy the mountains in winter, whilst also knowing where my limitations are.

Please can you pass on my sincere thanks to Guy for a great day out, its something I will remember for a very long time.

Also thanks to you for arranging my trip, it all went so smoothly, I have no hesitation in recommending you for any future trips, of which I hope there are many.

Best wishes

Davyd - 1 Days winter Skills

Guy,

Oli here just want to say thanks for a top notch weekend. Still buzzing off it now, you might just have kickstarted a new passion. . Spent a couple of hours on the ice wall on Monday with the first hour with izzy. Great for  technique and playing with proper ice.

Quality weekend mate… been singing your praises on FB when I put photos up last night.

PS:- phone is destroyed so just on the landline

Ollie - Weekend Winter climbing

 Many times in life you are told things by friends and you assume they are exaggerating, well this year i found out that two things i had been told were completely true and accurate .

1 : the midges in skye are unbearable ,as i found out on a sea kayaking trip up the skye coast this is completely true we were only saved from going mad by the force 7 winds that blew them away.

2 :PYB is superb ,this is also true ,my son and I cannot fault it everything including the accomodation,food,facilities,equipment etc were excellent,but most of all the instructors made our holiday as they were superb ,they made us feel more as if we were friends than customers and thier enthusiasm for the activities was infectious, we can't wait for the 2012 course catalogue to come out so that we can book our next visit.

We would particularly like to thank Guy Steven our course director, who considering he had to deal with a group of families with a wide range of ages and abilities ran the course faultlessly.

Tom Monday – Adventure sports for families

 This course provided my first taste of climbing outdoors and it has left me craving for more. The instructors Dave, Guy and Blair were brilliant and there was just the right balance of climbing under their guidance and explanation of what the different types of equipment are for. Blessed by superb weather we were able to sample crags near Tryfan, bouldering and sea cliffs on Anglesey. I'm not sure where exactly the sea cliffs are (the guys were keen on keeping the location secret) but they were a perfect introduction to this aspect of the sport in terms of height and difficulty. I went back to the indoor wall the day after and it seemed very tame in comparison!

Dave Falcus – 5 day rock climbing

Hey Guy,
Thanks for a great day out yesterday, we all had fun and learnt loads - which we will hopefully put to use soon. It was good to be on real rock, placing our own gear and not half as scary as Sarah thought it would be! (apparently!). We are definitely feeling inspired to get ourselves a trad rack and get out onto the local crags. One quick question for you, if next time we are over on the West coast and Sarah wants to lead the first pitch of the Gutter, is there an easy way to just do the first pitch and get down from there?

Hope you had a good climb after we had left, we geeked out chatting about trad all the way home!
  
Thanks again,

Ben and Sarah - 1 day Guided Rock climbing

Guy

Just a quick note to say thanks for a great day climbing in Glencoe - it surpassed both mine and Diane's expectations - thanks so much for your patience and guidance - I am sure we will do it again

If you could send the photos to this email address that would be great

I also found a piece of rope from one of the belays you put in in my pocket - I must have stuck it in my pocket  - I will send it up to you in the post

once again thanks for a great day

Craig and Diane Compton - Glencoe classic Scrambles

Hi Guy
 
Some thoughts on our day on Wednesday last week;

The good bits:

- choice of route, suited us perfectly stretching us beyond what we've 
done before.
- comment and advice - en route. tips were helpful and well put, 
we've tried to continue applying them afterwards.
- climbing rope basics - patience was appreciated! We actually managed 
to remember some of the knots.
- flora knowldege - excellent insights that took the mind off the 
task at hand, really appreciated those breaks.
- general confidence giving and motivation - you are an excellent 
motivator
- safety - we always felt in very capable hands
- knowledge of area inspired further research on our part
 
Bad bits
-none
 
Overall i'd say we'll come back because of this experience, hopefully 
to make another step forward in what we can attempt. That was not the 
intention before the day.
 
Thanks again for a brilliant day - I suggest the Ice Factor should pay 
you more.
 
Martin and Mandy Fairley - Scrambling Glencoe - Curved Ridge

Hi Guy,

I do hope that you are well!

I just thought I would get in touch to thank you for guiding me to the top of Ben Nevis and back, I must admit that now I have had the chance to recover and contemplate the experience I have a very real sense of accomplishment. My family, friends and colleagues are all very impressed that I made it to the top!

You asked me to let you know if there was anything about the experience which could have been improved, I must admit that I've struggled to find some constructive criticism as you were an excellent guide, I enjoyed the day (despite the blisters!) and I always felt like I 'was in good hands' so to speak. The only thing that I wish different about the day was that my feet were better prepared for the ordeal, so my one suggestion would be that you emphasize how important that is in any pre climb talks.

I hope that is helpful.

Regards

Steven Randell Ben Nevis walk

Hi Guy, I got back ok last night ok, I just wanted to say many thanks for a great day it was just right and I got what I wanted out of it. I learnt new skills ad cemented some of my own knowledge, so many thanks for that.

Lyndon. 

Hi Guy

Thanks for a great day yesterday certainly felt I learnt something and I was 
pushed out of my comfort zone slightly (which is the only way to progress at 
a new skill!) managed also to freak my mother out with my tales, she thinks 
I'm going through some kind of crisis and should be at home knitting or 
painting with watercolours, just wait until she sees the photos. Photos are 
excelent, thank you, I have put them onto my facebook page so Chris and Spit 
can access them.

Regards
Linda - Glencoe MRT winter skills

Hi Guy,



Just to say thank you again for a fantastic day out on Aonach Mor today. It was great learning all the new skills and gaining some confidence on the steeper slopes.



Can't wait to get back out there!



With best wishes



Nick Mountaineering skills