| Introduction I started working on this website in 2003. Since then I have developed it and worked to present it in usable, simple format without adverts or animated graphics that annoyingly slow things down. It is my portal to the Internet, both for me as a mountain professional but also as a resource to others with similar interests and I hope the site is of interest to you as a walker, climber or mountaineer and will give you inspiration to enjoy the outdoors either on your own or on a guided trip. I selected an extract from T. S. Eliots work to introduce the website as I think it really sets the right mood for you reading these pages. Certainly for me, discovering new areas or climbs, exploring ones own boundaries and returning to visit favourite locations are some of the great elements of being in the outdoors. Two adventurers that I admire, both for their spirit of adventure and ability to convey the spirit of being in the outdoors in writing, are Nicholas Crane and William Cecil Slingsby. Nicholas Crane has written the books Clear Waters Rising, Two Degrees West and Mercator. In Clear Waters Rising, he describes his 18 month solo mountain journey across Europe from Cape Finisterre on the west coast of Spain, via the Cantabrian mountains, Pyrenees, Cevennes, Alps, Carpathians and Balkan mountains to Istanbul in Turkey. A journey of 10 000 km. Two Degrees West describes his journey along the 578 km long line of longitude 2 degrees west through England - he never strayed more than 1 km from the line of two degrees west. Incidentally, two degrees west is known as the line of zero convergence or central meridian by the Ordnance Survey. It is the reference line that was selected for mapping of the British Isles by the Transverse Mercator Projection. This neatly leads one on to his book Mercator, a biography of the great 16th century cartographer Gerard Mercator - and without maps what would we do today? William Cecil Slingsby was a true pioneer, making many first ascents in the late 1800's and pushing the limits of mountaineering during that era, he should be an inspiration to those who venture into the mountains. Read more about Slingsby and his endeavours on my Slingsby page. |
| A Little Background & My Qualifications in Brief Born in 1973, I grew up in Lincolnshire in England and by my early teens I had discovered hill walking in England and Wales. This hobby soon progressed onto climbing and mountaineering when I moved to Manchester to study Electroacoustics at the University of Salford. By 1995, I was rapidly becoming an experienced rock and winter climber too. I completed my first outdoor leading qualification in the year 2000 and after some years of exploring the crags and mountains of the UK, I moved to Scandinavia, where I live today with my Danish wife and two daughters. Denmark has proved to be a good base for activities throughout Scandinavia, The Alps and farther afield. When I am not working in the mountains, I work as a teacher at Kongensgaard Efterskole which is a boarding school for 13-16 year olds and which focuses in helping overweight children from various backgrounds to a better and healthier lifestyle. The school has space for 90 pupils. Today, I am an experienced International Mountain Leader (IML) and member of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML). I also hold the British Summer and Winter Mountain Leader Awards, the SPA rock climbing qualification, the National Navigation Award (NNAS) gold certificate and I am trained in mountain first aid. In Denmark, I am a committee member of the Danish Climbing Federation (equivalent to the BMC) and have been training and assessing Danish instructors since 2003. During recent years, I have travelled extensively on glacial terrain in Norway and I am a qualified Norwegian glacier instructor and guide (Breinstruktør). I work regularly in the mountains of Scandinavia, Europe and farther afield - both as a self employed IML and instructor on my own skills courses and holidays (see my brochure on the main page) but also as a freelance instructor for other outdoor companies. My work areas can be summarised as: - Guided mountain walking, trekking and snowshoeing - - Outdoor skills courses in summer and winter - - Photography in a mountain environment - Enjoy the mountains! Best regards, Peter Chapman |
| Clockwise from above left, below the crags of Coire an Lochain on Aonach Mor in Scotland prior to climbing a new winter line in real Scottish conditions, on the summit of Island Peak in the Nepal Himalaya, my wife Susse and our first daughter Freya aged two in 2007 near our home, scrambling on the rocks of the famous Besseggen ridge in Jotunheimen in Norway and finally on the summit of Styggehøe in Jotunheimen. |
| The IML carnet and UIMLA badge. |
| A Few Pictures in Various Places |