Fall in love with the Mountains
Are you thinking of hiking up one of the many beautiful, sometimes challenging mountains in our area, but don't feel confident to tackle it on your own? Perhaps a good idea to call in the services of a Mountain Leader.
Matt Young has recently taken the big step to start his own business as Mountain Leader of “MY Mountaineering" and tells here his story how it all started. He wants to invite everyone to join him on a day out in the Mid-Wales and Snowdonia Mountains.
Why should people go walking with a Mountain Leader?
For people who are unfamiliar with mountain environments or want to expand their hiking experience going out with an Mountain Leader can provide confidence, remove doubts they may have. Being out with a mountain leader is being out in safe pair of hands.
What is your role as Mountain Leader, when you go out with a group?
My role when leading a group is primarily to asses their needs and their ability so I can determine the route and set a comfortable pace. Once under way I like to talk about the geology, the history and folk lore of the mountains we are in and also discuss the importance of being outside.
What brought you to want to be in the outdoors?
It’s always been the sights, sounds and smells that have attracted me to the outdoors. To be outside, to have the senses stimulated, is to be alive. I knew this from an early age, and it has pretty much shaped my life, from the degree I studied to the jobs I’ve done and the hobbies I’ve pursued. They have all centred on being outdoors.
As a teenager I explored the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District. Planning my own routes enabled me to get familiar with map reading and hone my navigation skills. The first peak I ever climbed was Helvellyn via striding edge when I was 15. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Studying Earth studies at Aberystwyth University allowed me to study the environment whilst being able to get out and explore the hills of Mid Wales and Snowdonia.
How did your love for Mid-Wales and South Snowdonia start?
My first Welsh peak was Cadair Idris, which I climbed in October 1990. It’s a peak I fell in love with and to this day I find it a privilege to climb. I’ve climbed it 189 times. People ask, ‘don’t you get bored of doing the same peak over and over again?’. I have climbed peaks in the Pyrenees, Finland, Austria, the Atlas mountains in Morocco, the Sierra Nevadas in Spain, high altitude peaks in Ecuador, and more recently summited my first 20,000ft peak in the Indian Himalayas – all great experiences - but I still always look forward to climbing Cadair.
I have done every route from every direction, including Grade 2 scrambles up Tapia Llwydion and Cyfrwy Arete. I’ve walked up in clear blue skies, wind, rain, snow, ice, mist and all through the winter months at night. With so many variables how can I get bored?
And now you’re a qualified ML…
After decades of taking friends, friends of friends, families, and colleagues up mountains I decided to work towards my Mountain Leader qualification which I passed in 2018. In 2020, I joined the Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team of which I’m now an active member.
Over the many years of being in the hills with lots of different people from all walks of life there is one thing that really stands out, and that is how much better they feel after being in the hills. Yes their bodies might be tired, but their minds are cleared of everyday trivia and as such feel more relaxed and positive. It is this that I want to offer through MY Mountaineering, getting people outside into the hills, to change their perspective, give them a positive experience and relieve a bit of stress from their lives.
Over the last 32 years of living in Aberystwyth, I have explored all the major and outlying peaks Wales has to offer, therefore, I can cater for all abilities and needs to give my clients the experience they need. And hopefully they will fall in love with the mountains of Mid Wales and South Snowdonia just like I have done.
Interested in a day out with Matt?
Contact number: 079 68 563 489
Email: matt@mymountaineering.uk
www.mymountaineering.uk
