Sliding down hill has always been fun and aged eighteen we hopped on a bus to Aviemore and threw ourselves down Cairngorm Mountain on snowboards till everything hurt, I was hooked.  

Snowboarding gave me my first reason to travel and work overseas. I’ve been lucky enough to live and work in New Zealand, Canada, Italy and France but Scotland always pulled me back. In 2006 during my first midlife crisis I became a BASI snowboard instructor to help share my love of sliding sideways.  

Riding the ski hill was pure fun and when I left the resort behind I found adventure: a journey with an unknown outcome.  

Backcountry, touring, off piste whatever you call it for me its the whole package. Out there you depend on each other to find the best snow, keep each other safe, getting yourself up hill and sharing the ride down. You are the ski patrol, the uplift and the cafe all rolled into one.  

I eventually found home in the Aviemore area and work year round as an Outdoor Instructor. I have somehow managed to end up as a Backcountry Snowboard guide for G2 Outdoor.  

Backcountry Touring through Scotland’s wild nature can be challenging, frustrating and so worth it. There is so much freedom to explore you as long as you are guided by the conditions, your kit and your crew.