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Gav Pike

Gav Pike

Originally from Manchester, Gav has been based in Chamonix since 2007 – many of Gavin’s early climbing forays were made on the gritstone edges of the Peak District and the sea cliffs of North Wales. Adventures in Scottish winter climbing created an affliction for enjoying icy north faces, a condition that eventually landed him a few years ago in his current home of Chamonix, where he works as an IFMGA Guide.

As well as skiing and climbing, he also enjoys trail running and other mountain sports, his biggest motivation coming from the adventurous aspects of spending time in the mountains. In the off season he climbs in bigger mountains around the world, recent highlights including new-routing trips to Alaska and Nepal. In the future, he looks forward to continuing to ski, climb and guide in the mountains above Chamonix, as well as in some of the more remote regions of the planet.

Guide Categories:

  • Ski Guiding Team

Lori Lorencic

Lori Lorencic

Winner of the Piolet D’Or in 2007 for his ascent of the NW Face of Chomolhari (7326m) in Tibet with Marko Prezelj, Lori is a world class alpinist and mountain guide.

Based in Maribor Slovenia, where he lives with his family, Lori guides on skis in both the Eastern and Western Alps each winter. A leading exponent of free, alpine style climbing with minimum equipment – Lori has pushed the limits, putting up several new routes in the Himalayas, North America and Patagonia over the last 20 years.

Bringing the same work ethic to his professional guiding as his personal mountaineering, he is diligent and incredibly fit, but also an inspiring teacher and mentor – with an incredible breadth of experience to share.

Guide Categories:

  • Alpine Guiding Team
  • Ski Guiding Team

Mike Thomas

Mike Thomas

Based in Chamonix working as an IFMGA guide, Mike particularly enjoys ski touring in the mountains to discover more remote and less travelled areas of the Alps. A keen climber since his early teens, Mike has always found the mountains a place to thrive and find adventure!

After studying in the Lake District, his climbing journey and guiding career began to evolve; working first as a Mountaineering instructor, before training to be an IFMGA guide. Mike has climbed and skied all over the world with destinations including; Nepal, India, Norway, America and across Europe. With his strong passion for the outdoors, he pursues his personal interests through mountaineering and climbing.

Guide Categories:

  • Alpine Guiding Team
  • Ski Guiding Team

John Crook

John Crook

John has been climbing and skiing from his early teens, initially gaining experience on classic UK rock, ice and winter climbs, he has spent the last 17 Years climbing and skiing extensively throughout the world, including ascents in the Himalayas, south America, European Alps and North America. He has completed numerous first ascents from huge granite faces in Patagonia to dramatic virgin summits of the Himalayas, as well as classic test pieces such as the Eiger North face. A passionate skier, John has skied big mountain lines in Canada and extensively throughout the Alps.

Kev Avery

Kev Avery

Kev is a full time guide, based in the Chamonix valley where he lives with his wife.  He particularly enjoys ski touring and off piste skiing, as well as technical rock and mixed climbing and as a former teacher, he loves how guiding enables him to pass his skills and love of the mountains on to his clients.  He’s also a magazine gear editor and prolific online reviewer and therefore a great source of knowledge on all things kit!

Kev grew up in Cumbria on the doorstep of the Lake District, taking up rock climbing as a young teenager.  He quickly developed a passion for adventures on the rock, working his way through the Lakes trad test-pieces, and soon moving on to Scottish winter and then Alpinism and skiing. Over the last 25 years he has amassed an extensive ticklist of climbs and ski tours across Europe. Seeing himself as a bit of an all-rounder, he is just as happy pulling hard on the local limestone as he is on a blower powder day.

Guide Categories:

  • Ski Guiding Team

Stu McAleese

Stu McAleese

Born in Cumbria, Stu began climbing at school on the crags and mountains of the Lake District. He worked for 12 years as a senior instructor at Plas y Brenin in North Wales, which has become his permanent home.

Well known as an extremely strong climber across a wide range of disciplines, Stu has been on many expeditions to places such as Patagonia, Alaska, the Himalaya, Baffin Island and Peru. In 2003 he was nominated for the prestigious Piolet d’Or Award, for the 1st ascent of the ‘Supa Dupa Couloir’ in Alaska. Other major lines include the 21 day 1st ascent of ‘Arctic Monkeys’ on a big wall in Baffin Island and a recent ascent of Cerro Torre in Patagonia.

As a working guide, Stu divides his time between the UK and the Alps, rock and ice climbing and mountaineering. As a climber, he calls himself as an all rounder – operating in most disciplines of climbing whether it be rock or ice climbing, Big Wall climbing, an expedition to Alaska, North Face climbing or bouldering. Stu has also lectured at the Kendal Mountain Film festival, Edinburgh Film Festival and various climbing and mountaineering events throughout the UK.