BIOGRAPHY
In 2005 Ian joined Sir Ranulph Fiennes on his first attempt to climb Everest, filming the expedition for ITV. Although Sir Ranulph was forced to abandon his attempt due to ill-health, Ian carried on to reach the summit. In 2007, Ian and Sir Ranulph teamed up again and made a successful ascent of the North face of the Eiger, Switzerland, raising 1.5 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care. Ian filmed their ascent for live broadcast on ITV evening news, as well as an hour long programme shown on ITV3.

Ian just below the summit of Everest

Ian has led expeditions to the Himalaya, Alaska, Greenland, Patagonia and Kyrgyzstan. He made the first ascent of Arwa Spire in India and has climbed new routes on Annapurna III in Nepal and Saf Minal and Kedar Dome in India. Closer to home, Ian’s 15 day winter ascent of the Lafaille route on the Dru, a 1000m granite spire in the Alps, pushed endurance mountaineering to the extreme, while his numerous winter ascents in Scotland are recognised as amongst the most technical climbs so far achieved.

In June 2009, Ian travelled to Yosemite in California to help injured serviceman Phil Packer climb the mighty El Capitan, a 3000 ft slab of granite in the middle of Yosemite national park. The climb was Major Packer’s third challenge on his quest to raise a £1 million for the charity Hope for Heroes, a target which he exceed before they reached the base of the climb. As well as being part of the climbing team, Ian again had the job of cameraman for ITV as well as being stills photographer for the British papers and Help for Heroes, which required him to swing across the gigantic rock face to get the best possible angle to shoot from.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING
Ian is able to draw from his expedition experiences to give great insights into achievement, motivation and team dynamics. A modest and thoughtful speaker, he is able to demonstrate how much you can achieve if you simply believe that you can. His presentations are accompanied by stunning images and raw footage from his expeditions, capturing the reality of modern mountaineering - the risk involved and the rewards of reaching the top.  

He is a fascinating and inspirational speaker, with the ability to engage any client, whether addressing a room full of corporate delegates or an assembly of young people.

WHAT OTHERS SAY...
“Ian pitched his talk perfectly to our age group (8-13) and kept all 250 children gripped with his accounts of helping Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Major Phil Packer with their respective climbs of the Eiger and El Capitan. His modest, easy manner, together with the photographs and video clips provided a perfect balance. I would happily recommend him to any school.”

Headmaster, Dragon School, Oxford

"Ian gave the LTA team a great, inspirational talk at the National Tennis Centre. Ian has a very engaging style and he gave us a great insight into the skills needed and techniques we can all use to achieve our goals. We would highly recommend Ian for an inspiring and motivational session for any team.”

Lawn Tennis Association

"We were impressed by how well you paced your talk, and how appropriately you pitched it to the nine and ten years olds that made up your audience; not an easy task! You answered all of the children's questions with good humour and sensitivity, especially the more gruesome ones! The children have all reported that they learned a great deal about mountains, and they especially loved the mountain climbing activity you got them to do."

Year 5 Teacher, Dobcroft Junior School