North Star Adventure origins.

2020 has been the strangest year of my life. Whilst everything was seemingly on hold, in some surreal stasis, I did a lot of reflection and set myself a challenge. With a growing interest in the staycation and the emergence of a new audience of intrepid adventurers seeking natural thrills and highs, I thought a lot about how we could make outdoor adventure even more rewarding and fulfilling. How could we help develop people’s skills in the mountain environment and increase knowledge and confidence? The answer was in setting up North Star Adventure. Following a successful IT career at a multinational corporation, I have spent the last 14 years in the Lake District working in education and adventure coaching people to climb, sail and canoe and leading mountain activities including canyoning and ghyll-scrambling. I have had the privilege of working for some of the very best adventure companies alongside some incredible people, all of whom have guided and inspired my professional practice. After completing a degree in Outdoor Education and undertaking a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education at the University of Edinburgh, I found myself working in remote environments leading expeditions all around the globe. From exploring the Amazon to living with hill-tribes in northern Vietnam I was able to help young people achieve their personal development goals through experiential learning. Settling back in the Lake District, I served in the mountain rescue service for several years where I specialised as a swiftwater-rescue technician and continued guiding people on amazing outdoor adventures.

So what has all of this got to do with anything?

In creating North Star Adventure, I set out to combine all this experience to provide the best possible service for our customers and to do things better and more ethically.

I will be writing in more detail in upcoming posts, but here is a brief summary of what makes us different:

·       We don’t operate large groups

·       We listen to you and design the activity around your needs

·       We provide the very best kit available

·       We are locally owned and staffed

·       We have taken up the Pledge 1% to support a very special local charity

·       We are working with environmental groups to take an industry lead in raising ecological awareness and minimising our impact

·       We attract the best instructors with outstanding pay and conditions

So tell me. What do you look for in an adventure provider? Leave your comments below.

See you on the fell.