Bobs roots are a far cry from Briancon - he grew up in north east London where he first started kayaking aged 11 through school. The same school also had a walking club and those two clubs were how it all started. By the time Bob was 17 he could not wait any longer to start being an Instructor so he lied about his age and got a kayak instructors job for the summer in a multi activity centre.

18 years later and Bob still works in the outdoors instructing, guiding and training others to be instructors. His working career has included :

Manager and head of Coaching for the Canolfan Tryweryn - The National White Water Centre in North Wales; Full time Instructor at Plas y Brenin - the National Mountain Centre; Trainer and European Activities Manager for PGL Adventure; Coaching Development Officer for the Sports Council for Wales and Welsh Canoe Association; Member of the BCU Level 5 Coaching Committee; not to mention freelance instructing for numerous centres and organisations including Eire National Mountain Centre - Tiglin, Scottish National Mountain Centre - Glenmore Lodge, National Watersports centre - Plas Menai, the British Canoe Union and Mountain Leader Training U.K.

Bob has climbed skied, boated and biked wherever he could including France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Spain, Peru, Nepal, India and Papua New Guinea. He also tried to Sea kayak to Australia but after 7 months gave up in Athens!

These experiences combined with his work has allowed him to gain some of the highest UK awards, and then go on to train and assess other people to become instructors coaches and guides. This includes training and assessment for both BCU Level 5 Coach and the International Mountain Leader Award and being the Training Officer for the British Association of International Mountain Leaders.

Bob holds the following qualifications and endorsements:

• BCU Level 5 Inland Kayak Coach
• BCU A5 Inland Kayak Assessor
• BCU White Water Safety Course Director
• BCU Coaching Processes Course Director
• BCU Assessor Trainer
• BCU Level 4 Sea Kayak Coach
• BCU Level 4 Raft Guide Trainer/Assesor
• BCU Level 3 Canoe Coach

• MLTUK Mountain Instructor Certificate
• MLTUK International Mountain Leader
• MLTUK WGL Course Director
• MLTUK ML Summer Course Director
• MLTUK SPA Director
• MLTUK IML Course Director

• Rescue and Emergency Care First Aid Trainer
• John Muir Award Trainer

For Bob his life is the outdoors, not just the adrenalin of boofing a drop, or making fresh tracks in powder, but the alpine flora that replaces the receding snows, the tracks of beavers up riverbanks and the autumn fungi that appears over night!

"For me now the mountains, rivers and sea represent so much more and mean so much more. Outdoor sports can be very self indulgent, doing them with consideration for where you are and trying to put something back is so important"

Finally Bob has found his home in Briancon in the Southern French Alpes where he lives and works with his wife and daughter - Lou and Macy