A LOVE OF
THE HILLS
Reaching the summit has never been the reason why I climb, but rather the journey that it takes me on, although admittedly it’s very rewarding to reach the top! Experiences are what memories are made of and it's the shared experiences that motivate me to be in the mountains. I have always believed my main reason for working in the mountains was all about providing opportunities for people, along with teaching skills to become more reliant and these are still some of my core values.
The smiles, the sights, the emotions, the learning, the physical challenges, sharing these experiences is what it’s truly about for me.
I've been working in the Outdoor Industry for almost 30 years and set up Paul Poole Mountaineering based in Llanberis, Snowdonia, North Wales to share my love of the mountains with others. I offer rock climbing, scrambling and mountaineering courses in summer and winter in both Wales, Scotland and adventures overseas, to places like Morocco and the Himalaya.
ABOUT ME
My enthusiasm for exploring has enabled me to live, work and travel throughout the world and I realised early on that mountains were my true passion and eventually settled in Snowdonia. North Wales offers some of the best quality and most diverse range of rock climbing and mountaineering in the UK.
Qualifications are important, I’ve acquired a few over the years and they are backed up with over 25 years experience of working in the outdoors industry. I love being out on the hill and run all the Skills courses, overseas adventures and the National Awards myself, occasionally another instructor will help me out with these specific courses, I only use a couple of good friends who I trust and are equally experienced and qualified. Beyond work, I seem to have a little spare time, aside from enjoying moments relaxing with a good book.
Over the years these are the qualifications that I’ve gained, I am an Accredited Practitioner of Outdoor Learning (APIOL), I hold the Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (MCI), Winter Mountain Leader Award (MLW) and I am a qualified Further Education tutor.
Although not a qualification, I am an approved Mountain Training Cymru (MTC) Course Provider able to offer National Governing Body Awards and Skill Courses.
I belong to The Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) and The Mountain Training Association (MTA) both of which require me to complete a number of Professional Development days and to work within the National Guidelines of the UK. I volunteer as the North Wales Regional Co-ordinator for The Mountain Training Association (MTA).