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James Thacker Mountaineering was born out of James' personal enthusiasm for rock climbing and mountaineering across the UK; and a need for competitively priced skills training. As such James remains a key instructor on the vast majority of courses.

Where this isn't possible we have a small number of Associates, all of which share James ethos of enthusiasm, as well as holding the highest professional qualifications.

James has been an active climber for over 15 years. Many of his first climbing experiences were on the 'Gritstone' edges of the Peak District; where many people still start out today. Although usually based around the Derbyshire Peak District, James also climbs frequently in all major mountain areas of the UK. More recently this enthusiasm for climbing and mountaineering has taken James to arctic Greenland, the European Alps, the Hebrides and Outer Isles.

James holds the Mountain Instructor Certificate (MIC), and as such, is qualified to instruct mountaineering including all aspects of rock climbing, winter mountaineering, snow, ice, mixed climbing and associated activities. As a Trainee Mountain Guide, James is also qualified in UK Summer conditions to a high standard and will hopefully in the future offer alpine guiding in Europe.

In addition, James is also an accredited course director/provider for the Mountain Leader (ML), Single Pitch Award (SPA) and Climbing Wall Award (CWA) schemes.

For the past 4 years James has worked for White Hall Centre, a Derbyshire based Local Education Authority (LEA) outdoor activity centre, and still undertakes work there as a senior instructor. As such James is experienced at working across a range of activities with a variety of age groups.

Over the past 10 years James has also been an active member of Edale Mountain Rescue Team (EMRT) and previously Derby Mountain Rescue Team (DMRT). This puts us in the unique position of being able to draw on this considerable technical rescue experience for the purposes of safety rigging and consultancy etc.

What's different about James Thacker Mountaineering?

All of our programmes are run at small ratios to ensure that you get the most from your contact time with professionally qualified staff. You will notice set dates for some courses, while other courses and trips are organised on a privately scheduled basis. No fuss, no hastle, just flexibility.