From time to time clients contact West Coast Mountain Guides with feedback. Fortunately this almost always positive. This page aims to allow clients to have their say about both the service offered and the instructors they come into contact with. West Coast Mountain Guides work with a number of freelance instructors, many of whom have their own website. Where possible links to the individual instructors website's will also be included on these pages. In this way it is hoped that clients will have a wide choice of instructors to choose from in future as well as West Coast Mountain Guides.

Please feel free to contact me with any feedback on any of my courses.

Thanks,

Alan Kimber

Thanks Alan. I hope you got back to Glasgow OK on Sunday in the end. I had a brilliant week last week. I had been expecting Mont Blanc to be a bit of a plod, but it was a superb day.
Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to the winter trip.
best wishes,
Julian.

Thanks for helping organise the trip Alan. it was a great experience and Gillian was very solid.

Weather was indeed mixed but some good visibility on Monday evening gave me a sense of the place, and the poor weather on Tuesday meant we had to work that bit harder to complete the traverse which seems appropriate!

I am passing your and Gillian's details to some friends who are interested...hope some business comes your way.

Best
David

(Ed Note) Gillian Culshaw was guiding a traverse for me on the Skye Cuillin. (A.K)

Hi Alan
I just wanted to say thanks to you and to Spike for getting us up and along the Aonach Eagach last week. We were certainly very glad of Spike’s expertise and patience with us and we felt very pleased to have achieved a long-standing ambition! We enjoyed our stay in Glencoe and hope to return again.
Many thanks
Kind regards
Jo

Hi Alan,
Just a quick note to tell you I had a wonderful time on Aonach Eagach on 25th July with Spike - he was a fantastic guide - so confidence inspiring. I had the best outing of my hols as I love getting my hands on rock and don't have the opportunity to do so - others don't share my feelings! Now , what do I aim for next year as I'd love another day like that?!?! Thanks again for all your help in arranging my wonderful day out. Noelle

Hi Alan,
Can I take the opportunity to thank you for your support with this project there have been several positive comment from the support workers and Malcolm with regards to the way the young man acting as guide on the day conducted himself particularly in his interact with Malcolm himself. The DVD we have just received confirms these comments.

If in the future you need to reference in any way the work he has done with someone with special needs do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards

Carwyn

(Ed Note) The day involved an ascent of Ben Nevis with a person suffering from Autism. The instructor was Spike Sellers, well done Spike. (A.K.)

Hi Alan,thanks very much for a great day out,Tess and myself had a fantastic time.Many thanks also for sending the pictures they are great.Will be in touch early next year as i would like to do a winter ascent of tower ridge (maybe better if you can let me know when conditions might be ok) Many thanks Colin and Tess

Colin & Tess on Curved Ridge

Hello Alan'
Just a big thankyou to you and your colleagues for the opportunities offered to Jack. he thoroughly enjoyed the mountaineering / scrambling. Another person inspired to do more mountain adventures. I hope you take comfort from the influence you have had on a young persons development and interests.
Jack also sends his many thanks. I am sure he may see you again.
I would welcome any guidance on equipment that Jack may find useful. Type and make of harness etc or is it just as you see in the shops.
thanks again
mark Robinson. In flat Spalding.

Jack in the foreground on Curved Ridge

Dear Alan

Having now being back at work a week, I can better reflect on Tower Ridge and your skill in coaxing me up it after my initial doubts before being roped up. Last night I watched the DVD "Echo Wall", and noticed you in the credits, and I realise that by mountaineers' standards what Sally and I did on June 1st, in those perfect conditions, was a veritable stroll in the park. But whilst on the climb I did not feel any condescion or contempt emanating from you re my wariness/fear. At the other end of the spectrum, seeing Dave M trotting/waltzing along the ridge was quite mind-blowing. I found the film interesting (rather than deeply fascinating) and I was left with the impression that an "objective" piece to camera, from someone such as yourself, would have given it a little more gravitas/poignancy to the general public (as opposed to the "8c" aficionados who no doubt already understand the extent of an achievement like Echo Wall),
Anyway, I digress, as usual. The main point is that you handled Sally and myself superbly, made it a memorable rather than terrifying experience (as had been the case when I'd done it in Winter '88) for each of us, and we are both really grateful. It is also worth mentioning how kind it was of your wife to look in on Cos, the Lab, and it was great not having to worry about putting him in kennels for the day. The accommodation was superb and just what we were after.
Incidentally, the footage you took of us that day is fantastic - just wish we'd given you the camcorder earlier, eg a the CIC hut for you to highlight the significant parts of the North Face. The photos you took of us that are on your blog are impressive. Is there any chance you could please forward some of the pix in their original resolution (which I guess is far higher than what is on the web)?

Than you once again and may I warn you well in advance that when we next venture North we may well consider doing the Aonach Eagach, but would first most certainly ask for your services again. I also feel that the Cuillin Traverse is within Sally's scope, but I feel that is something of a pipedream as she is one of these fortunate people very comfortable in their own skin who does not feel the need to "prove" anything to herself, let alone others. Personally the fear factor of the exposure is the insurmountable stumbling block.

As for writing to someone about the continuance of the path to the North Face Car Park, we will keep to our word. I was on the Nevis Partnership site last night, and was pretty amazed at some of the stuff I was reading. Parochial in the extreme was my conclusion on what I read!

Many thanks

Colin

From Catherine Glickman

I wanted to give you a huge thank you and big hug for getting me up all the munros on the Cuillin Ridge - I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them - even the ones in the driving rain - but the best has to be the InPin - it was the most daunting, and the one with the biggest sense of satisfaction when I had done it - and thank you for giving me the confidence to do it. When we first came over the brow of the ridge and it was just there, I looked up and thought I couldn't do it - but you reassured me that I could actually do it. Sitting at the bottom of the climb eating sandwiches made the wait seem even longer, but once we got going, it seemed all to flow!

I now have a copy of your postcard of the InPin on my desk at work - and whenever I look at it, it reminds me of a great day, in great company. I've also shown it to anyone and everyone - they have become really bored by me!!!

I am still thinking about how I get to do those winter munros - and will be in touch. Becca, my daughter, now wants to go ice climbing, so we need to find a way for her to do that.

Have a great summer - and all my thanks and best wishes -

Catherine

Hi Alan

Thanks again for sorting my traverse out; Spike has a saying about climbers having a smile like somebody who has found a cookie jar at a party – I’m still smiling!

Here’s a few shots from our trip, other than the ledge they’re from the 1st day, 2nd day was not a good day for taking pics!

The traverse has been a long held ambition for me, I had two fantastic days on the ridge with Spike despite the weather – something to tell the grand kids about!

All the best

Al High

Hi Alan,

Just wanted to say thanks for organising my traverse, it was one of the best experiences of my life - I'm still grinning about it now!

Please pass on a huge thank you to Spike, his guiding was excellent and he was good company.

We got lucky with the weather for the northern half of ridge - the dry gabbro was awesome, I wasn't so keen on the wet basalt on the second day though! I still don't know how Spike swum up the T-D gap.

I'll send some pics when I get them sorted out if that's ok.

Thanks again

Dear Alan,

You will be glad to hear that all but 3 of our party finished the 3 peaks within the allocated 24hrs. The 3 only missed out because of very bad weather on top of Snowdon. The guides supplied, Spike and Kevin, were excellent and very professional; a credit to your firm. I will have no hesitation in recommending your company to anybody else foolish enough to attempt such a challenge. Thanks for all your help. Sion

Hi Alan

Just thought I would drop you a quick note to say thank you for the guided ascent of Buachaille Etive Mor via the Curved Ridge. Not only did I reach the summit but I learnt a lot of Scrambling tips and rope work on the way. I know that you have now given me the confidence to try other Scrambling routes and I will be coming back to Scotland to try these.

If anyone asks me if I know of a good mountain training and guiding company in Scotland then I will recommend they come to you. I also know that I will be using you again for either ad hoc guiding or training courses, and I have already been checking out your Rock climbing and Winter Mountaineering courses.

Once again Thanks
Brian

Dear Alan,

Just a quick note of thanks to you and particularly Dave Hormigo for a fabulous 5 days of guiding, expert instruction and witty banter on the mountains around Fort William. It would have been easy for Dave to have simply dragged his clients up the various routes but he expended a great deal of time and patience in teaching us a whole plethora of mountaineering techniques. Making us feel safe and pushing us to improve whilst still maintaining a sense of fun is not an easy task but he managed this balancing act with aplomb.

Jon Maskill

Hi Alan,

Nick mentioned when we last saw him that it would be useful for both you and him to have feedback on the course. Before diving into that, we ordered a Black Diamond ice screw for Nick to say thanks and to replace the one he dropped on #6 Gully. Didn't have his address so ordered it to yours (I expect it will arrive tomorrow), so if you could pass it on next time you see him that would be much appreciated.

Overall the course was absolutely fantastic, I had a great time and learnt a lot. Looking forward to my next trip back to the Highlands already, whenever that might be. I'm really at a loss to think of any areas for improvement, so instead let me just highlight what I thought were the best aspects - hope this is useful.

Course: Flexibility of the course to accommodate our level of experience and what we wanted to get out of it - felt like we had a good deal of choice in what to do (of course this was helped by the great conditions). The only thing additional that I would mention on the kit-list is to bring as many pairs of gloves as possible.

Instructor: As a guide Nick was good, but I feel that his really great strength is in teaching/instructing: he is clear in his instructions, good at demonstration, patient and good at then encouraging people to use the skills they've learnt.

Accommodation: Great setup at Calluna, particularly for the info on conditions from you and other climbers. The drying rooms a definite plus.

Thank you for a great week,

Adam

Hi Alan,

Just wanted to say many thanks to you and Paul for a great weekend. Apart from the miserable weather the course / accommodation and much needed drying room were excellent. Hopefully we will see you & Paul in the near future to take on the advanced course.

I attached a photo of us on Glovers Chimney if it can be used on your Blog.

Many thanks & best regards,

Trevor

Alan,

As we've come to rest at the end of the summer, I just wanted to say a big thanks for the Saas Grund trip. It was just brilliant and in particular for Joe. Great trip, great company. He is now thinking about next year. For me Scotland(East)in a week's time.

Thanks also for the tip re the Lonely Planet Guide to Trekking in Patagonia. Have had my nose in it for 2 weeks! Great food for thought. Am already looking at January 2010. I would like to take you up at some point on your kind offer to chat over maps etc. It all looks doabdle trekking on the Torres Del Paine circuit and Fitzroy circuit by organising ourselves, but I'm sure there are tips which would help.

I have to say also...those boots do look gay in the photos! I've a few good ones, do you want copies?

Thanks again.

Keith

Hi Alan,

Hello Alan,
Thank you very much for a wonderful experience, it was a shame the weather was not on our side. getting to the summit of the Ben via the Ledge Route was a real eye opener, and has opened a new avenue for me to explore.
Thanks again Alan, Be safe.

Keith Skinner.

Hi Alan,

Thanks very much for a great trip. Always felt safe and learned a lot (which are the 2 most important things, in that order!)

I attach one of the only photos of mine that turned out OK. A nice shot of the beautiful ridge.

Cheers Alan, well, not going back to NZ for a couple of years yet.

I'm keen to do some more climbing - especially in Scotland. (This time I will be working out on a climbing wall and doing a lot of fitness work, e.g. ticking off a few Munroes, before venturing out on a mountain again). Something a little bit more technical would be great.

If you could recommend anything that would be great.

Once again, thanks for a great week - the best lessons are the most painful ones ;-)

Chris.

and from the same Alpine course:

H Alan, thanks for an amazing trip! It couldn't have been better. Sorry (but not surprised) to hear it was a bit damp in Skye. I don't feel I got wet enough in Switzerland so my friend Kez and I are thinking of coming to Lochaber for a few days 31st Aug -3rd Sept. Have you got any accommodation? Also what do you think about taking us up an interesting route one of the days?
Wendy x

Dear Alan,

Thank your for your email. You beat me to it. I have just emailed Matt Dickenson to thank him.

We had a wonderful holiday. I now realise that ambition does not come before ability in the dictionary. The same was true of me. I am simply not a mountaineer for several reasons one of them being vertigo and the other, problems with altitude. We discussed it and the decision was for all of us to do something together in the morning and for Eoin and Matt to do something else in the afternoon. That worked out well and I now realise that I am more suited to Alpine walking.

Matt was technically excellent and was particularly good with Eoin. They had long conversations the content of which were usually a total mystery to me. He showed us places that we would never have seen otherwise. We had dinner a few times and he was great company. We met his partner Adita and she was lovely as well.

I met my wife and one of my daughters in Lake Garda and we had a splendid week in Sirmione. I put the car on a train in Verona last Saturday and arrived in Dusseldorf on Sunday morning. Eoin flew back with the ladies and went down to Longtown for five days immediately after his return. He has a great appetite for the outdoors and I have no doubt that he will be down in Chamonix next year and will have no difficulty with Mont Blanc providing he goes with a guide. We would both like to come up to Scotland at some stage and hope to see you again.

My objective in all of this was for us to have a holiday he would remember before he leaves home. We certainly achieved that! Thank you very much for organising all this for me. I am most grateful.

Kind Regards
Tom

  Matt Dickenson was working for me on this Alpine trip. Thanks Matt

Dear Alan

Many thanks indeed for taking us up Ben Nevis earlier this week. We thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a great deal. Thank you also for the photos.

Best wishes

Stephen

Alan Kimber wrote:
Hello Stephen and James,
We were pretty lucky with the weather yesterday guys. Look on my blog
http://www.westcoast-mountainguides.co.uk/blog/blog.htm for some photos.

Just a brief note to thank you for a very enjoyable time last week. We both had a great time despite the weather or perhaps because of the weather...I will send back your gear by first class post tomorrow as promised. It looks as though I may have some colleagues wanting to tag on a Mont Blanc summit attempt end 3rd week in September, so if you think that is the best approach I will contact Mark via his web site. Do you have any idea what it will cost and the best way to hire gear? Needless to say Catherine wants to finish what she has started so we will be back in contact to arrange a day or two or perhaps longer to do that next year. In the meantime if you could keep me posted on your courses and plans for 2009 I would really appreciate it as I think you have rekindled a desire to do more. I have as promised dug out some photos for Catherine of the last time I did the Cuillin Ridge with you, which I was surprised to find was 18 years ago in 1990. With these are some photos of other trips with you and of course this trip. If you have any photos not on your blog you would like to share you should be able to add them to the web gallery. It was really good to see you again.
Thanks again.
Bill

I wanted to thank you for such a fantastic introduction to the great ridges of the Cuillin. Having read so much about the ridge - exposure, difficult moves, scary rock, etc - following your footsteps made it all look so easy, and gave me huge confidence. I also can't wait to go back and finish the 2 munros that we didn't manage to do in the week. So you have succeeded in leaving me gagging for more! And I definitely think I have the capability to do the In Pin - but would like to do it so I can enjoy it in dry and still conditions, and see the views.

We did 2 more munros after you left - Bruch na Frithe and Sgurr na Badachnich. On the last day, the weather was much better, and we actually got views at the top of the mountain down into Loch Coruisk, along the ridge and north Skye. So in spite of not seeing much during the week (I think that ignorance has much to recommend it) we did get views at the end of the week.

I would be really interested in coming on one of your winter skills courses - so if you could let me have dates, or suggestions, then I would be really up for that. I would love to do the winter munros - such a different experience. You can send them to the e-mail above.

I'm afraid that I buried the waterproof trousers yesterday - a very sad and moving experience. They had been through a lot, and I thought the best thing to do was give them a quiet end to their short but rough life! I've got a new pair - we'll see how they cope next year with the gabbro! Or I could just forget to bring them with me, and wreck a pair of yours - I thought Bill had the best idea.

Thank you again for a great 3 days -

my very best wishes,
Catherine Glickman

You are welcome. Our experience there was excellent so we are pleased to be customers and expect to return at some point in the future.

- v

Alan

Just a quick note to say a big thank you for your efforts with the girls. Your words of wisdom to Olivia of 'trust your feet' has become part of our outdoor mantra. I will be in touch about a winter course for myself later in the year.

All the very best

Andrew

Hi Alan

Martin and I had a superb ridge traverse in fantastic weather with a great guide …….and I’m still on a high!! Thank you for arranging it at such short notice.

Thank you

Shirley

Hi Alan

I tried to follow the feedback links but didn't’t see where to leave my comments.

Here goes…Julie and I had one of the best holidays ever last week…it far exceeded our expectations. We really appreciated the thought that went into tailoring a course for our particular needs and anxieties (I was a bit phobic about climbing and we both have dodgy knees). Nick March really excelled in assessing our competencies and expectations, and we really appreciated his supportive tutoring of technical skills, given we had never before used an ice axe or worn crampons. Suddenly, by day 5 we were safely enjoying a grade II winter climb (Golden Oldie) – a testament to Nick’s ability to judge and build our skills and confidence in a well structured and seemingly effortless way. It was such a good laugh and Nick felt more like a good friend by the end. We particularly enjoyed being guided down the ‘walk of shame’ after we missed the last Gondola! We also enjoyed Alan’s customer service and hospitality, as well as his dry observations and tips before and after the daily climb. See you next year!

Please can you forward this to Nick so he can get in touch. I also have some pics if you want them.

Cheers.

Jon Cooper

Alan - we missed you on Sunday when we headed off so thought I would e-mail to say thanks for a fantastic 3 days. The accommodation and kit that we hired was great and Chris was an absolutely brilliant guide who ensured that we got the most out of our two days with him and had a lot of fun doing it. After the two days with Chris we did a route he recommended up Stob Corie nan Lochan on the Sunday which was our first independent outing and enabled us to put into practice what we had learnt with Chris Walker. All in all - hugely enjoyable!

Look forward to seeing you again next year.

Matt

Dear Alan- Just a brief note to thank you for arranging our recent climbing in FW. Julie and I had a great time and no doubt will be back! Adam was a great guy and we felt very well looked after under his guidance. Would you kindly pass on our thanks to him? The trip up Ledge route on that wonderful fine day was spectacular.

Hope all goes well.

Best wishes

Hi Alan,
just wanted to say that we had a great time at the weekend (intro to winter mountaineering). We really feel like we've gone up a level or three and can't wait to get out there again. Thanks again to Fergal O'Connor for his time, patience and mountain know how.
Cheers,
John and Adrian

I just wanted to write to thank you for the weekend course.

Nick March is an excellent instructor, one of the best that I have come across. I got a lot out of the weekend.

Thanks again

Alan

Hi Alan
The accommodation was sorted, we came and went in November!!
Nothing but praise for Spike who organised everything, the standard of accommodation and the quality of info, etc. Top marks all round.
Pity we didn't get a chance to say hello but we'll be back again so maybe next time.
Thanks again to all.
Stephen Jones

Hi Alan
I would like to thank-you for a great week of mountaineering. I really enjoyed the introductory course, Spike was a fantastic guide. I certainly have a better idea of what mountaineering is all about.

I am looking forward to coming back. I have noticed you have Easter courses...

Kind Regards
Maree

Alan,

Didn't get see you before I headed off Sunday. Thanks to you, Thea (?) and Matt for a great weekend.

See you soon I hope.

Regards

Neil

Hello, I just wanted to reiterate how much I enjoyed the course last week -
I found it just the right level of difficulty, because I found myself
stretched physically and mentally, but was able to complete it and felt a
great sense of achievement as a result. I learnt so much, and as you said
earlier, we now know what we need to know, which is so useful. The
accommodation was very cosy and comfortable, and all the people were so
helpful and nice - thank you so much, I had a great time and am now hooked
on mountaineering! I may well be returning to Calluna in the future...

thanks again,
Katy Horder

Hi Alan

many thanks for organising my guiding with Carl - I had a great day out with him - he talked me through all that we were doing and I felt I came away with better skills to use when I'm out with my mates - the weather was also amazing which helps!

Cheers

Mike Burchell

Hi Alan and Sue,

Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed the 3 days with Cliff on the Winter Mountaineering Course, it was one of the best courses that I have done and Cliff’s approach and overall instructional ability were excellent.

Many thanks again,
David

Hi Alan,

Hope you are well?

Apologies for not emailing you sooner but I've been having computer problems at home so I've had to email you from work.

I'd just like to say thank you very much for organising my guided walk on Aonach Eagach ridge last Tuesday, especially at such short notice.

I had a fantastic day and out and Chris was great. We moved at a really good pace and the whole walk felt really safe and secure, thanks to Chris. On top of that the weather co-operated and we had some great views all day long.

Again, thank you very much for your help and if you could pass on my regards and thanks to Chris that would be great. I’d definitely recommend your company and Chris to others, and use you again.

I took some pictures, but as I say my computer has given up the ghost but I'll try and send some to you as soon as I can.

Cheers,

Jonny

Jonathan Gamble

Hi Alan,

Just wanted to say thanks to Spike and yourself for a great weekend
just gone. Really enjoyed both days and found it very useful, hope to
come back another year.

Thanks again,

James

Hello Alan

I am writing a short note on behalf of our group to thank you, your wife Sue, you daughter and the guides Nick and Spike for giving us with a very enjoyable week end. The entire group really enjoyed themselves particularly those who got to climb Ben Nevis. Already there is talk of returning. On this point as you now have a feel for the sort of group we are, if we were to return for the snow and ice experience, could you recommend a similar Grade One climb (maybe of 6hr duration) that you could provide for us?

Regards

Richard

Hi Alan

I just wanted to thank you for the recent trip we took up to Ben Nevis. Not only was it great fun to ascend using a route other than the one normal people go up, but it was also really valuable to be able to learn (and put into some kind of practice) some winter skills. Although I think we're a long way from being able to safely ascend an Alpine monster we're all keen to keep practicing and get in some winter navigation and climbing practice in north wales next season (Fort William is just to bloody far - but maybe circumstances will change). So thank you for pointing us in the right direction.

If you're interested, the photos that I took of the trip are on my FTP site. The address is:-

ftp://keefsloan.kicks-ass.net

Cut and paste that into your browser and you'll see 2 zip files, one of images and one of some movies. Please feel free to download them and use them if you want to.

Once again Alan, many thanks. We're all still buzzing from the experience, and doing some of the trad routes down in Swanage is going to seem a little tame now. Roll on winter 2008 / 2009 - we're all hooked!!

Cheers

Keef

Alan,

I climbed Point Five Gully on Sunday with your guide Bruce Poll and thought you may want to put a couple of pictures on your web site.

The route was excellent and the 4am start although a bit early meant we were on pitch 3 before anyone else started approaching the start of the route.

Bruce is a really nice guy and I hope he’s available next time I’m up in Scotland.

Looking forward already to our next trip to Glencoe and Fort William,

Kind Regards,

Colm Burke