The Great Mountain Crags of Scotland: A Celebration of Scottish Mountaineering

About Adrian CroftonGuy Robertson

Guy Robertson was introduced to the Scottish mountains as a young boy through family hill walks and numerous fishing holidays in the North West Highlands. He began roped climbing at the age of 19 with a series of highly chaotic uninformed and highly memorable forays into the Cairngorms in winter. Other formative experiences were based around local adventures with the many colourful characters that frequented the Kings House Hotel in Glencoe where he worked as a student in the late 1980s. He has since climbed extensively across the UK and further afield with first ascents in regions as diverse as Morocco Jordan the Alps Norway Peru and Kyrgyzstan but his first love is exploratory winter climbing in Scotland. He also has an enduring passion for writing and storytelling in mountaineering with a number of essays published previously in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal the American Alpine Journal and UK-based climbing magazines. It is his hope that in some small way this book will inspire future generations of climbers to explore and appreciate the Scottish mountain crags as a rare and precious frontier for modern traditional climbing. Guy works as an environmental consultant and lives in Aberdeen with his partner Susan and their two children Finn and Jess. Adrian Crofton knew that climbing had to be the sport for him when he was told that 'climbing instructors' were excused attendance at his school's Army Cadet Corps. Soon enough he learnt the basics at the climbing wall and not long after he discovered a dusty copy of Hard Rock in the library and his curiosity was truly piqued. In spite of a physique better suited to a middleweight boxer or navvy he has since managed a few respectable climbs and has enjoyed over 25 years exploring the Highlands and Islands putting up the occasional first ascent in the process. Drawn to the wilder and often more obscure parts of the Highlands valuing solitude adventure and communion with nature above all else he nonetheless loves the culture and traditions of Scottish mountaineering and is far from averse to a good bothy party. Although he has climbed extensively elsewhere in the UK and Europe he is still happiest roaming in the hills in his own backyard - on foot or ski or bike or even swimming in the high lochains and kayaking in the rivers. Increasingly concerned to try to help conserve Scotland's wild lands he is a member of the North East Mountain Trust and Scottish Wildlife Trust. Recognising that many children have no idea of the wealth of adventure that lies on their doorstep he sits on the advisory board of the local extreme sports charity Transition Extreme. Adrian works as a general practitioner and paediatrician in Aberdeen where he lives with his wife Rachelle and their two children Eilidh and Alasdair.