My Story #18: Nick Ashley, Outdoor Instructor and Business Manager
/In this series we’re sharing the stories of outdoor instructors, mountain guides and enthusiasts who work and play in the mountains. Links to all the previous posts can be found at the bottom of this post.
We first met Nick Ashley in June 2012 when he came on a glacier skills course in France. We didn’t hear from him again until April 2019, when he joined our online community by subscribing to our email newsletters. In May this year he got in touch to say that he would like to share his story.
Rock climbing in Wadi Nakhr, Oman
What Are Your Memories of Adventures in The Outdoors as A Child Or Teenager?
Stinging rain on my face, no visibility (at least to a 14 year old with no experience of being above 100ft!) in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales was my first real experience of the wilder parts of the UK. The school trip had me hooked. Being brought up on a farm in beautiful but flat East Anglia was not ideal for an immediate engagement with rock climbing but did give plenty of opportunity to kayak. Weekly kayak club trips on the Broads slowly overcame my fear of submerging headfirst into dark and cold waters and paved the way for a lifetime love of the outdoors.
What Do You Remember About Your Outdoor Adventures When You Started Doing Them Independently?
Standing on the Cuillin Ridge on a sunny day in May waiting to abseil after kayaking across the previous day from Arisiag. Sat in a boat at the top of various Alpine rivers with some mates from University measuring our pulse rates to see who was the most frightened. Failing yet again to do the whole Cuillin Ridge in under 24 hours in rainy conditions. Summiting happily a 3000m in central Turkey, not realising we were far too late, and the descent would be epic. Climbing exciting routes in the Northern Corries with limited gear, amazing conditions and the innocence of “first time”.
Running an abseil session for university students in Qatar
When Did It Change from A Hobby To A Career?
I trained as an engineer and worked for five years after University in a chemical plant. I loved the job and people but longed for the outdoors to be more a central part of my life than “bolted on” at the weekends. My wife and I joined a charity in South Wales and I led a team running youth camps and leadership training courses using adventurous activities. Shortly after we joined the Lyme Bay tragedy took place and having NGO awards in the outdoor industry became essential. I worked with my team to gain my ML, Winter ML, Rock Climbing Award (SPA as it was then!) and some other kayaking and caving awards.
What Has Your Path Been Since Then?
I co-founded a company called Red Rock International which provides leadership training to corporate organisations. Initially we started offering courses with a high adventure content. We started to develop corporate adventure races and had the chance to deliver them in Kazakhstan and Qatar for oil and gas companies. This led my wife and I to moving to Qatar with our family to establish the business there. In the Middle East, the appetite for adventurous activities is different and we’ve had to move the focus of our training to less physical exercises. Having said that, we are in the process of introducing a UK based adventure course for Middle Eastern clients. We have not found a better medium for developing the character aspects of leadership and teamwork (I did a crevasse rescue course with Chris in the Alps a while back and I can still recount the lessons learned about life as well as rescuing people from crevasses!).
The night stage of a corporate adventure race in Qatar
If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to work in the outdoors, what would it be?
Find a mentor – someone who can encourage you with what the future could look like, push you to get out and do more and advise you where to put your energy for the season you are in.
What about you?
If you are an outdoor professional, or have been in the past, and you’d like to inspire others with your story, we’d love to hear from you - send us an email.
Read the rest of the series
My Story #1: Chris Ensoll, International Mountain Guide
My Story #2: John Kettle, Climbing & Mountain Biking Coach
My Story #3: Kelvyn James, International Mountain Leader
My Story #4: Anne Ensoll, Business Manager And Ex-Outdoor Instructor
My Story #5: Michael Curry, All-Round Outdoor Instructor and Business Owner
My Story #6: Esther Foster, Freelance Outdoor Instructor
My Story #7: Rob Pugh, Mountaineering Instructor and Stay-at-Home Dad
My Story #8: Colin Reilly, Outdoor Instructor & Church Pastor
My Story #9: Rhiannon Pritchard, Arctic Nature Guide and Academic
My Story #10: Alan Kimber, Mountain Guide and Accommodation Provider
My Story #11: Claire Hendrickse, Freelance Outdoor Instructor
My Story #12: Alice Kerr, Outdoor Instructor & Long Distance Runner
My Story #13: Ben Roe, Outdoor Education Graduate and Climbing Wall Route Setter
My Story #14: Susan Byrne, Mountain Leader and Outdoor Youth Worker
My Story #15: Jon Chamberlain, Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor and Business Owner
My story #16: Sandra Schmidt, Mountain Leader and Tour Guide
My Story #17: Simon Sampson, School Teacher & Mountain Leader
