Louise Beetlestone

I grew up in Mid Wales, where I climbed a lot of trees, played in the river, and walked with my Mum and Sister. At 10 years old, I ascended my first mountain, Drygarn Fawr, and did my first rock climb on a school residential.

I went on to Coleg Powys Brecon to study Sports Science including some modules of Outdoor Education, before starting work as a Trainee Instructor at Longtown Outdoor Centre in the Black Mountains. The next year, I got a NVQ Level 3 in Outdoor Education, followed shortly by my Rock Climbing Instructor Qualification, then Mountain Leader. The Mountain Leader was my first interaction with Plas y Brenin, who provided the course!

I moved to North Wales and pursued my Winter Mountain Leader and Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor qualifications. I took part in the Instructor Scheme at Plas y Brenin starting in 2010. In 2016, I was the Welsh mountain running champion, and the following year I got my Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor qualification.

Additional accomplishments include completing the Paddy Buckley round (47 peaks), and in 2019 I learned to ski as well as climbed over 56 peaks in the Alps over 4,000m.