2#10 Kirsty Pallas: the mountain safety advisor
“I love being able to share what I experience… taking folk to places they wouldn't feel confident to get to by themselves.”
Episode 2#10…
… is thrilled to meet Kirsty Pallas, of Oban in the West Highlands. Kirsty is an outdoor instructor of more than a decade’s experience who the 16,000 members of Mountaineering Scotland may also recognise as one of the group’s Mountain Safety Advisors.
Kirsty’s progress in her outdoor career has been as swift as it has been successful: inspired by school-age work experience at her local outdoor centre, Kirsty leapt straight into outdoor instruction immediately upon turning 18. Since that point, she’s gained her Summer Mountain Leader, Winter Mountain Leader and Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor Awards, and has even found time to be a serving member of Oban Mountain Rescue team for the past nine years. And all long before her 30th birthday.
When not finding time to climb on Buachaille Etive Mor and other classic Scottish peaks, Kirsty puts much of her spare energies into promoting inclusivity in the hills. A co-founder of advocacy group Our Shared Outdoors, and of mixed-race heritage herself, she has a driving passion for Britain’s mountains and believes everybody should feel equally free and welcome to enjoy their beauty and challenges.
> Discover more about Mountaineering Scotland: www.mountaineering.scot
> Learn about Our Shared Outdoors: www.oursharedoutdoors.org
Listen, enjoy, tell your friends, subscribe to the podcast if you get and chance, and thank UKHillwalking.com for their kind support of this series!
[episode recorded on 07/10/22]
00:00 - Introduction
02:11 - Welcome, all about Mountaineering Scotland (“the Scottish equivalent of the British Mountaineering Council”) and life as a Mountain Safety Advisor
08:11 - The approach of winter, spreading the message of mountain safety (“it’s really hard to change the batteries in your head torch if you don’t have a light”)
10:39 - A personal history in the mountains: inspired by work experience at an outdoor centre, registering for Mountain Training awards immediately on turning 18
14:56 - A guide to outdoor assessments: Summer Mountain Leader, Winter Mountain Leader, Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (“they give you as many chances as they can… and if you’re deferred on any element it’s because of a trend rather than a one-off”)
21:51 - Nine years of experience in Oban Mountain Rescue, covering Ben Cruachan to the Black Mount, Ben Lui, and the Isle of Mull (“have a bag packed, ready to go”), use of drones
30:01 - “I love being able to share what I get to experience with so many different people”
33:51 - Long-term goals and fulfilling ambitions in the outdoors (Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor by age 30), “what I enjoy is the variety”
37:21 - “For me, inclusivity is that everyone feels welcomed into the hills”, the importance of feeling represented, the absence of generational experience
41:31 - Our Shared Outdoors, “a group of people that want to see things become more diverse within the outdoors”, film events that focus on under-represented groups
44:41 - Ways to make others feel welcome in the outdoors, supportive conversations and raised awareness
48:16 - Greatest mountain memory… climbing “The Chasm” on Buachaille Etive Mor, “what decisions did I take in my life that have led me to this moment, and why did I make those decisions?”
51:31 - All the time, money, freedom… what do you do? A climbing road trip across Canada and the US: Yosemite, Squamish and more.
This episode was proudly sponsored by (and first appeared on) ukhillwalking.com
Together with sister site ukclimbing.com, UKH’s stated aim is “to bring our readers both the best of hillwalking, climbing and mountaineering from around the world.”