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Meet the instructors

Our basic philosophy is to improve safety through the delivery of top quality, professionally delivered and affordable skills courses.

All our courses are designed to encourage participants to become better informed and skilled to operate safely and efficiently in the Scottish Mountains. The mountain safety programme is organised by Heather Morning, the Mountaineering Scotland Mountain Safety Advisor. Alongside Heather work a team of highly qualified, experienced professionals in the outdoors. We always welcome feedback and look for ways of improving our work. If you have any ideas/comments please contact Heather at heather@mountaineering.scot

Meet our team:

Heather Morning (MIC)

Heather works full-time for Mountaineering Scotland  as the Mountain Safety Advisor and is based at Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms. Heather holds her Mountain Instructor Certificate and has taught for many years in the mountains of Britain. In her spare time she is an active mountaineer, climber, sea kayaker and mountain biker. 

Depending on the type of course you have signed up for, you might also get to meet Milly (DOG). Milly is a retired Search & Rescue Dog and a firm favourite with many Mountaineering Scotland members.

Heather Morning

Richard Bentley

Richard Bentley (MIC)

Richard is based in Fort William and runs his own outdoor business Mountain Motion.

Richard is probably most well-known for his winter climbing expertise on Ben Nevis, but equally has many years of experience enjoying the Scottish Hills. Richard is the course director for our Summer Mountain Leader Training Award and a regular contributor on our winter lecture series.

Di Gilbert (MIC)

Di Gilbert is a hill walker, mountaineer, climber and ski mountaineer. She has climbed all of Scotland's Munros, the World's Seven Summits and represents Great Britain in Ski Mountaineering Racing. Based in the Highlands, Di runs her own company, www.digilbert.co.uk and when not working for herself will be found working on some of the most popular Mountaineering Scotland courses.

Di Gilbert

Nick Carter

Nick Carter (MIC)

Nick is based in the Highlands and runs his own business www.alphamountaineering.co.uk  Over the last 10 years, he has worked for Plas-y-Brenin, Glenmore Lodge and Mountaineering Scotland. Nick has climbed since the early ‘80s and still enjoys all mountain based adventures. Nick is now also employed as the St John Mountain Safety Instructor running bespoke courses in the autumn and winter semesters for our affiliated University Clubs. 

David Monteith (MIC and IML)

Known by his friends and colleagues as 'Monty', he has been instructing for 30 years, working in outdoor centres and schools with comprehensive outdoor programmes. He holds the Mountaineering Instructor Certificate (MIC) and International Mountain Leader award (IML). He has climbed in the Alps, Kenya, the Antarctic, the Atlas Mountains, Norway, New Zealand, eastern USA, and across the British Isles. Monty completed the Munros in 1996 and is passionate about off-piste skiing and ski touring. In a previous life he was an orienteering coach and canoe instructor. Monty took early retirement from teaching in 2007 to enjoy more time in the mountains and to work as a freelance instructor under the umbrella of www.eastofedenmts.co.uk.  He is based near Elgin on the Costa Del Moray in NE Scotland. He is also Mountain Safety Director for Mountaineering Scotland.

David 'Monty' Monteith

Nathan White (MIC)

Nathan works full time as a MIC based in Aviemore where he lives with his family. He works as a Senior Instructor at Glenmore Lodge, The National Outdoor Training Center, where he delivers rock and mountain sport courses year round. Nathan also runs his own business, www.stoneplay.co.uk, where he provides bespoke coaching and guiding courses. Climbing is Nathan’s passion. He enjoys all disciplines of the sport and has climbed to a high level in most. Climbing has taken him to some amazing places from high altitude alpinism in Alaska to big walling in Yosemite - all while trying  to juggle climbing,  work and family life. Because of this Nathan has a good appreciation of  life’s challenges and a good understanding of how he can help others be more time efficient and train smarter in their time starved lives.

Nathan White

Johannes Petersen (MIC)

Johannes is a qualified teacher of Outdoor Education and an Associate Instructor at Glenmore Lodge.  Having worked in the outdoors since the late 1990s, he is now based in Inverness where in his spare time he is an active hill runner, orienteer and climber.

Johannes Petersen

Donald Pow (Summer Mountain Leader)

Donald is based near Stirling and offers personalised guiding and navigation courses for hill walkers. Guiding also available in Spanish. Donald has completed the Munros, is a member of the Lomond Mountain Rescue Team and works with Capability Scotland and other charities to offer hill-going activities for disabled people including blind/partially-sighted and wheelchair users. Donald can be contacted on info@compassdirections.co.uk

Donald Pow