Rachael
Crewesmith

About me

These days I’m a mountaineer, rock climber, hill walker, mountain biker and occasional paddler. I divide my time between the sprawling Scottish Highlands and the compact but wild mountains of Snowdonia where I work as a mountaineering instructor and mountain bike guide.

I cut my teeth as a hockey coach and have been helping others to improve and achieve their potential since the tender age of 13. I completed a B.A. in Archaeology at the University of Nottingham where I discovered rock climbing. I have represented Wales in hockey and played in the National League whilst coaching young players at county level. I completed my hockey coaching awards whilst still at school and continued coaching through university.

After graduating, I ‘fell’ into a job as an instructor at a climbing wall in Cardiff. I began to experiment with applying what I knew from hockey coaching to climbing and bouldering, first indoors and then outdoors. I realised that, for lack of a structured coaching award scheme, I was actually quite good at this stuff and my students were starting to appear on podiums at national competitions. I joined the coaching team for the BMC Talented Youth programme.

I have ridden my bike across Nepal, round and round the Strathpuffer 24 hr endurance course and down the twisty, rooty trails of the forests of the Highlands.

I have climbed up 100 Munroes (and counting), El Capitan in Yosemite, to 6000m in the Himalaya and up the north face of Ben Nevis. My favourite day out ever was climbing The Original Route on The Old Man of Hoy, on Orkney.

I’ve also spent time just travelling for travellings sake, especially in Asia. I visited Burma (Myanmar) at the same time as President Obama and witnessed the carnival of the first US state visit ever. I have walked across the living root bridges of Cherrapungee in north-eastern India and ridden the Darjeeling steam train. I have had dinner with the Nepali Army in Bhojpur and breakfast with the monks of north-eastern Thailand.

I love coming home to the UK and realising just how amazing our diverse country is. From laverbread in South Wales to fresh mussels cooked in a jetboil on a Hebridean island, I love our country and all it has to offer.