The Team

As a lead guide for Mountain Tracks and alpine mountain guide my aim is to pass on my passion for the mountains and provide a superb experience to match clients’ aspirations at all levels.

Over the last 20 years I have skied and climbed all over the world: from chasing powder in Russia to scaling dry rock in Yosemite and climbing vertical ice in Cogne.

As well as being an IFMGA-qualified international mountain guide, I’m also a member of the British Ski Mountaineering team and compete in the World Championships every year. I have also worked extensively in film and T.V. including stunt work for films such as “Touching the Void”.

Born and raised in the mountains, Pat's passion for winter sports started at a very young age. He made the switch from skiing to snowboarding in 1999 and hasn't looked back since, venturing off with his snowboard & splitboard to find the best of the backcountry. 

To take his passions to the next level and kickstart his professional career Pat completed a Masters Degree in Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation and became a qualified snowboarding instructor.

After spending 7 seasons in the Alps as an instructor and rep, Pat moved back into holiday sales and now is an integral part of the Mountain Tracks team.

He is also a keen sailor, hiker, climber, bushcraft enthusiast and is passionate about all board sports.

Pat brings his passion for the mountains, enthusiasm, experience and knowledge to make your experience with Mountain Tracks as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Klemen Gričar. Slovenian IFMGA Mountain Guide based in the Julian Alps.

We first met Klemen when he assisted on our Ski touring trip to the Julian Alps in March 2006 and it was clear from the outset that we'd met a very special talent!

I was born in Jesenice on 25.03.1967.

I'm based in Gozd Martuljek in the Julian Alps, Slovenia.  I qualified as an IFMGA Mountain Guide in 2003 and I was President of the Slovenian Mountain Guide Association from 2009-2013.

I've loved the mountains for as long as I can remember. It started in primary school when I was in the local mountaineering club. In high school I started climbing. Later I joined the mountain rescue team in Kranjska Gora and I have been a member of the rescue team since 1994.  I've been guiding for the past 11 years in the Alps and all around the world. Each year I usually guide for about 150 days.

Alongside my work, my family (wife, 2 children), travel and mountain photography are my passions.

- Languages: English, German, Slovenian

- Guiding skills: rock climbing, climbing routes, touring ski, ice climbing, winter climbing.

Guido is an IFMGA guide from Italy based around the beautiful Dolomite mountains. He was introduced to the world of alpine mountaineering and skiing by his father at a young age.

After exploring the Julian Alps his attentions turned to the Central Alps with Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa and the Gran Paradiso areas of particular interest.

Guido has become one of our most popular guides and his fun-loving attitude, professionalism, respect for the mountains and happy smiling face will help make your holiday one to remember!

I am a BASI level 4 and Swiss patente qualified ski instructor. I am based in Verbier and have been teaching for Mountain Tracks for the last 5 winters, having previously taught in Canada, France and Italy. From starting off on the plastic slopes of North Wales I have been lucky enough to ski all over the world including ski mountaineering trips to the Andes and the Karakorums in Pakistan.

Teaching off-piste is particularly rewarding as it enables people to experience the thrill and adventure of skiing in wild beautiful places. It's not an easy thing to master so it is always a fun challenge to bring the best out of people. Whether skiers are new to off-piste skiing or old hands there are always ways of improving, learning. and having fun!

From skiing powder in the forests to high alpine steep faces, off-piste skiing is an incredible experience and a passion of mine that I look forward to sharing with many more people in the future.

I've been in the mountains since I was a kid, and I practiced many sports, until I have devoted soul and body to the mountain, my great passion. I have been Alpine Guide since 2009 and I started to dedicate myself to this noble craft: the intention to communicate to others this my enthusiasm for mountaineering together with the necessary technical knowledge. I am lucky to visit so many beautiful places, every time a great discovery and adventure.

I've started rock climbing on the granite outcrops of Dartmoor and the sea cliffs of south-west England as a teenager.

My love of the mountains has led to adventures on six continents from sea stacks to the high Himalaya.

Twenty years on, I now share the enthusiasm for the mountains year-round, quite simply – 'I have the best job in the world!'

Sandy Allan was born and raised in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands of Scotland and has been climbing since his teens.  He qualified as an IFMGA/BMG guide in 1993. Since the 1980s he has established many hard new winter and mixed climbs in Scotland and in the Himalaya. He has guided clients to the summits of many of the highest mountains in the world including Mount Everest and Cho Oyu.  As well as guiding in the Himalaya, he has been involved in many expeditions including Muztagh Tower, Lhotse West and the Scottish Direct Route on the south face of Pumori. In 2012 he completed the first ascent of one of the Himalaya’s most coveted, unclimbed climbs – the Mazeno Ridge of Nanga Parbat and was awarded the Piolet d’Or in 2013.

Sandy will act as a Course Director for all Scottish courses and if for some reason he will not be able to guide them he will select a qualified UK mountain instructors and leaders or another IFMGA guide. We select these instructors with care and many of these are members of the Association of Mountain Instructors (AMI)

The mountain guide’s obligation to clients is not only to guide them safely through the mountains. Before the tour starts, he/she gives personal advice to the client and supports him/her in selecting the right tour. Mountain guides have a basic education in geology, fauna and flora and know the mountains and their history. 

Consequently, a mountain tour becomes a life experience for the client. The guide does not only lead the way but is also a coach providing advice and motivation. He/she helps ambitious clients to improve technically and physically. Often the mountain guide accompanies his/her client for many years all over the world. This is the basis for friendships that last for a lifetime. 

Safety is an important issue in mountaineering. Humans are looking for recreation and adventure in the mountains. In mountaineering, as in life, there is a certain residual risk that cannot be eliminated. Mountain guides are professionally trained to reduce this residual risk. Their high-quality education is focused on safety and their ample experience helps the mountain guide make the right decisions in difficult situations.  

Source:https://ifmga.info/

Skiing has been the biggest passion in my life since my first steps on snow when I was 2 years old. I have been ski racing as a child and teenager and later ski race coaching. After receiving a master's in Sports Science, I was off to a life in the mountains.

I am a fully certified ski instructor and ski guide and have diplomas from the Swiss, Austrian, and Croatian ski associations. For the past 22 years, I have been teaching skiing, ski guiding, and coaching ski racing and freestyle all over Europe, the USA, and Japan.

For the past 13 years, I have been based in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where I have developed a big passion for big mountains and steep lines.

Still, the biggest joy remains introducing and developing a passion for skiing, especially off-piste skiing, in average skiers and watching their enthusiasm and stoke grow when they overcome terrain or technique obstacles they never thought achievable.

I have been working with Mountain Tracks for the past 5 seasons and truly enjoy the off-piste and ski touring weeks where we completely immerse ourselves in improving technique, assessing weather and snow conditions, and our approach to the mountains.

 I've met loads of interesting people, and everyone has a story to listen to and take inspiration from. 

I'm looking forward to sharing some new adventures with you.