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Reviews on Google
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Reviews on Facebook
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Had the most amazing 3 days scrambling and Munro bagging in Glencoe with Patrick this week. Day 1 took us up Stob Dearg via Curved Ridge and Crowberry Tower which was fantastic and so was the weather! This route is defo a most do if you are thinking of going! Day 2 we went up Ben Nevis via Ledge Route and despite the rain we had another awesome day, the scrambling was fab and the North Face is truly magnificent! Another must do route, even with the massive bog at the end 🤣 Day 3 we aimed to get up Aonach Dubh but the weather was shocking and we admitted defeat half way up, but the pub lunch was yum and my legs were grateful! Patrick was very patient and knowledgeable throughout the trip, i felt safe at all times and would 110% recommend a scrambling course with him. The scrambling was extremely fun, the evenings were hilarious, we had such a great time! Whatever you do don't mention the Mysterons 🙈🤣
Emma Samantha Atherton
17th August 2019I had the best day Rock Climbing at Almscliffe Crag with Patrick, this was my first time climbing and I was made to feel comfortable, safe and supported throughout. I learnt so much and even when I struggled, Patrick was extremely patient and motivational with his supportive words and advice that kept me going, I felt I have achieved something amazing that I wouldn't of been able to do without him and also thoroughly enjoyed the day which was well needed! Thank you Patrick, looking forward to more outdoor adventures! 🧗♀️☺️
Sophie Olivia Robson
22nd July 2019 -
I booked Patrick for a private rock climbing improvers course (19th and 20th June 2019) and could not have been happier. Patrick understood everything I wanted to achieve and designed a flexible 2 day session which improved my climbing skills, my decision making and most importantly has given me the confidence to take my climbing to the next stage. I highly recommend Patrick to anyone who wants to progress… A fantastic few days of climbing and instruction.
Alan McGing
24th June 2019 -
Patrick arranged three great days of mountaineering in the Cairngorms for my friend and I. He was very flexible on the program, and careful to adapt it to our needs and expectations so we can best improve our mountaineering skills. He was constantly sharing great tips and his knowledge of mountaineering in general was impressive. Also his knowledge of the area was very useful as he was still able to find interesting routes and things to do despite the uncooperative weather. Patrick was also friendly and nice, and we very much enjoyed his company in the mountains. We had a lot of fun building snow caves and emergency shelters as we had asked him to specifically cover that. Highly recommended!
Cyprien de Masson
19th February 2019I have just completed a one day taster in lead trad climbing with Patrick. The course was excellent. He invested time in establishing clearly what our goals for the day were and clearly gave a lot of thought as to how we would achieve these. His approach was flexible; the weather was not conducive to doing everything outdoors but he managed to adapt and keep us on track by moving indoors where there was more to be learnt relevant to trad climbing than I would have imagined! His approach was engaging and thought provoking and his exercises and explanations were all very clear. I would certainly consider doing another course with him.
Johnathan Todd
2nd December 2018 -
Patrick arranged an absolutely fantastic introductory climbing session for our 15 year old son, who is mad keen on climbing but has never been on real rock before. The Cow and Calf at Ilkley was a great choice of site, and Patrick was brilliant at tailoring the progression of climbs according to the circumstances and explained everything very clearly. Safety was never in any doubt at any stage. Very highly recommended indeed, thanks Patrick!
Kevin Gale
31st October 2018I'm still on the high from last weekend when I got to climb with Patrick in Snowdonia. Driven by my passion for multi-pitch routes and a desire to better understand the mechanics of trad climbing I booked this course with Patrick and it did not disappoint! I learned an incredible amount in just two days surrounded by some of the most stunning scenery on earth. I completed my longest route to date ('Hope' on Idwal Slabs) and even got to do an abseil! I can't thank Patrick enough for his professionalism, sharing his expertise and for making sure I got the most out of my time on the rock 🙂
Rachel Parker
26th July 2018 -
My fiance and I had a fantastic day trying out multi-pitch trad climbing, scrambling and basic navigation with Patrick. He was excellent at tailoring the day to my level of experience and needs. A truly safe pair of hands, with good taste for the local brew. Thanks again Patrick!
Anthony Harrison
13th July 2018Many thanks to Patrick for a thoroughly enjoyable two days doing my silver NNAS course. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable and experienced but he is also excellent at conveying things in the right way for his audience. Very patient and flexible and inspires confidence - I learned more than I expected to. Thanks very much.
Helen Collier
28th June 2018 -
Top notch map reading and navigation course with Patrick, who is as patient and professional as he is knowledgeable! Highly recommended. Loved every minute, and am looking forward to putting into practice everything that I have learnt. Thank you so much, Patrick!
Siân Morris-Tait
8th April 2018I had an incredible time with Patrick stepping it up and taking on some winter climbing for the first time! He tailored the 3 days based on my goals, made each day fun despite the terrible weather and I felt that I'd come away with a ton of knowledge and confidence. Cheers Patrick! Maybe next year at Aonach Eagach?
Advait Kapadia
27th February 2018 -
A huge thanks Patrick for giving us the opportunity to climb in the Cairngorms this week .. it would not of been possible without you and you made the experience fun (type 2 of course). Winter climbing can be difficult at the best of times but with your high standards of professionalism and safety we were able to relax and enjoy the climbing will definitely be seeing you again x
Angela Moroney
16th January 2018Had a great weekend of winter climbing in Fort William! I have learnt so much from Patrick and enjoyed my time ! It was a pleasant experience, a real hard work climbing in such a cold weather however Patrick can turn it to a real achievement by giving the full confidence, support and safety needed .. definitely will do much more of that and i hope I can be an experienced climber one day.
Nour Bassatne
7th January 2018 -
After a weekend of scrambling in Snowdonia and being lucky enough to have great weather with the most amazing views it is very easy for me to recommend Patrick as your guide. Having a panic attack climbing the north gully of Tryfan Patrick gave me the coaching and confidence to succeed to the summit of the North Ridge of Tryfan. What a sense of achievement. Patrick starts the weekend with a talk on how the body changes temperature in the various elements of the weather, including wind chill and what happens if clothing gets wet from either rain or sweat. He then explains why it is essential to have the right kit and the success of any adventure is being prepared. Thank you Patrick and I look forward to the next adventure.
Fiona Love
20th November 2017I had a 10/10 weekend in Snowdonia scrambling with Patrick back in July and had an absolute blast! The scrambles we did were stunning and pretty challenging for someone who's never done any scrambling before but I felt completely comfortable the whole time. Patrick is very focused on safety and explaining the basics of rope work, navigation and weather, but always checks in with the group to make sure everyone is having fun (be that type 1 fun or type 2 fun!). I learned some cool new knots, had some tasty pub dinners after long days, and will definitely be back for more!
Jacqueline Towers
16th October 2017 -
An excellent day out yesterday on a National Navigation Award Scheme tutor course. Many thanks for all the ideas and the great company.
Andrew Foxon
28th September 2017I completed the two day NNAS Bronze course with Patrick in Ilkley and learnt so much from it. Starting with an introduction to using different maps, we then looked at contours and compass work followed by distance measuring and route planning. Patrick is very knowledgeable and made sure I understood what was being taught before moving onto the next thing and was able to answer any questions I had. I have taken away a lot of skills from the course and now have the confidence to go out and practice. I would highly recommend booking onto a course with Patrick and I will be again in the future.
Callum Coxhead
22nd September 2017
Reviews on Trip Advisor
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Patrick is my coach for a challenge I set myself a couple of months ago. He provides the support and development to help me reach my goals in adventure racing,... read more and I am so glad that I found him!
Patrick is a man of many things. Highly skilled, professional, supportive, encouraging, and an absolute delight to be around! He is passionate about the outdoors, navigation, and guiding and teaching people the skills required to survive in any environment, and enjoy the journey!
This weekend I completed my first goal, which was passing the Bronze NNAS Navigation award. It covers the basics of navigation, however, for a person like me, with absolutely no background in Navigation or Hiking, I found it a challenge. New vocabulary, new symbols, new everything! Patrick broke things down in a very manageable way, and I can now confidently say that I 'get it'.
Without his support, patience, and encouragement, I wouldn't have passed one of my goals, and I am very grateful. He really went above and beyond.
I am continuing on this journey with him for the next year, and can confidently say that I made the right choice. He is an absolute gem.
12/21/2020A friend and I booked three days of instruction with Patrick to give us our first experience of climbing outdoors around the Yorkshire Dales. Even before booking the course he... read more gave us loads of useful advice and tips. We learned an incredible amount on each of the three days, much more than we thought we thought possible in a short space of time. There was never any doubt that safety was the first priority for Patrick at all stages of the course, which straight away put us at ease and gave us the best environment to really push ourselves, learn new techniques and skills and have fun. I wouldn't hesitate to book another course with Patrick in the future and would highly recommend The Summit is Optional to anyone looking to learn more about all types of climbing, but especially trad climing.
8/24/2020 -
After outlining our goals for the trip, Patrick created an itinerary that covered all of the content we had discussed with him: leading routes, placing gear, building safe anchors etc.... read more He tailored the course to suit our existing skillset and taught us a huge amount whilst answering all our questions along the way. Thank you Patrick!
8/22/2020I couldn't recommend Patrick more highly. He gave me exactly what I was after - a bespoke 1:1 afternoon to improve my anchor building and ropework technique so I can... read more be quicker and more efficient when taking my daughters climbing. Clearly a climber with very solid experience and pragmatic wisdom, he observed my existing skills attentively and then took me through a systematic approach to a range of aspects of setup for my needs. Thanks for a superb session, Patrick!
8/09/2020 -
We did a 2 day course with Patrick which was well worth it and an amazing experience. He adapted and tailored the things we did throughout the 2 days to... read more accommodate our experience, level and requests. He is very professional with a lot of experience. Absolutely recommend it.
7/20/2020During November we booked a weekend with Patrick to complete the Learn to Lead Scrambling course. Patrick spent time understanding our experience and tailored the course to suit. We learned... read more loads and left feeling comfortable that we now had a good grasp of all the...More
12/08/2019 -
Trying out climbing was something I'd been meaning to do for ages. I thought I'd go ahead and book a one on one session with someone who could show me... read more the ropes (literally) and I'm really glad I did. First off booking the session made...More
12/04/2019Absolutely loved every minute of the one to one session , highly recommend this as the whole day was packed with brilliant information, Patrick from the Start was professional and... read more couldn’t do enough for you. All this has now helped me to progress further, will...More
11/20/2019 -
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and found it very useful. Patrick delivered informative sessions throughout the day and I picked up plenty of useful tips to enable me to deliver... read more navigation days in the near future. Thanks again Patrick!
11/14/2019I have completed a few courses with Patrick consisting of climbing, scrambling and navigation.
He is extremely knowledgeable and very professional in his work along with being friendly and easy... read more to get along with. He will manage each day to your specific needs making sure you gain experience by explaining each process throughout the course along with answering any questions you may have giving you valuable information to take away.
9/18/2019 -
Patrick's passion for mountaineering is highly infectious; and he is equally passionate about sharing his expansive knowledge and skills to equip you with the right tools to pursue it. Out... read more on the mountains, the same set of knowledge and skills inspire confidence so that I know I can take risks in order to up my game. Great show of leadership and control through difficult situations. When the weather turns unfavourable, he presents risks and alternatives rather than flat out saying something's impossible unless it actually is too dangerous and impossible. Every trip I've been to with TSIO has been the best time of my life.
9/17/2019I've been out twice with Patrick (owner of TSiO). First off he took myself and my partner up Helvellyn and onto the Priest Hole Cave on a glorious September day.... read more Patrick gave some great instruction on map reading and navigation, as well being knowledgable in picking a safe route to the cave (which you shouldn't attempt without a guide as sadly some have found to their cost in the past).
Patrick is hugely experienced, great company and an excellent communicator. I would highly recommend him if you are looking for someone to guide you or instruct you in some of the more technical aspects of mountaineering, climbing or scrambling. He's an International Mountain Leader and has climbed all over the world so you know you're in safe hands. More
9/13/2019 -
Patrick is an Excellent provider. I thoroughly enjoyed participating on the NNAS Tutor training with his relaxed and friendly style of delivery.
9/04/2019Patrick is great! I've had two 1:1 courses with him. Trad multi pitch skills and self rescue skills. Both courses were tailored to my requirements. They were... read more fun and I felt confident in what I had learnt. We even went for a beer afterwards.
9/03/2019 -
Very professional, experienced and fantastic knowledge on top of being a great educator. Fully recommend Patrick for anyone pursuing to learn or expand any outdoor related skills.
9/02/2019Top notch map reading and navigation course with Patrick, who is as patient and professional as he is knowledgeable! Highly recommended. Loved every minute, and am looking forward to putting... read more into practice everything that I have learnt. Thank you so much, Patrick!
8/31/2019