A YOUNG Mountaineering expert has become the sixth recipient of a mountain culture award celebrating his dedication to the pursuit.
Tim Miller, 23, an Earth science graduate from the University of Glasgow, was awarded the Youth Mountain Culture Award for this year.
Mr Miller is a fully qualified mountaineering and climbing instructor, who runs a guiding and instructing business, Miller Mountain Guides, taking his passion for both teaching and climbing into the mountains.
The award was established in 2015 to celebrate adventurous young people, the landscapes they choose to explore and the outdoor pursuits in which they excel.
Resilience and determination are required to be shown in their chosen area of expertise, whilst also giving back to the community.
The young recipient needs to have shown resilience and determination to succeed within their chosen area of expertise, shown results through their own efforts and ideas, given back to their community, whilst being thought of as an example of excellence by others.
Speaking today Tim said: “I am really delighted and humbled to be receiving the Youth Mountain Culture Award this year. It has come as a big surprise and it was a lovely gesture by Rob MacKenzie [2017 youth winner] to nominate me. Well done also to Colin Prior on his Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture.”
In 2013, in his first foray into competitive dry tooling, a form of rock climbing which uses ice axes, he won the Junior Scottish Tooling Series. With very limited in ice climbing experience, he placed 4th in the Youth Ice Climbing World Championships in Champany en Vanoise, France, the following year.
He has also undertaken many technical expeditions to the Greater Ranges [the high mountain ranges of Asia] where he has climbed up to 7000m on new routes and unclimbed peaks.
Rod Pashley, Chairman of The Highland Mountain Culture Association, organisers of the Fort William Mountain Festival, said: “What is striking about Tim Miller is his countless achievements on such a rapid journey; his development and honing of technical mountaineering skills and abilities and his mountaineering experiences that have taken him to the Greater Ranges.
“What is also striking, and one that would no doubt be expected from a professional mountaineer, is his passion and love of the outdoor environment; the sharing of it; the engagement with others and the understanding of the power of mountain culture and the benefits of engaging with it at whatever level”.
