The Mountain Inquisition

Meet unstoppable hill runner, Jasmin Paris

Scafell Pike, Snowdon or Ben Nevis?

I’d prefer to be on the hills surrounding any of them. Just as nice but with far fewer people.

The highest mountain you’ve climbed? Who’s your mountain hero?

Fell-runner Joss Naylor.

What do you love most about the hills?

Their freedom, beauty, silence, scale and timelessness. They make me feel small, insignificant and strangely reassured.

What’s your nickname?

I was called the ‘Duracell Bunny’ at uni.

Most memorable day in the outdoors?

Doing the Isle of Skye’s Cuillin Ridge with my husband.

Funniest thing you’ve seen on a hill?

I was once picking blueberries in the Czech mountains, when I came face to face with an ostrich. It turned out later that it had escaped from a farm in the valley.

You’re in a pub. What’s on the menu?

Fish (breaded), chips and mushy peas, and then sticky toffee pudding or crumble and custard or… you get the picture.

What was the last book you read?

There is No Map in Hell by Steve Birkinshaw about him running the Wainwrights.

Favourite hill snack?

Buttered hot cross buns or my husband’s home-made flapjack.

Worst thing you’ve ever eaten?

The ceviche (raw fish dish) we ate in a back room in a poor village in Peru was, in retrospect, a very bad idea.

Favourite animal?

Our collie, Moss, who's excellent hill company.

Weirdest place you’ve slept?

Some of the runners’ camps on the Trans Alpine Race we ran in 2013 were rather odd, including a nuclear fallout shelter and an underground car park!

Best walking boots you’ve owned?

A pair of leather Scarpa boots that I owned as a student. Their final days were spent hiking the Colorado Trail, and every day one of the lace hooks would pop off. It wasn’t at all clear whether we would make it to Denver before I lost all means of fastening them...

Wild camp or posh hotel?

Wild camp, any day.

Strangest person you’ve met on a hill?

My husband.

How much is a pint of tea at Pete’s Eats?

About £60 after driving there from Scotland.

What’s your next big challenge?

It’s still a secret!

Your ultimate mountain day in three words…

Remote, wild, scenic.

First a keen fell-walker, Jasmin Paris is now a phenomenal mountain runner. Last year, she broke speed records on all three 24-hour mountain challenges: the Bob Graham Round (66 miles and 42 summits in 15hr 24min) in the Lake District; the Paddy Buckley Round (61 miles and 47 peaks in 18hr 33min) in Snowdonia; and the Ramsay Round (58 miles and 24 mountains in 16hr 13min) in Scotland. She’ll be giving a no-doubt inspiring talk at Keswick Mountain Festival on Friday 9 June, www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk