THE MOUNTAIN GUIDE
MATT LE VOI is the director of Lakeland Mountain Guides – a company that provides outdoor activities across the UK – and has pushed it every step of the way from it was formed in 2012. He holds the Winter Mountain Leader Award, is a Rock Climbing Instructor and has a First Class honours degree in Adventure Tourism Management. Matt’s climbed Scafell Pike over 400 times and is as happy walking in the Highlands with his dog Lexi as he is climbing in the Himalayas. (lakelandmountainguides.co.uk)
As soon as I tell people I grew up in West Sussex, their next question is usually: “So how did you come to run a guiding company in Cumbria?”.
Growing up on the south coast of England certainly didn’t have the lumps and bumps I’m used to now, but I still had an outdoorsy upbringing. We enjoyed camping holidays, mountain biking on the South Downs and regular riverside walks. I think it is a greater irony that despite living within a couple of miles of the sea for 18 years
I only learnt to sail, kayak and canoe on an inland reservoir in the West Midlands while at university. Who needs southern seas or warm French rivers anyway?
I was fortunate enough to meet a Cumbrian ‘Lass’ at university and, with the aspirations of being an outdoor instructor once I graduated from my Adventure Tourism Management degree (business degree with adventure sprinkled on), it made so much sense to relocate to Cumbria. I was also lucky to get a full-time guiding job as a freshfaced Mountain Leader almost immediately and so my career in the mountains began. A year and half later redundancy struck, but this cloud had a platinum lining and at the age of 22 I delved into self-employment. Lakeland Mountain Guides was born.
Amazingly, that was all 8 years ago and since then we’ve helped thousands of people achieve personal goals, hosted days for charities and corporates, pushed people further than they ever knew they could go on challenge events, and passed on vital summer and winter mountain skills to those keen to expand their knowledge. Although the admin of the company, and our more recently formed international trekking company, falls into my lap and therefore ties me to the desk from time to time, I still aim to get myself out into the guiding seat as much as possible. That’s where I’m at my happiest.
My aspiration for the best part of my life was to join the military, but after some time in the Officer Training Corps I realised this wasn’t going to be for me, but what I did discover was a career as an outdoor instructor would offer me many of the life attributes I was seeking. As far as job satisfaction goes, it has to rank amongst the highest. What’s not to like about heading into the outdoors (generally mountains for me) for a day of exercise with like-minded people? Some days you will really earn your money, but they are also the days when your clients will probably have achieved something really great. Knowing you have facilitated someone tackling Striding Edge or getting over their fear of heights with an abseil is a satisfaction level you’ll never bore of.
Living in close proximity to the mountains is also fabulous and I’m happy to accept the levels of precipitation for having a lumpy playground for walking, running and climbing adventures
whenever I please.