Imp Adventures Staff

All Imp Adventures Mountain Leaders are current, competent and qualified to undertake their allocated activities. They all hold the relevant National Governing Body (NGB) award or equivalent, and are all qualified in mountain first aid. Imp Adventures only employs responsible, mature outdoor enthusiasts to lead its activities so you can be sure of a first class service, and a rewarding experience for your hard earned cash.

Director – Damon (Boris) Blackband

Damon has been an active mountaineer and climber for over 20 years. A holder of the Summer and Winter Mountain Leader awards as well as his Single Pitch Climbing Award and the prestigious International Mountain Leader Award. He has led over 30 expeditions around the world including North and South America, Africa, The Pyrenees, Corsica, Norway, Italy, The Himalayas, Vietnam, Cambodia, Tanzania, Borneo and most of the Alpine regions. He has led technical climbing expeditions to over 6000m and has climbed many of the Alps 4000m peaks.

Damon's hobbies and Interests when not climbing are food, wine and travel, in addition to scaring himself happy on either his mountain bike or on his road bike when competing in Triathlons.

Activity Leader - Phillip (Darby) Allen

An Ex Royal Marine Helicopter Pilot.
Darby is a very experienced and capable Mountain Leader who has climbed all over the world in both summer and winter to over 6000m including numerous Alpine 4000m peaks. He has extensive experience in High Altitude Mountaineering and has recently climbed in both the Andes and the Himalaya. Darby holds qualifications in both Trekking and Climbing and is remote mountain first aid qualified.

Activity Leader/Doctor - Beth Hall-Thompson

Beth could only be described as ‘crazy for mountains and altitude’, and therefore any means of getting up them under her own steam. She has been hill walking for years and added climbing and mountaineering more recently; with recent mountaineering expeditions to the European Alps, Greenland, The Andes, Nepal and the Indian Himalaya. She lives on the edge of the Lake District and works as a Doctor locally, fitting in expeditions where she can with a view to further specialising in this area. Beth was lucky to recently spend a 6-week period working in the Medical Facility at Pheriche (4,200m) en route to Everest Base Camp.

Activity Leader – Chris Hare

Chris has climbed and led on expeditions to the Andes on a number of occasions, climbing Aconcagua 6985m in Argentina in 2008, and in recent years to over 6000m in Peru and Bolivia. He has spent more than 10 seasons in the Alps climbing over 30 of the 62 four thousand meter peaks. He has climbed all over the world and has trekked some of the established classic trails including both the Corsican GR20 and the Appalachian Trail in North America.

As well as Mountaineering, trekking, rock and ice climbing Chris is also a passionate Mountain Biker and Snow Boarder, where he is ever searching for the ultimate high.

Chris brings with him a wealth of experience and talent and will be a valuable member of our 2009 team.

Activity Leader - Heather Lawrie

Heather has a lifelong love of the wilderness. With a successful career as a Training Instructor in the Fire & Rescue service Heather takes any opportunity she can to get into the outdoors. With 18 years of mountaineering in Scotland under her belt, she has recently added first ascents of peaks in Western Greenland to her experiences.

Heather has climbed and trekked in Canada, Patagonia, the Alps and Argentina. Heather has a passion for Rock Climbing as well as Via Ferrata, Scrambling, Summer and Winter Mountaineering, and more recently Alpinism. She has qualifications in Summer Mountaineering and Single Pitch Rock Climbing.

As a volunteer for the Princes Trust and Jubilee Sailing Trusts she has worked with people who have physical and learning difficulties and holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Sport Science. She is a capped International Rugby player (until it hurt too much) and is currently working towards her Winter Mountain Leader and Mountain Instructor award.

She is a current WEMSI Emergency Medical Technician, First Responder (First Person on Scene) and HSE First Aid at Work Instructor.

Her next ambition is to learn how to Ski without falling over.