Cat Forster

Cat lives in North Wales, working as a freelance instructor and at Mountain Leader Training, the organisation which manages the outdoor qualifcations such as the Mountain Leader award.

Originally from London, she lived in Leeds for 12 years working as a youth worker on programmes aimed at building confidence and personal development for young women, using a range of outdoor activities, team games and art-based work. A personal love of being in the hills and in wild open spaces led naturally to encouraging others to find such pleasure.  She started to run courses on teaching Outdoor Education, and developed to gaining qualifications in Single Pitch rock climbing (SPA) and the Mountain Leader Award (ML). She worked for Leeds City Council at their residential outdoor education centre, Herd Farm, where activities include a climbing tower, high ropes course, mountain biking and archery.

Cat continued to work as a freelance Instructor and youth worker, before packing it all in to travel and work in New Zealand.  On her return to the UK, she moved to North Wales, spending every spare moment climbing and walking in the incredible mountains of Snowdonia. And hiding from the rain.
Developing further skills in Alpine and winter conditions, Cat has made successful ascents of mountains in the Southern Alps of New Zealand, the European Alps and Norway's Jottenheim region. She is fortunate to have had fantastic opportunities to travel in so many beautiful places including the USA, Central America, and Spain. Canada is next! The UK, however, holds some of the most unique and inspiring wild areas, with personal favorites being the Isles of Skye & Rhum, Cumbria's Langdale Pikes, the Black Mountains of south Wales and Snowdonia's Cardennau.