Your Guides
Dream Guides is run by Guy Willett and Kenton Cool, both keen enthusiasts and IFMGA Guides. All other Guides we employ are well known to us, at the top of their game and handpicked for their ability, personality and experience. Whether at intro level or expert, you will be guided by the best around!
Kenton has been climbing for 19 years and in this time has established himself as one of the UK's leading alpine climbers with an impressive list of difficult ascents. In recent years, Kenton has been taking the skills honed by many seasons in the Alps and Scotland to the Greater Ranges with significant 1st ascents in Alaska, India, Pakistan and Nepal.
These ascents reached a peak in 2003 with a major new route on Annapurna III (7,555m) for which Kenton, along with his two partners, were nominated for the prestigious Piolet D'Or Award in France. (An international award given to the best alpine-style ascent of the year). Kenton has been a popular and successful Expedition guide, having led a number of teams to summits in Nepal, including Ama Dablam.
In May 2006 he became the first and only Briton to climb Everest three times, successfully guiding clients to the summit on each occasion. With Dream Guides successful Cho Oyu expedition in October 2006, Kenton made the first British ski descent of an 8000m peak. And if that's not enough, in 2007, Kenton summited Everest twice - successfully guiding all Dream Guides' clients to the top and in the process bringing his summit tally to five. Kenton is the only European to summit 8 times and to summit twice in a season... Recently, Kenton is known for guiding Sir Ranulph Fiennes up the North Face of the Eiger and on Everest, and in 2010 led Bonita Norris to the summit of Everest.
All our Sherpas come from Pangboche in the Khumbu. Their ability at extreme altitude puts us to shame and their willingness for hard work, whilst always smiling, is humbling. Over the years they have become our friends, as well as climbing partners.
They all speak good english and are well versed in mountaineering techniques and oxygen systems, and they all have an enviable record on the 8000m peaks - each with multiple summits of Everest and others.
We couldn't run our High Altitude expeditions without them and our trusty Sirdar Kame, the ultimate 'fixer'.
Our regular team of IFMGA Guides includes: Mark Thomas, Tim Connelley, Adam George, Lori Lorencic, Krister Johansson, Mark Charlton along with top BASI ski instructors Simon Christy and Claire Summers.
They are each chosen for their ability, professionalism and friendliness. They are friends of ours and we vouch for them!
Matt is a rising star as an all round climber with grades like French 8b, UK E7, Alpine ED4 under his belt. Recent cutting edge first ascents in Alaska are just another example of Matt's ability and enthusiasm for all things climbing! It's not just climbing that excites Matt though, he is equally at home on his skis, particularly after lots of fresh snow...
Rob is one of the best high altitude performers that we know. By 2006 he had been to Everest's South side 3 times, coming away with 2 summits and close to a third. In 2006, with one day off after summiting Everest, he set off to climb Lhotse (8501m) being thwarted only 150m from the top with broken crampons. In 2007, Rob summited everest twice, the second time in a guiding role for Dream Guides. Rob has summitted Everest 7 times...
His first 8000m peak was Cho Oyu (8201m) and in 2006 he returned with us, successfully guiding 2 climbers to the top.
When not in the Himalaya, Rob is usually to be found in Bath, England working as a doctor or Canada with his fiance. Most recently, however, he has been rowing across the Atlantic!
2008 saw Rob back on Everest alongside Kenton, as a guide and camera man for Sir Ranulph Fiennes. And in 2009 Rob added Manaslu's summit to his tally whilst guiding for Dream Guides.
Guy has been skiing for 32 years and telemarking since 1998. With a number of rare telemark descents around Chamonix, in Alaska's Chugach range and in Arctic Svalbard, he is one of Britain's top free-heel and alpine ski mountaineers. He has skied steeps and couloirs in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, British Columbia, Alaska, Svalbard, France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. In 2006 he telemarked fom 7100m on Tibet's Cho Oyu and in 2007 made 7 first descents in the Watkins mountains of east Greenland along with the 1st British/2nd overall descent of Gunnbjornsfjeld - the '8th summit' and highest in the Arctic. In 2009 Guy summited Manaslu (8156m) and made what is probably the first 'complete' ski descent of the world's 8th highest mountain.
Guy has been climbing since University days and has climbed in Patagonia, Pakistan, Khyrghistan, Alaska, the USA and all over the UK and European Alps. In 2003 Guy put up a major new route on Denali's 2000m Father and Sons wall, in cutting edge style - a lightweight 52 hour single push.
Guy is also a qualified medical doctor, graduating from Dundee Medical School in 1999, with a diploma in high altitude medicine and physiology.