Steve Ashton

Steve lived in Snowdonia for 20 years, during which he wrote several climbing and walking books to the region. The best known of these is the highly influential and now classic Scrambles in Snowdonia, which was largely responsible for reviving interest in this esoteric sport. A passion for rock climbing extended to the rest of UK, and he holds a particular affection for gritstone. His book 100 Classic Climbs on Gritstone describes the best for the low and mid-grade enthusiast. Forays beyond Britain took him to the Dolomites, the Mont Blanc massif and Switzerland, where he briefly worked as a climbing instructor. Very much an all-rounder, he was also a keen ice climber and supplemented Welsh waterfall routes with trips to Scotland, where he lists the 'big five' traditional Ben Nevis classics of Tower Ridge, Point Five Gully, Observatory Ridge, Zero Gully and North-East Buttress among his favourites.