Technical Advisor To Lost Earth Adventures

What is a “Tech Advisor”?

A technical advisor is an expert in their profession, with knowledge, qualifications and expertise that has been gained over many years. The person must be ‘at the top of their game’ and their level of qualification means that they also partake in ‘training the trainer’s’ and continual personal and professional development.

Their role encompasses many facets, but at Lost Earth Adventures first and foremost our aim is to be a leader in safety, by setting high professional standards for our guides and the activities and expeditions that we run.

Our expeditions and activities take people into challenging environments from complex underground caving systems to remote mountain passes. The nature of our business relies on us having robust safety management procedures. To operate at the highest level of competency and to comply with British Standard BS8848, we believe that external assessment is better than self-certifying. That is where the roles of our Technical Advisors really come into play.

Read the bio below about who we have chosen to be our Technical Advisor and why.

Mark Richards

Mark Richards is a remarkably accomplished professional outdoor instructor. His experience and qualifications qualify him as one of the leading experts in the UK. His expertise stretches back decades and helps shape the way we operate our activities safely.

Mark has been instructing outdoor activities since 1992. He holds the Caving Instructor Certificate (CIC), the highest caving qualification in Britain, as well as the Winter Mountaineering Climbing Instructor (WMCI) qualification. There are only a handful of instructors who hold both these qualifications in the UK.

Mark is known for his versatility. He has experience coaching in canoeing and runs some of the most extreme canyons in Britain. His experience qualifies him as a widely respected figure in the canyoning community and a leading authority on canyon safety.

With instruction and training a huge part of what makes him tick, Mark is a trainer and assessor for the MCI Award, the Mountain Leader (ML) Award and the Single Pitch Award (SPA). He also co-wrote the Welsh Winter Climbs guide book.

Mark has a gentle and empathetic nature and an informed, realistic approach to problem-solving. This makes him a perfect candidate for a technical advisor with Lost Earth Adventures. He’s an example to our other staff across all disciplines of our UK offering and provides us with priceless knowledge and safety understanding of the activities.