Your guide is Mike Stuart. With more years than he really cares to remember living in the Picos de Europa, these mountains are now his home. Mike was brought up in Bakewell, Derbyshire and Burnley, Lancashire, England, though (don't tell anyone) he was born in mountainless Surrey. He was given his first grounding in mountaincraft by his mountaineer father Ian who has been on various expeditions around the world, including the Himalaya with Chris Bonnington, among others. Mike has inherited his love of mountains. For 8 years Mike lived in the Swiss Alps, working as a ski guide when not running a bar belonging to the International School of Mountaineering. He moved to live permanently in Spain in 1991.

A fully-qualified Mountain Leader, Mike has experienced all sorts of weather conditions in the Picos. His favourite element is snow but he'll walk quite happily without it. Apart from skiing his other love is football but he will also converse on subjects as diverse as the Spanish Civil War or population figures of U.K. towns and cities in the 1970's (just joking Mike). When not out guiding he gets taken out by the dog and his children, whether walking, skiing, surfing or mountain biking.

Mike carries a first-aid kit, emergency equipment and packed lunches, leaving you free to enjoy an unencumbered mountain experience whether walking, ski touring or snowshoeing.