We are delighted to announce that John Porter has been appointed as Patron for the Mountain Heritage Trust.

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John has an extensive knowledge of Britain's mountaineering history and the climbing community (here in the UK and internationally) as well as being an experienced climber and Alpinist. He has climbed for nearly 60 years in various parts of the world, serving his apprenticeship in the mountains of America and Canada before moving to England at the age of 24. He has previously been a Vice-President then President of the Alpine Club, Vice-President of the BMC, and a Trustee and Secretary for the Mountain Heritage Trust. Crucially, John developed the business plan and raised the finance for the National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged in 2000, the Mountain Heritage Trust's first success.

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Born in Massachusetts, John moved to the UK to undertake postgraduate study at Leeds University in the early 1970s. From this base, he became part of a group of climbers committed to fast and light Alpine style ascents with a commitment to clean ethics and an enthusiasm for international climbing partnerships.

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John, Alex MacIntyre and Polish friends made impressive ascents of Koh-Bandaka (1977) and Changabang (1978) despite the political challenges of international travel and collaboration in the midst of the Cold War. From the 1980s, John went on to climb on some of the world's highest mountains including Everest, K2 and many other notable climbs across a 55 year climbing career.

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In 1980, John, Brian Hall and Jim Curran founded Kendal Mountain Festival and in 2011 he and Brian founded online adventure film platform SteepEdge.

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John now lives in the Lake District and works as a consultant to companies developing the capability to comply with standards in high hazard industries.

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John's biography of Alex MacIntyre, one of the early National Officers of the BMC, was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2014 Banff Mountain Book Festival.

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We are delighted that John has joined Chris Bonington and John Innerdale as a Trust Patron; we thank them all for their support, guidance and invaluable knowledge and experience.

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