WHY MOUNTAIN CRAFT EXISTS

When I decided at about twenty that I wanted to work in the mountains, this was the kind of work I imagined.

Not simply repeating the same familiar routes, but creating days with thought, atmosphere and purpose. Famous mountains still matter, but so do quiet ridges, rough ground, unusual objectives and places that sit just beyond the obvious line.

Mountain Craft grew from that idea: small groups, carefully designed journeys, honest decisions and mountain experiences that feel personal rather than processed.

The summit may be part of the day.

But it's not always the point.

MORE THAN REACHING THE SUMMIT

The best mountain day is not necessarily the one that follows the original plan.

Sometimes the right decision is to slow down, change the route or turn back. Sometimes an unexpected line through quieter ground becomes the part everybody remembers.

Whether I'm guiding Crib Goch, the Welsh 3000s, rebuilding someone’s confidence on steep terrain or leading a long journey through rough ground, the aim is bigger than completing a route.

I want people to leave feeling more capable, more confident and better able to understand the mountains for themselves.

The aim is to share judgement, not simply deliver summits.

MEET JACOB

I’m Jacob Richmond, founder and lead instructor at Mountain Craft.

I've spent more than a decade living, working and exploring in Eryri, and now live on its eastern edge with my family and Rufus the cocker spaniel.

My guided work ranges from first scrambles and confidence-building days to private Welsh 3000s challenges, long traverses and slightly unusual mountain objectives that need shaping into something safe and achievable.

The thread running through all of it is curiosity: what’s brought each person here, what’s the ground telling us, and what could make the day stay with them long after they return home?

THE MOUNTAINS BEYOND THE OBVIOUS

I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with obscure North Wales hills.

Forgotten ridges, satellite tops, rough moorland, old climbing lines, tiny crags and strange bits of ground that most people walk straight past all tend to catch my attention.

I collect old guidebooks and route histories, have a particular weakness for Lliwedd, and spend far too much time drawing red circles around nameless gullies, shelves and rocky ribs on maps. I'm also slowly working my way through the more obscure North Wales hill lists.

Away from the mountains, I forage ingredients for wild fermented beers, wines and meads.

These are not completely unrelated hobbies. The same curiosity feeds directly into Mountain Craft. Many guided routes begin as a map, an old story or a small feature that has sat in my head until I finally go and look.

Sometimes it becomes an exceptional journey.

Sometimes it's just wet grass and a bad idea.

Both are useful.

EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST

I am qualified as both a Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor through Mountain Training.

Alongside those qualifications are more than ten years of experience living and working in North Wales, hundreds of guided client days and countless personal journeys across Eryri and the wider British mountains.

Mountain Craft combines professional leadership with detailed preparation, local knowledge and a calm, low-ego approach on the hill.

Route choice, pacing, weather, escape options, communication and the individual people in front of me all matter more than forcing a predetermined outcome.

Every Mountain Craft experience is chosen or designed because I genuinely believe it is worth sharing.

IT STARTED ON CRIB GOCH

I was nineteen when I first crossed Crib Goch.

The weather was awful. Driving rain, thick cloud and winds strong enough that the instructor ended up hauling me along by my rucksack.

It wasn’t elegant.

But it taught me something I’ve never forgotten.

The difference between a frightening mountain day and an unforgettable one often isn’t the mountain itself. It’s the judgement, reassurance and quiet confidence of the person leading it.

That experience still shapes the way I guide today.

Mountain Craft was never meant to become the biggest guiding company in North Wales. I built it to create thoughtful, distinctive mountain experiences that help people see both themselves and the hills a little differently.

The mountains aren’t a backdrop.

They’re the point.