Scott Webster
Expedition Guide
A fully qualified Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor, and an IPGA certified Polar Guide, Scott works full time as a mountaineering instructor, guide and expedition leader.
Scott has spent 9 summer seasons and 2 winters guiding in Antarctica, looking after the safety and logistics on numerous scientific expeditions, guided ascents to the summit of Antarctica’s highest peak – Mount Vinson and leading skiing expeditions across the final degree of latitude to the South Pole. He’s also led several expeditions to Arctic Greenland as well as mountaineering trips to Alaska, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Mongolia, Russia and throughout Europe.
When not working overseas, Scott lives at the foot of Ben Nevis in his native Scotland. Though he loves travelling and exploring far flung destinations, he’s deeply passionate about climbing and guiding in the UK – Scottish winter climbing in particular. In his words, “Scotland’s an exceptional destination for honing your skills in preparation for larger objectives – but the nature of the weather here means we often end up climbing in very challenging conditions!”
Just back from Antarctica, Scott will be heading out to Pakistan with a team to take on Spantik… find out more in this blog!
Interview
What was your first adventure?
My first “proper” adventure was to East Greenland when I was 15 years old. I took part in a British Exploring Society expedition where we explored remote Arctic valleys and mountains for 4 weeks during the summer.
What has been your most memorable adventure?
In 2015 my partner Mairi and I decided we wanted to go on a road trip to explore somewhere new…we had just finished our second winter in Antarctica together, had a little bit of money and no immediate work plans – so we bought an old Toyota Landcruiser, sorted out some visas and drove through Europe, into Asia and as far East as Mongolia before returning via the Trans-Siberian Highway in Russia. We covered over 37,000kms, visited 27 different countries, experienced some incredible cultures and explored some beautiful and remote mountain ranges!
What item of travel kit you can't do without?
I think that quality rest is the key to success on expeditions and for that reason a good sleeping bag and a pee bottle are vital!
What three bits of advice would you give to people who are keen on adventures, trekking and climbing?
Don’t become so fixated with the objective that you forget to enjoy all of the different elements of a trip. View the summit as a cherry on the top – if success in respect of reaching the top was guaranteed, it wouldn’t be as special or memorable when you get there! I’ve seen countless people on expeditions fail to enjoy the process of climbing because all they are concerned with is finishing it. Take pleasure in every step of the journey and the experience will be far more fulfilling.
What is the best thing about your job?
Being paid to go to some of the most beautiful and remote parts of the planet is a real privilege.
Why did you choose to work for 360?
I met Rolfe (one of the founders of 360) while guiding in Antarctica in 2019. We were both working on Mount Vinson, and ended up being on the summit together in absolutely perfect conditions – I believe this was also the moment Rolfe completed the 7 summits!