Sir Chris, the mountaineer, writer, photographer and lecturer, started climbing at the age of 16 in 1951. Since that day, this has been his sole passion and focus in life. Even now Chris still has the same enthusiasm for it as he did over 60 years ago and is still active in his mountaineering. Nowadays Chris is also a highly experienced, outstanding motivational speaker and has established himself well on the after dinner circuit. As a result of his passion and commitment to it, Chris has been awarded CBE and knighthood.