(HE/HIM)
What do cats and climbing have in common? Apparently not much… unless you ask William Skea, mountain mentor and founder of his own animal rescue charity.
His path may not have been easy or in any way straightforward, but after a military career, training as mountaineering guide, navigating mental health recovery and surviving an avalanche, he realised exactly what he wanted to do with his life: lead trips to raise money to care for cats in need. Oh, and he’s just 28 years old.
(Please no one ask me what I was doing at 28–Wendy)
Content warning: This article contains reference to self-harm and suicidal thoughts.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you get into climbing and mountaineering?
I started to climb when I was 17 by joining the local university club. I climbed with them each week at Kangaroo Point and around the crags of Brisbane on weekends, such as Frog Buttress, the Glasshouse Mountains, and Girraween. I went to the Blue Mountains with them at the end of the year for three weeks instead of doing schoolies.
I started to mountaineer the following year when I joined the military in Canberra. I signed up to the Army Alpine Association where we started with a 7-day snow survival course at Kosciuszko National Park. It was pretty epic—we built snow caves and lived in them the entire time while we went ice climbing
