Stewart stirling - course director
Stewart is a former Police Officer with 30 years experience, now retired he has been working in the outdoor adventure world since 2012. Using his Mountain Leader (S) qualification and his Winter Mountain Leader training he has developed a successful career as a guide and wilderness specialist. Holding further qualifications in Bushcraft from the Institute of Outside Learning and Polar Survival Training from Norway. Over the last few years he has gained experience operating in extreme cold temperatures, jungles and at altitude. As a former British Army Reserves Officer he also has experience of training, communications and team building combined with a high level of inter-personal and communication skills, easily relating to groups and individuals of all ages and backgrounds. Stewart is no stranger to long distance events having completed a number of ultra marathons, including 100 mile distance on skis in the MYAU and has trekked for 48 days to cross the Pyrenees mountain chain from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
During his work in the adventure challenge business he has led expeditions for students to the Jungles of Borneo and Laos, as well as the peaks of Nepal. He has guided on and event managed mass participation walking and cycling events with up to 650 participants; leading cyclists from London to Paris and across the Alps from Milan to Monaco as well as leading two trips to the roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro. Also as part of this work he has delivered training to those wishing to take part in challenge events and expeditions throughout the world.
In 2016 and 2017 he managed the remote checkpoint at Dog Grave Lake and Indian River in the MYAU, successfully dealing with the logistics, staffing and running of the checkpoints. He has also been involved in other activities in the backcountry of the Yukon during the winter; assisting in breaking trail to remote locations and setting up camps in the bush.
These experiences have given him a unique opportunity to view athletes continually pushing themselves and seeing what works, and also the mistakes that can be made. As a result of consultation with many of the athletes in previous years of the MYAU and Robert Polhammer the idea of setting up a “Race Camp” has been born. The purpose of this is to ensure that future athletes can maximise the efforts put into physical training in the race itself and complete it successfully and safely.
“Having trained with Stew in a variety of terrains, including below -30 on the Hardangavidda, it was an easy decision to come to him, before I ran the Ice Ultra in Sweden in 2016, to get some advice on surviving in harsh Arctic environments when pushing to your limits. He's quite a nice chap too.”
Robbie Britton
Team GB member 24 Hour World Running Championships 2015
2016 Ice Ultra Winner
During his work in the adventure challenge business he has led expeditions for students to the Jungles of Borneo and Laos, as well as the peaks of Nepal. He has guided on and event managed mass participation walking and cycling events with up to 650 participants; leading cyclists from London to Paris and across the Alps from Milan to Monaco as well as leading two trips to the roof of Africa, Kilimanjaro. Also as part of this work he has delivered training to those wishing to take part in challenge events and expeditions throughout the world.
In 2016 and 2017 he managed the remote checkpoint at Dog Grave Lake and Indian River in the MYAU, successfully dealing with the logistics, staffing and running of the checkpoints. He has also been involved in other activities in the backcountry of the Yukon during the winter; assisting in breaking trail to remote locations and setting up camps in the bush.
These experiences have given him a unique opportunity to view athletes continually pushing themselves and seeing what works, and also the mistakes that can be made. As a result of consultation with many of the athletes in previous years of the MYAU and Robert Polhammer the idea of setting up a “Race Camp” has been born. The purpose of this is to ensure that future athletes can maximise the efforts put into physical training in the race itself and complete it successfully and safely.
“Having trained with Stew in a variety of terrains, including below -30 on the Hardangavidda, it was an easy decision to come to him, before I ran the Ice Ultra in Sweden in 2016, to get some advice on surviving in harsh Arctic environments when pushing to your limits. He's quite a nice chap too.”
Robbie Britton
Team GB member 24 Hour World Running Championships 2015
2016 Ice Ultra Winner
jo stirling - course administrator and hospitality manager
Jo also has experience endurance races and cold places, having rowed across the Atlantic and skied across Greenland and trained extensively in Norway she has also attempted the MYAU 100 miles, unfortunately DNF due to blisters getting infected. She has worked as a volunteer on the race for the last 7 years, starting off as a dogs-body but now runs the race HQ from Braeburn Lake . Duties involve co-ordinating the movements of the guides during the race, monitoring the athletes progress via the SPOT system, emergency response and co-ordination of rescues and evacuations as well as keeping friends and family at home updated and informed on facebook and through the website. She also dabbles in cooking and provides a lot of the meals for the volunteers and athletes during the race.
Her role on the course is to ensure the administration runs smoothly and during the course is the Camp Chef and Hospitality Manager making sure that participants in the course are well fed and looked after during their stay at Scuttlebutt Lodge.
Her role on the course is to ensure the administration runs smoothly and during the course is the Camp Chef and Hospitality Manager making sure that participants in the course are well fed and looked after during their stay at Scuttlebutt Lodge.
pamela brown - assistant instructor
Pamela is our local in the team, living in Whitehorse. She is a previous competitor in the MYAU so knows what it is like from the sharp end! Pamela is a Yukon Park Ranger and her work takes her into extremely remote mountainous regions alone and on foot for days at a time. She is no stranger to hardship, living off grid in a single room wood-heated log cabin in the woods with no amenities (no electricity, running water, telephone, or indoor plumbing), cutting firewood, melting snow for water and using candles for light combined with snowshoeing and skiing to work embracing -55 below C and returning to a frozen cabin 10 hours later!
Pamela’s spends her off time camping, skiing, paddling, hiking,cycling, snowshoeing in the backcountry, and competing in endurance races.
Pamela’s spends her off time camping, skiing, paddling, hiking,cycling, snowshoeing in the backcountry, and competing in endurance races.