A FORMER electronics engineer turned climbing instructor has spoken of his pride after leading a group to the top of the world.

Stu Peacock, of Ambleside-based Adventure Peaks, led a group of climbers to the summit of Mount Everest on May 12.

And on his return, Mr Peacock has spoken of his delight in his career choice.

He summited the mountain alongside Liam Hanlon, Philip Walton, Stephen Hayes, and Anna Charlotte Perrson.

The group reached their destination in the very early hours of the morning after 22 days of climbing.

The challenging terrain took them across the Khumbu Icefall, narrowly missing avalanches, teetering their way across crevasses on ladders and up steep imposing blocks of ice.

He said: “Twenty years ago I was an electronics engineer, based in Liverpool, working for Marconi. I had been on a couple of climbing adventures in 2001 to Kyrgyzstan and Africa but decided to book to climb Everest from the Tibetan side, with the new start up mountaineering company called Adventure Peaks.

“The trip was a success and it led on to further adventures, ultimately with me moving up to Kendal with my wife in 2005 and starting a new life working for Adventure Peaks.

“Heading back to Everest this year, after all this time, did make me think back to the previous times I’ve climbed the mountain, in particular the first trip in 2002, the people that were with me and feelings I experienced when first seeing the mountain, along with the challenges we faced along the way.

“It was fantastic to have the opportunity to climb the mountain from the Nepalese side, with a great bunch of people. It’s also satisfying to be able to compare it with my experiences of the North side. Thankfully this season, the weather has been extremely kind to climbers with very little wind or snow during the summit window.”