Born in Burnley, Lancashire in 1971, Jason spent his childhood walking and climbing in the Lakes, Yorkshire Dales and North Lancashire moors under the tutelage of his father - Jeff. After watching a rescue on Raven Crag in Langdale, he left home at 16, for the Royal Air Force to join the Mountain Rescue teams. During 15 years of service as a professional Mountain Rescue Team Member, Jason was appointed as Deputy Chief Instructor and Immediate Emergency Care Officer, as well as qualifying as a Mountain Rescue Team Leader. He was twice commended in the military honours list for life-saving and services to Mountain Rescue. Throughout this period he led, and was a member of, numerous expeditions, including climbing in Yosemite, Verdon and the Alps, as well as mountaineering in North Africa, USA and Europe. In 2004 he took the Queen's commission as an Officer in the Royal Air Force as an engineer, serving in a number of operational roles in Afghanistan. He retired from the service in 2011 to spend more time at home with his wife, Marianne and their two children. In these years, their attention moved away from the hills to the rivers and lakes of the UK, predominantly exploring Scotland by canoe, especially the far north, with their children. Jason stumbled across 'packrafting' after meeting an enthusiast on a paddlesport course and was instantly converted. Jason and Marianne established 'Tirio' in 2016, to promote their love of the outdoors, family adventure, and in particular, packrafting in the UK. Jason holds various coaching and leadership qualifications in mountaineering, rescue and paddlesport as well as post-graduate awards in management, he has a Master's Degree in Elite Performance and is currently undertaking a research PhD at the University of Edinburgh. During his infrequent spare time, he enjoys reading, planning and undertaking packrafting and hiking expeditions, especially those that 'rediscover' and 'reinvent' routes and adventures around our beautiful islands. In 2022 he completed the Pack Wrath Trail, a 350km journey by land and water up the west coast of Scotland, from Arisaig to Cape Wrath.
