Teenage climber earns place on training programme

A teenage climber from Guernsey has earned a place on the British Mountaineering Council's training foundation.

Alex Hutchinson, 13, earned his place on the council's national development pathway after finishing in the top 15 contestants during trials in December.

He will take part in a structured schedule that includes four training camps held across the UK, as well as one international training camp, in Austria.

Alex said securing his place on the programme was "unexpected" and his goal is to keep training and one day reach the team GB Great Olympic climbing team.

He said: "My dream would be obviously to compete in World Cups and Olympics for example, but to get there it's going to be lots of training, lots of flight over as well.

"That would be the goal, to get that, that would be insane."

Alex trains at Up Climbing Guernsey, a centre set up by his mum Dimi Hutchinson in 2019 to complement her day job as an osteopath by helping people with stretching and movement.

Hutchinson said Alex had enjoyed climbing since she opened the centre and his progress in reaching the development programme had been "amazing".

"He's absolutely loved it, he really thrives on trying something hard and he loves climbing so it's been really good," she said.

"He loved it from the start but I never expected him to go to these lengths and it's been amazing that he's just grown with the centre and he's grown loving the sport and it's been fantastic to see."

"To think that such a small climbing centre can produce someone on the English pathway has been fantastic."

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