My name is Emmanuel Chappard. I was born in St Germain en Laye just outside Paris, but originally from the French and Swiss Alps on my dad’s side from a small village near Chamonix called Nancy sur Cluse.                                                                                                                                                 

I spent part of my childhood in Servoz a small village near Chamonix in the department of Haute-Savoie, France.

Hiking and rock climbing is nothing new to me as I have been hiking from the age of 9 and I learned how to ski at 5 years old, pretty standard to any youngster living in the Alps.

During my youth, I spent most of my weekends in the Scouts and summer camps too all over the Alps and as a group leader as well.

I have been living in Ireland since 1994, working as a woodwork teacher for the past 25 years and teaching French in a Primary School.

I’m a fully qualified mountain leader and a course director for Mountaineering Ireland and the UK. I’m fully insured, Garda vetted, and I hold a Rec 3 first aid certificate. I have been actively hiking in the Alps (France, Germany, Austria and Italy) the Pyrenees, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, in Canada and the US.

In addition to this, I regularly organise hiking events: Women in Sports hike every month, Her Outdoors and other events organised by Mountaineering Ireland, Carlow Tourism, Carlow Sport Partnership and Visit Wicklow in addition to my other private hikes which are private or corporate.