Australian School of MountaineeringGuides & Instructors
- Glen Nash ASM Operations Director
- Derek Murphy ASM Field Director
- Adam Darragh ASM Senior Instructor & High Altitude Guide
- Richard Delaney ASM Accredited Training Advisor
- Duncan Chessell ASM High Altitude Guide
- Carl Jagusch ASM Senior Instructor
- Peter Doughty ASM Senior Instructor
- Ivan Valenta ASM Senior Instructor
Glen Nash ASM Operations Director
Glen began climbing in 1975 and has worked as a guide and instructor with the Australian School of Mountaineering since it’s beginning in 1981. Also a keen adventure photographer and writer, his articles and photographs have appeared in many climbing, and outdoor publications. Glen has previously been involved in technical consultancy and promotional work for several well-known outdoor clothing and climbing equipment manufacturers.
He was a leader on the first ASM Expedition to Aconcagua (6,959mts) in 1989 and has travelled to New Guinea, New Britain, Indonesia and New Zealand to work on various ASM Corporate and Technical Projects. In 1987 he made the first alpine style ascent of the Japanese Route on the North Face of Changtse (7,560mts) a peak situated high above the North Col of Everest in Tibet. In 1985 he was also a member of the first Australian Expedition to attempt a ski descent of Mount Muztagh Ata (7,546mts) in the Chinese Pamir Mountains. Glen’s other mountain experience includes many summer and winter climbing and skiing adventures in New Zealand and numerous seasons in the place that he identifies as his mountain adventure “paradise” - Chamonix in the French Alps.
He is now the Director of administration and operations at ASM and is also responsible for areas such as program scheduling, course design and implementation.
Derek Murphy ASM Field Director
Derek commenced work at ASM in 1988 and has been a full time Instructor and Director since 1990.
He has led many of ASM’s most successful international expeditions including the very first ASM Himalayan Three Peaks and Three Peaks South America Expeditions in 1993 and 1994. Derek’s other mountain experience includes expeditions to Broad Peak (8,047mts), and Denali (6,194mts) numerous climbing trips to New Zealand, United Kingdom, and North America. Derek was the Climbing Instructor and Advisor on the “World’s Highest Dinner Party” which took place on Mt Huascaran (6,769mts) in Peru and later made famous in The Guinness Book of World Records. Derek recently put his extensive planning and expedition logistical skills to good use when he supervised crew support for the Australian Team, competing in the famous Raid Gauloises adventure race in Tibet.
He is one of Australia’s most highly qualified instructors with long standing formal qualifications which include: - Australian Army ML 1 Mountain Leader / Roping Instructor, Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training, Certificate IV in Instructional Systems (Outdoor Recreation), Australian Climbing Instructor Association (ACIA) Certified Climbing Instructor, Professional Association of Climbing Instructors (PACI) Certified Climbing Instructor.
Derek currently co-ordinates and supervises all ASM Corporate Training Activities.
Adam Darragh ASM Senior Instructor & High Altitude Guide
One of Australia’s most experienced guides and instructors, Adam also has a formidable climbing resume which includes expeditions to Peak Kommunisma (7,495mts), Nanga Parbat (8,125mts), Dhaulagiri (8,167mts) and the first solo ascent of Mt Cholatse (6,145mts) via the difficult West Rib. His Big Wall experience includes the Salathe and Shield Routes on El Capitan and ascents of numerous hard free routes including “North Face” of the Rostrum and “Astroman” in Yosemite Valley. Adam has over forty ascents in New Zealand’s Southern Alps including the South Face of Mt Hicks and eight different routes on Mt Cook.
He has also spent two seasons in Antarctica working as an ANARE Field Training Officer. Adam’s formal qualifications include: - Australian Climbing Instructor Association Certification (ACIA), Climbing Instructor Association (CIA) Instructor Assessor, NZMSC Avalanche 1 Course, New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) Trainee Climbing Guide, Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training and Certificate IV in Instructional Systems (Outdoor Recreation). Adam guides ASM New Zealand Alpine Programs and has led two very successful Himalayan Three Peaks Expeditions in 1996 & 1997.
Richard Delaney ASM Accredited Training Advisor
Richard has been guiding and instructing at ASM for many years and has been responsible for much of the technical course development and refinement in recent times.
He has a passion for adventure racing and along with several other ASM Senior Instructors competed in the awesome Raid Gauloises race in Tibet in 2000: Other Adventure Races have included the Southern Traverse NZ 2000, Emergency Services S&R Navigation Shield and Sydney Trailwalker. Richard has extensive skiing, climbing, trekking and mountaineering experience in virtually all corners of the world including: - Nepal, France, Norway, Austria, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland.
His formal guiding & instructing qualifications include Australian Climbing Instructor Association (ACIA) Climbing Instructor Certification, Cert IV in Workplace Training Category II, Workplace Trainer & Assessor, Cert IV in Instructional Systems, Outdoor Recreation, Instructor Trainer. Richard works and consults on ASM Nationally Accredited Training Programs.
Duncan Chessell ASM High Altitude Guide
Duncan has been climbing for thirteen years and has an impressive list of climbing credits that includes eight alpine seasons in New Zealand with ascents of twenty one of the twenty four 3000m peaks. Numerous rock and alpine routes in North America and several climbing seasons in the European Alps with ascents of the Pettit Dru (3,733 mts), Matterhorn (4,478 mts) and Mont Blanc (4,807 mts). Duncan’s expedition resume includes a successful ascent of the North Face of Kusum Kanguru (6,369.mts), team member of the expedition that made the first Australian ascent of Mt Makalu (8,463mts) and most notably a successful ascent of Everest (8,850mts) from the North side in Tibet. Duncan also has extensive High Altitude Guiding experience in Tibet and Nepal which includes a dozen expeditions to Island Peak (6,476mts), Lobuje East (6,119mts), Mera Peak (6,476mts), Ama Dablam (6,856mts) and has successfully guided an expedition to the summit of Cho Oyu (8,201mts).
He is a qualified SAREA Lead Climbing Guide and a Certified Summer Guide with the New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA).
Duncan leads our High Altitude Expeditions.
Carl Jagusch ASM Senior Instructor
A highly experienced climber and instructor, Carl has been working at ASM for several years and has proven to be a universally valued member of the ASM Training Team. He previously served as a Major in the Swedish Army and has United Nations experience in Angola, Indian, Pakistan, Bosnia and Lebanon. Carl was a member of the Swedish Arctic Alpine Search & Rescue Team and has vast experience in Mountain and Arctic Wilderness environments. His mountain background includes extensive climbing in Europe, US and Australia and knows the local canyoning and climbing scene intimately.
He is an Australian Climbing Instructor Association (ACIA) qualified Instructor and is Workplace Trainer Assessor Accredited.
Peter Doughty ASM Senior Instructor
Pete is our Wilderness Survival & Bushcraft specialist gaining much of his experience in the British Military. He also has an extensive mountaineering and climbing background which includes ascents of Mt Kenya (5,199 mts) in Africa and Mont Blanc (4,807mts) in the French Alps. Pete has guiding and instructing experience in Wales, Scotland and England and has travelled further afield to climb in Austria and Canada.
His formal qualifications include Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training, Certificate IV in Instructional Systems (Outdoor Recreation), Unit Expedition Leader and Joint Services Rock Leader.
Ivan Valenta ASM Senior Instructor
A very experienced Climbing Instructor, Ivan holds Australian Climbing Instructor Association (ACIA) Certification and is a key member of the ASM Rock & Canyon Guiding Team.
Ivan’s previous experience includes extensive canyoning, rockclimbing (over 500 documented ascents) and wilderness travel throughout Australia as well as international climbing experience in the US where he has climbed in Joshua Tree, Tahquitz, Suicide Rocks, The Needles, Owens River Gorge, Yosemite and Lake Tahoe.