Martin Moran was one of Britain's most experienced mountaineers and guides. Born on North Tyneside he studied geography at Cambridge University before moving to Sheffield with his new wife, Joy, to train as a chartered accountant. In 1985 he qualified as a British and International IFMGA Mountain Guide and moved to the North-West Highlands with Joy to found their climbing and guiding enterprise, Moran Mountain. He made a dozen pioneering ascents in the Himalaya and climbed over a hundred new winter routes in Scotland. In May 2019, Martin tragically lost his life in the Himalaya while on a pioneering expedition with seven other climbers.