I am a semi-retired business consultant and fully retired cave explorer.

In 1990, I led a team of nine UK cavers to Uzbekistan, working with a group of Russian cavers to explore the caves of the Baisuntau Wall, particularly Festivalnaya, and to further explore Boj-Bulok, the deepest cave on the continent of Asia. The trip was successful but interrupted by a major rescue when a Russian caver took a fall and suffered serious injury, followed by helping to rescue a member of another expedition operating in the area.

This trip was one of around 20 major expeditions in which I have participated as a member or leader since my early twenties, mainly to the arc of countries from Central Asia to New Guinea, including multiple trips to China and Sarawak. The 1990 expedition added to my caving CV and my status as a Fellow assisted me to raise sponsorship for subsequent expeditions.

The expedition was intended to establish a long-term relationship with cavers from Ekaterinburg to explore caves in this region. However, the repercussions of the fall of the Soviet Union made this impossible and exploration in the area has only restarted in recent years.