Hannah Smith grew up climbing in Glasgow. In the early years as a member of the Glasgow Climbing Centre Youth Squad, she climbed for fun and not always to win competitions. However, she first demonstrated her resounding determination and resilience in her commitment for selection to the Junior GB Climbing team in just one year, and through the challenges that come with being an international competitive climber. Hannah was a member of the Junior and Senior GB Climbing Teams for eight years, where Junior British Bouldering and Lead Climbing Champion were among her top achievements.
Aged just 19, when struggling with sport climbing during Covid, Hannah was invited to join GB Climbing as a coach for the junior team, the youngest ever to coach at international level, something she will always be proud of. A few years later Hannah wanted to continue coaching at the same time as pursuing her passion for literature, moving back to Scotland to study and taking up a coaching role with the ClimbScotland Talent Squad.
After achieving an undergraduate Master of Arts in English literature at Edinburgh University in July 2024, Hannah is now completing a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education to become a secondary school English teacher. She understands roles as both coach and teacher are fundamentally about building relationships with the young people she works with, supporting them and motivating them to reach their full potential.
On hearing about The Scottish Youth Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture, Hannah Smith said: ‘I’m deeply honoured to receive this award. This recognition is incredibly meaningful at this point in my life as it celebrates my journey as an athlete and coach. I’m especially proud to be a part of the Scottish competition climbing community, who often have unique challenges but are such a supportive and connected group of people. I hope my experiences show them that, with determination and perseverance, they can achieve their goals. It’s a privilege to contribute to a community that has given me so much over the years.’
In 2020 Hannah not only appeared on BBC Scotland’s Adventure Show, but she was also chosen to be on the SportScotland Young People’s Sport Panel which provides a national platform to represent the voice of young people across Scotland, both to help influence and shape the future of sport and to raise the profile of sport.
Lydia Rohmer, Principal and Chief Executive, UHI North, West and Hebrides said: “UHI North, West and Hebrides continue to be privileged to sponsor The Scottish Youth Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. This year’s worthy recipient, Hannah, is clearly an exceptional young woman whose determination and resilience to pursue her passion has led her down new and exciting paths.
‘We were most impressed by her commitment to coach and mentor other young athletes and to be an advocate seeking to influence the future of her sport. At the School of Adventure Studies here in Fort William we aim to instil in our students exactly this sort of vision; to pursue their own unique career paths whilst maintaining the highest professional standards in their chosen specialism and at the same time a willingness to share their passion with others. We offer our heartiest congratulations to Hannah and wish her every success in the future.’