In the late 1950s the family moved to Cape Town, South Africa, where Mike went secretly climbing with other young people and in nail-shoes on the 200-meter cliffs of the Table Mountain.
The Mortimers traveled the world together until 1977 when they settled in Calgary because of the nearby mountains and studied at the university there, where he graduated in Economics in 1982.
He resumed the historic partnership with the Canadian Mountain Guides Association and the American Alpine Club (AAC).
In 1997 he represented the ACC in Japan during the 75th anniversary of the first ascent of Mount Alberta by the Japanese Maki Yūkō and dined with the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.
[1] As the first ACC Director of External Relations, he represented North America at the UIAA (International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation).