 Macartney-Snape studied at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra where he joined the ANU Mountaineering Club (ANUMC) and obtained a BSc.Having rock-climbed all over Australia, his first mountaineering experience was two seasons in New Zealand's Southern Alps.In 1978, Macartney-Snape travelled to India as part of the ANUMC's expedition to Dunagiri (7,066 m).