Location: Snowdonia
Price: £330 per person
Ratio: 1:6
Previous experience: You need to have registered for the ML and have met the pre-requirements of MLTUK.
Length: 6 days
Who is the course suitable for?
The mountains of the UK are remote, technical and exposed to harsh and unpredictable weather. This makes them a hazardous place for novice walkers and the ML is designed to help responsible leaders who wish to operate in mountainous terrain in summer conditions. ML courses develop your group management skills, the ability to navigate in all conditions, the ability to deal with mountain hazards (including steep ground) and increase your awareness of environmental issues. There is an expedition element to the scheme. The Mountain Leader scheme is overseen by Mountain Leader Training UK (MLTUK). For full details and to register click here.
What does the course cover?
We course follows the MLTUK syllabus and comprises full practical days out in the mountains and evening lectures. Here is a sample timetable that may be subject to change based on the weather:
Sunday
We will meet in the morning and discuss the aims and objectives for the week before heading out for a mountain navigation day. It is essential that a mountain leader can navigate competently. We will look at choosing the appropriate navigation technique for the prevailing conditions and how to introduce these skills to others.
Evening lecture - mountain weather forecasting
Monday
Mountain day looking at leadership and group management skills including route finding and the mountain environment.
Evening lecture - mountain hazards
Tuesday
Hazards of steep ground - Mountain Leaders should be familiar with techniques to ensure safe travel through steep and broken ground. This should be through a combination of planning, route choice and group management. However situations may arise where the rope is necessary to safeguard members of the group. The candidate should recognise such difficulties and potential dangers leading to the need to use rope techniques to provide confidence or assistance. It is emphasised that the techniques used are not those suitable for rock climbing.
Evening lecture on access and conservation and preparation for the expedition.
Wednesday & Thursday
We will head out into the mountains for an overnight wild camping expedition. Over the two days we will look further at navigation skills and leadership and we will do a night navigation exercise. We will also look at wild camping skills and how we can introduce clients to this side of travel in the mountains. We will also discuss mountain safety & emergency procedures. On the Thursday evening we will tie in a visit to the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team base.
Friday
A day spent looking at improvised rescue in the hills, a river crossing session and then individual debriefs bfeore the course ends.
Pre-Requirements
In order to attend a training course you must be registered with the Mountain Leader Scheme and have experiences at least twenty quality mountain days (see MLTUK website). You must arrive with a logbook that records your previous experience.
Where is the course held?
We run the course in Snowdonia in conjunction with Blue Peris Mountain Centre. The course will be run by Mark "Baggy" Richards (MIC) and myself.
What about accommodation?
The course will be based at Blue Peris Mountain Centre near Llanberis. Self catering accommodation is available for the week at a cost of £10 per night.
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