Mountain Leader Training Association
Launches We've finally launched the Mountain Leader Training Association.
You can join MLTA for £15 now. Visit the site on www.mlta.co.uk
Developments in Single Pitch and Mountain Leader Awards Reviews are now complete for the Mountain Leader (ML) and Single Pitch Award (SPA) resulting in very few changes to the basic syllabus but a range of developments in the guidance notes.
Mountain
Leader (Winter) Award Scheme Registration
The qualification
for those who wish to lead walking group in the hills and mountains
of the UK and Ireland under winter conditions.
Group leadership
Security on steep ground
Snow and avalanche
Cold weather injuries
Navigation
Winter weather
Snow holes and emergency shelters
Ice axe and crampon skills
Expedition skills
On this page you'll find the registration form,
a list of current prices and information on Winter Quality Mountain
Days to assist in filling out the registration information. For
this purpose there are Personal Winter Walking pages on which
to record your relevant winter experience. These must accompany
the registration form but will be returned to you for inclusion
in your logbook.
I must point out that before candidates can register for the ML(W)
they must hold the Mountain Leader Award. Please enclose photocopies
of your ML training and assessment pages or the endorsement page
from your logbook. This will provide confirmation of your award
and also permit the up-dating of your records on the database
should this be required.
You must record on the Personal Winter Walking pages an absolute
minimum of 20 days of winter hill walking in genuine winter conditions.
Please record one day in each section of the page. It is better
to use all the spaces rather than just the minimum of twenty.
This experience should have been gained in at least three different
mountain areas in the UK and over a period of at least two winter
seasons. It is likely that an ice axe and/or crampons were needed
on these days. Experience gained in other areas can also be recorded
if similar conditions to those found in the UK in true winter
conditions were encountered. However, the majority of this experience,
at least 75% of the days recorded, should be in the UK. These
days should be your personal experience and not days being guided
or under instruction. At assessment at least 50% of the days must
be in Scotland. As the Winter ML is a hill-walking award any climbing
should be part of a longer mountain day and not the sole reason
for the day. See Winter Quality Mountain Days for further information.
Please return your completed registration form, Personal Winter
Walking pages, non-refundable fee and photocopies of your ML endorsement
page (or training and assessment reports) to:
MLTS
Glenmore
Aviemore
Inverness-shire
PH22 1QU
Stages in the Scheme
1. EXPERIENCE
Obtain necessary awards and gain relevant personal experience.
Hold the Mountain Leader Award.
Have an absolute minimum of 20 quality winter
days in at least three mountain areas of the UK and Ireland.
Be well practised in the skills of personal
movement in the mountain in winter conditions.
2. REGISTRATION
Register for the specific award by submitting the
appropriate application form and non-refundable application fee.
On acceptance receive scheme documentation and a logbook.
Package
Fee
Registration Fee (non-refundable),
comprising logbook inserts, Prospectus and Syllabus and
Guidance Notes
£40.00
As above but with New Logbook
Binder
£44.00
“Mountaincraft and
Leadership”by Eric Langmuir
£16.99
“Winter Skills” by Cunningham and Fyffe
£19.95
Replacement Logbook and
Prospectus and Syllabus and Guidance Notes
£15.00
Replacement Logbook inserts
only
£6.00
Exemption Fee (non-refundable)
ONLY for Registered Candidates seeking exemption from attending
a Training Course
£30.00
Please
make cheques and postal orders payable to MLTS
Send
to:
MLTS
Glenmore
Aviemore
Inverness-shire
PH22 1QU
3. TRAINING
Attend a 6 day training course or apply to MLTS
for exemption.
4. CONSOLIDATION
Gain further experience based on personal
feed-back from training course.
Log an absolute minimum of 40 quality winter
days, at least 50% of which should be in Scotland.
Log a minimum of 10 winter climbs of Grade
I or more.
5. ASSESSMENT Pass the 5 day assessment course, based in
Scotland.
Winter Quality Mountain
Days The key element in the making of a good
candidate is the quality and quantity of his or her personal
winter hill walking and mountaineering experience. This
experience is measured in terms of Quality Mountain Days.
Although it is difficult to define such a unit of experience
there are a number of common characteristics: the adversity
of weather conditions, the changeable nature of the underfoot
conditions, the requirement to navigate accurately and carry
greater amounts of equipment etc, all affect speed of movement
and distance traveled. Winter Quality Mountain Days are
likely to be strenuous and reasonably demanding and will
involve over 5 hours walking and/or climbing. As the award
is for hill-walking in winter conditions in the UK then
any winter climbing or skills practice should be part of
a longer mountain day and not the sole reason for the excursion.
Winter Quality Mountain Days should involve elements of
planning, exploration of an unfamiliar locality, map reading/navigation
and more than likely require the use of ice axe and crampons
for security. Above all the experience should lead to feelings
of accomplishment and satisfaction, even if enjoyment may
occasionally be questionable!
The time of year alone, such as a January day when no snow
or ice is present, or the presence of snow patches (eg.
on the Cairngorm plateau) on a sunny day in May do not qualify
as Winter Quality Mountain Days, even though the day may
satisfy the elements of length, navigation and exploration.
While foreign experience can be useful these day should
be in similar conditions to those found in the UK in winter
to be truly relevant. The use of an axe and crampons on
snow or ice does not necessarily constitute a Winter Quality
Mountain Day.:
In summary:
It is most likely that the ascent
of a significant mountain is included in the day.
The individual takes part in the
planning and leadership.
Navigation skills are required.
Knowledge is increased and skills
practiced.
Attention is paid to safety.
Adverse weather and underfoot conditions
may be encountered.
Five hours or more journey time.
Conditions encountered should be
in terrain and weather comparable to that found in the
UK in true winter conditions.
An ice axe and crampons are likely
to be required.These criteria mean that days as a course
member under instruction and summer days in Alpine areas
are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a Winter
Quality Mountain Day. These however, can be recorded in
the appropriate place in your logbook even though they
are not suitable for registration purposes.
