Mountain Leader Training

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Mountain Leader Training

The Mountain Leader training course is six days packed full of learning in breathtaking scenery as you learn the skills to prepare you for the best job in the world!

The Mountain Leader is the most established award in the Mountain Training course structure. Its remit allows the holder to lead mountain walks in summer conditions on any mountain walking terrain within the United Kingdom. It is specifically aimed at the British mountains where technical ground and the unpredictability of the weather make our beautiful mountains potentially dangerous and demand competent and confident leaders.

Who is it for ?

The Mountain Leader training course is for those who want to lead groups in the mountains! It is the highest summer walking leadership award.

Course Overview

Over six days we look at all aspects of leading groups in the mountains. We look at navigation in some detail and include a night camping in a remote mountain location.

Beyond the Edge are one of the UKs most experienced providers of Mountain Training courses and they are both highly informative and run by hugely experienced trainers. Importantly in our opinion, they are also fun and run in a friendly manner. We take great pride in the very high percentage of individuals who return for further courses.

The Mountain Leader training course is a great opportunity to be brought up to date on current best practice, and swap ideas with other like-minded people and boost your confidence even if you don’t want to work in the outdoors. At the end of the course you will receive detailed feedback on any areas that you may need to improve on together with a detailed action plan and a realistic timetable to assessment.

We run the course in several different ways to try and match peoples availability. We make use of the two May bank holidays and also run courses over 3 weekends to reduce the amount of time you might have to take off work. On these split date courses you need to attend all elements to complete the training.

Mountain Leader Training Course Dates

Sat 1 – Mon 3 & Sat 29 – Mon 31 May Peak District & Snowdonia
Mon 21 – Sat 26 June Snowdonia
Mon 26 – Sat 31 Jul Snowdonia
Mon 13 – Sat 18 Sept Snowdonia
Sat 9 – Mon 11 & Sat 16 – Mon 18 Oct Peak District & Snowdonia
Mon 13 – Sat 18 Dec Snowdonia

Bespoke Dates & Locations

If there are four or more of you that want Mountain Leader training, and you would like some different dates or locations please contact the office and we will arrange some dates to suit your diary.

Course Format

The Mountain Leader training course is largely practical in nature and we are outside every day. We use the evenings that we are not under canvas to cover theoretical aspects and develop a personal action plan that will take you to assessment. We normally start each day at 9am and are having a cuppa back down in the valley by about 5pm.

We don’t specify exactly what we do each day as a good mountain professional matches the objectives for the day with the weather, the group and other factors. Discussing what we do on a day allows us to explore the important skills of planning and decision making which you will use every day you are leading in the mountains. We do have the expedition date as fixed though in order for you to book accommodation. When this is depends on which style (split or otherwise) of course you choose.

Over the 6 days, the course covers:

On a two date split course, the first three days are spent in the Peak District and the second set of three days are in N Wales, with two days of expedition in Wales.
On a three date split course the first two days are spent in the Peak District, the second two days in the Lake District on expedition and the final two days in Snowdonia.

Detailed guidance notes on the syllabus are available here.

Equipment

You will need to bring all the equipment you need for multiple consecutive days in the mountains. Robust footwear and high quality waterproofs are absolutely essential. A suggested kit list together with some top tips and links to gear reviews are in the joining instructions.

Recommended Reading

We give a few suggestions below, but a more detailed list together with a host of helpful links and videos are contained in our Mountain Leader Training Joining Instructions.
The Mountain Leader Handbook contains all the details of the syllabus, the remit of the award and a skills check list. This Handbook can be downloaded from the Mountain Training website.

The official handbook of Mountain Training’s walking schemes is:
Mountain Training handbook – Volume 1. Hillwalking. Steve Long. Mountain Training.

Accommodation

This Beyond the Edge course is non-residential to allow you to select between a thermarest or 5 star hotel as you require. There are literally thousands of accommodation options in the Peak District, Lake District and Snowdonia from luxurious 5 star Spa hotels to campsites and everything in between.

In the Peak District we we recommend The Sir William which offers BtE clients a discounted rate and we often start courses from here. There are other local pubs, B&B’s and also YHA’s in the villages of Hathersage, Eyam and Castleton. Popular campsites include North Lees under Stanage Edge and Pindale Farm

in Snowdonia, popular options (apart from the club huts) include The Rocks hostel and the Tyn y Coed Hotel in Capel Curig. Bryn Llewellyn Guest house in Betws-y-Coed. Youth Hostels in Ogwen, Betws y Coed, Pen-y-pass, Llanberis and Nant Gwynant and the Dol Gam camp site which benefits from being within walking distance of a pub.

On the three date split course that visits the Lake District we will camp overnight on the Saturday so no accommodation is required.

If you are struggling to find something try Snowdonia Tourist Information or Betws-y-Coed tourist information

If you want a hand booking something or want something special, contact the office and we will endeavour to assist.

Fitness/Training

You require sufficient fitness to spend 6 days walking, two days of which will be with overnight camping equipment. Regular full days of hillwalking is the best preparation, which also increases your skill level.

Eligibility

In order to attend a Mountain Leader training course you must meet the requirements listed below. You can however book beforehand and we will help guide you through the process.

• Be registered for the Mountain Leader scheme with Mountain Training before attending a training course. (See below)
• Be at least 18 years old.
• You must have recorded a minimum of 20 Quality Mountain Days (ideally on DLOG) which can have taken place at any point (pre- or post-registration)

Registration with Mountain Training

This is relatively straightforward and can be completed online at:
www.mountain-training.org/walking/skills-and-awards/mountain-leader
Here you can also find short videos explaining the award and other useful resources.

Please note you must register with Mountain Training specifically for the Mountain Leader scheme, in addition to other awards you may have registered for.