Mountain Leader Training blog

The graduates

2012-02-02T02:24:00.001Z

P1010470
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Man, Vinayek and Mingmar, 3 of the sutedunts on last week's course. This week they are helping 2 Nepalese Guide/Instructors and 2 IFMGA Guides to deliver a similar trekking skills course to fellow compatriats. The course is fairly similar in content to the Accompanateurs course before the winter component was added. Some of the students are atteding the course as a primer for the NMA Basic Mountaineering Course (which has a long waiting list), some want to go together to climb Island Peak, some work as trekking guides (with some impressive peaks to their names!). Currently we have 6 new students from a similarly eclectic background including an actress/director. Perfect weather again this morning, but no water or electricity today so I'll sign off before my laptop's batteries go flat - today is the last and only internet access we'll get for the week.

Coaching Climbing Technical Group

2012-01-21T10:04:00.001Z

Coaching Climbing Technical Group
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

The 2-day "lock-in" planning event at Plas y Brenin !9-20th January 2011 was a great success! Over an intensive 2 days we thrashed out the remaining questions about the delivery mechanism for training and assessment of level 1 and 2 coaching, with the medium term aim of piloting the constituent modules over the next few months.

From LtoR: Jon Garside, Martin Chester, Dave Binney, Ian Dunn, Tom Greenall, Neal McQuaid, Steve Long

Route reading on a coaching course

2012-01-18T14:13:00.001Z

Route reading with Neil and Libby
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

I was invited by Neil Gresham to watch his coach training course at the Westway climbing wall, and the chance arose to take a day out from the office and travel down to London to see the second half of the "Technique" module. Neil runs a coach training scheme which focuses on a particular type of coaching, which might loosely be described as intense development sessions and courses for intermediate through to advanced sport climbers. The training scheme therefore contains many elements that will eventually be included within the National Coaching Qualifications when they are introduced. Levels 1 and 2 should be ready for launching in early 2013, with Level 3 to follow, hopefully within a further 18 months. Neil's coaching courses provide training in elements that will be included within Levels 2 and 3, providing interesting CPD for anybody seeking to develop their coaching repertoire for this kind of coaching work.

Comes the Dervish

2012-01-13T22:34:00.001Z

DSC00033
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

The unseasonally mild conditions have given a dry day at last. After a morning spent mending the garden greenhouse and shed, we set off for Tremadog but were diverted by the sight of the Dervish slab glistening in the winter sun. This wonderful pitch is one of the truly great slab routes: a perfect crack line splitting the great slab above Llanberis. Apart from the rather serious start the route is well-protected with an assortment of wires and cams.

Via Flickr:
Comes the Dervish: classic slate climbing on a sunny winter afternoon

MLT at the Outdoor Show

2012-01-13T16:58:00.002Z

Rachael has just spent two days at the Outdoor Show in London and now it's my turn so it's early train on Saturday morning for me. Back Sunday night from the madding crowds.
Mal

British Mountain Guides Open Day 2012

2012-01-09T09:35:00.001Z

Here's an open invitation sent out by the British Mountain Guides: should be a good day!

The British Association of Mountain Guides, BMG, is to hold an Open Day at Plas y Brenin, Capel Curig North Wales on Saturday 19^th May 2012.

This day is aimed at promoting the mountain guiding profession as a career and explaining the BMG training scheme.

It is open to alpinists who would like to find out more about mountain guiding as a career.

This is a great opportunity not only to meet the BMG Training officer and the guides involved in the training scheme, but also to get to know BMG guides who can assist you on your road to becoming an IFMGA guide.

The BMG was formed in 1975 and is a full member of the International Federation of Mountain Guides Association (IFMGA) representing twenty two countries in all. The IFMGA sets the standards for training of guides worldwide and the IFMGA badge worn by guides has become the assurance of the highest professional and technical standards.

Guides working in the European Alps are legally obliged to become a member of the IFMGA. The completion of the BMG training scheme entitles a guide to become a member of the IFMGA.

The life of a mountain guide can be very demanding and it is important from the outset that we attract the right calibre of climbers and mountaineers who would like to join the BMG and become a member of the International Federation of Mountain Guide Associations (IFMGA).

All participants for this open day must have extensive British and Alpine climbing and mountaineering experience and have a genuine interest in guiding as a career. This day should be of particular interest to experienced alpinists and MIC holders who have alpine experience.

The pre requirements for joining the BMG training scheme are that you should have completed approximately 50 routes of E1/5b, a similar amount of British Winter routes at Grade IV/V. You should also have completed about 20 alpine routes of which 10 must be TD and 5 of these 10 should be serious and committing routes of a mixed nature at least 800m in length. Experience in the greater ranges is also accepted. You should also have logged about 30 days ski touring. Please consult the BMG website (www.bmg.org.uk) for a complete list of entry requirements.

Do not worry if you haven’t yet achieved this level of experience as part of the open day is to give you advice on how best to attain these pre requisites. You should however expect to be able to meet these pre requirements within the next 5 years. If in doubt send in an application and we will advise you.

Programme (subject to change):

Saturday 19^th May 2012

9.15 Assemble in main lecture theatre at PyB

9.30 Introduction and Outline for the Day

9.45 The BMG Training and Assessment Scheme, presentation by Terry Ralphs (BMG training officer) and course convenors.

10.45 How to meet the pre-requirements talk by Andy Teasdale

11.15 Break Tea and Coffee

11.45 Questions

12.00 Lunch (provided by BMG)

13.00 Outdoor practical sessions. A chance to climb with experienced BMG Guides, discuss the training scheme and any guiding/instruction techniques. Crag Venue tba, depending on conditions.

18.45 Informal drink at PyB bar

20.00 Lecture:- “The life of a Mountain Guide” Open to public

Sunday is a day, where by, you might like to stay in North Wales and climb with the other participants.

This is a great chance to form new friendships and potentially an exciting step into a new career.

As it is important to get some idea of numbers for this event, and a clear idea of your ability, please use the application form which can be downloaded from the BMG website www.bmg.org.uk

or by contacting the BMG office: BMG, Siabod Cottage, Capel Curig LL24 0ES. Email: guiding@bmg.org.uk

Tel 01690 720386, Fax 01690 720248

There is a small charge of £30 to cover lunch and all presentations / activities on this day. This should be paid when you send in your booking form. Please pay by cheque payable to “British Mountain Guides”

Application forms must be submitted by email or post before the 1^st May 2012. You will then be contacted with further information before the 10^th May. If you need further information please contact the BMG office

Professions in the UK, and the European picture

2012-01-06T15:13:00.000Z

The following information is collated from the websites http://www.europeopen.org.uk/ and http://www.europass.org.uk/

At present, the UK system is relatively permissive, with only 102 professions currently regulated (mostly clustered within the teaching, medical and legal sectors). Regulated professions, which include professions such as architecture, teachers in publicly regulated schools, doctors, midwives and nurses, are professions in which those wishing to practice are required by law to fulfil specific conditions and present specified qualifications in order to legally practice the profession in the UK. A list of those approved to practice is held by the relevant competent authority (for example, the Register of Architects is held by the Architects Registration Board).

An unregulated occupation is a profession/trade for which there is no legal requirement or restriction on practice with regard to licenses, certificates or registration therefore you do not need to apply for recognition of your professional qualifications. You can practice in that Member State, subject to the same conditions as its own citizens.

Most professions are unregulated in the UK. There are no laws restricting individuals wishing to practice these professions and no specific qualifications or training are required. Individual employers will determine what qualifications they deem to be necessary for the adequate performance of an individual's job duties.

There is no requirement that the individual register with any authority or organisation.

While individuals are perfectly entitled to practice unregulated professions without obtaining a protected title, only those who have obtained the title from the relevant professional body may legally use it. In Europe, mountaineering is an unregulated occupation in most countries and/or regions but not all.

There are, in the UK, a number of "protected professional titles" with designatory letters (for example Chartered Engineer (CEng)). Unless the profession is otherwise listed as a regulated profession, these titles are ordinarily voluntary and individuals are under no obligation to obtain a protected title in order to practice their chosen profession. These titles are often sought in order to enhance a person's status within their chosen profession, as the titles ordinarily convey to customers that a higher level of training and, therefore, of quality has been attained by the holder of the title.

For unregulated industries within Europe, Europass Mobility records skills and competences acquired through an organised period of learning or training abroad. Listing your skills and competences is all well and good, but can you prove you have these skills? Can you verify the skills you list in your CV?

The Europass Mobility document validates the learning outcomes achieved during a time spent abroad training, working or learning. It also helps individuals to display their skills and competences to employers.
It is the best way to show employers evidence of the experiences you mention in your CV.
The Europass Mobility Supplement is the best way to verify your training experiences and the skills you have developed. Check out this website for futher infomation: http://www.europass.org.uk/

Leashless winter climbing

2012-01-03T11:11:00.001Z

02012012134
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Climbing as a threesome on January 2nd with Chris Parkin; we thought we might find some winter sunshine at Fedw Fawr due to its westerly aspect. Unfortunately I can now confirm that the sun doesn't reach the crag at this time of year. But the wind does.

We did get some routes in, but only after fighting through the "hotaches".

North Wales climbing Academy

2011-12-15T11:47:00.001Z

North Wales climbing Academy, a set on Flickr.

Late November saw some interesting developments in the local coaching scene in North Wales. A selection event was held at the Beacon Climbing Wall, based around an informal competition. An academy of 20 talented young climbers was selected, based on a mixture of potential as individuals and as team players. This was followed by a FUNdamentals of Climbing 1 workshop delivered by Neil Johnson. There was a great atmosphere and excellent turn-out for both events. Some of the young climbers are half my height but can reach holds that I can't - I suspect its something they do with their feet or some other tricky stuff.

2011-12-13T09:56:00.003Z

http://bdb.im/6p

In early 2012, Mountain Leader Training will be launching a new website and online Candidate Management System. This sytem is a huge investment into the management of all our candidate details, and will bring all of your contact details, awards, CPD and membership details into one easy to use location. In order to contact as many of our candidates and members when we launch we need to check we have a valid email address for you. We are therefore asking if you could please complete and submit this short form http://bdb.im/6p so we can update these account details.

Please help us circulate this message to everyone in the Mountain Leader Community by sharing this message in as many places as you can, Forums, Websites, Email, Facebook, Twitter and of course word of mouth.

Algarve with GDAE

2011-12-03T00:30:00.001Z

Algarve with GDAE, a set on Flickr.

What a privilege to attend this wonderful club's annual dinner in the Algarve! Perfect weather, wonderful hosts, excellent climbing. A magical weekend, over all too quickly! Meeting people like these is one of the great privileges of my role in the UIAA's Training Standards Working Group.

Zirve Tutor Training

2011-11-23T18:55:00.001Z

Zirve Tutor Training, a set on Flickr.

A highly successful course for 6 strong climbing instructors from the new UIAA member organisation, Zirve. Building from lessons learned on MIA training courses and the recent Train the Trainers course developed in partnership with Plas y Brenin, this course was delivered at Olympos, Turkey. Starting with sports climbing and a successful assessment of the candidates personal climbing standard, the course progressed on to teaching principles on progressively more difficult working environments, culminating in 2 new multi-pitch routes, one of which is destined for instant "classic" status at UIAA Grade IV+. Staffing the course were MLTUK's Steve Long and ENEQ's Ron Whitehead, with support from the Petzl Foundation.

Testament (6c+)

2011-11-11T17:09:00.001Z

Testament (6c+)
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Chris Parkin and I headed over to one of our old stamping grounds - Chris is the N.Wales Bolt Fund Supremo but his heart is in adventure climbing. Today though was the blackest day I've ever seen without a physical downpour. We managed to climb 5 great routes (albeit slightly damp!) before the afternoon rain finally arrived. Yes, a real birthday treat for me!
Steve Long,11/11/11

Chris Parkin climbing this classic pitch at Pen Trwyn as storm clouds gather

Old Man of Coniston

2011-11-07T16:21:00.001Z

IMG_0489
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Spot the old man! International delegates take a day from the Annual General Assembly at the Bellview Hotel in Bowness on Windermere, to sample the delights of UK hill walking. They got a slightly unrealistic insight into the British fells with a cloudless and windless day. We followed the international tradition of shaking hands and sharing a bottle on the summit!

Pete Stacey, the Chair of MLTUK and myself had been invited to give a presentation about the relationship between MLT and the IML qualification, and opportunities presented byt he UIAA Training Standards respectively. These appeared to be well received by the delegates - time will tell!

Gimmer String

2011-11-07T08:30:00.001Z

Gimmer String
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

At last! A day out on trad rock. This was my first visit to Gimmer Crag since 1980!! Fantastic climbing in full sun albeit a chilly breeze. Will Hurford and I kicked off with Springbank, a lovely pitch up a cracked slab with a spicy overlap near the end of the difficulties. There is a handy abseil station out to the left (facing outwards) but its a slightly disconcerting mix of chain with rusty maillon and padlock. Works a treat for most routes on the "west" face (south-facing!) though. We followed this with a fantastic groove pitch: Equus. This turned out to be a true classic featured in "Hard Rock" the famous "whats what" of British climbing. I followed my nose up the second half based on a quick skim of the guide - "move up Kipling Groove for a bit and then step left" - so ended up on the equally magnificent top pitch of Gimmer String. An unconventional but enjoyable "mash-up". What a fantastic venue for a sunny autumn day.

Annapurna South

2011-10-22T14:28:00.001+01:00

Heading towards Annapurna Base Camp

Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

After the General Assembly a few of us packed light bags (mine weighed 7 kgs!) and went off on a teahouse trek - well,only one of the best in the world: Annapurna Base Camp. I last visited it 20 years ago, its still beautiful though a bit busier these days. Highly recommended. We adopted a bold strategy of racing from a room base at 2300 metres to the top camp (over 4000m!) and back out in a day, thereby getting out again before any altitude problems set in. Worked ok but the whole team was super fit, otherwise I think it would be risky to say the least!

Guides at the UIAA

2011-10-22T14:18:00.001+01:00

Guides at the UIAA
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Nepal now has its first fully qualified International Mountain Guide, so the Nepal Mountain Guide Association is well on its way to becoming a full member of the IFMGA. Hopefully the UIAA Training Standards support for the Basic Mountaineering Course at Kakani can help trek leaders in their progress towards the ultimate goal of international mountain guide. Despite its late start in the development of qualifications, Nepal has made rapid progress thanks patuicularly to the long-term support of the Slovenian and French instructors and Guides. At the UIAA Genearl Assembly I felt that we made good progress towards integrating all the existing projects into a more harmonious structure.

Motup, Steve and Nima

2011-10-16T20:32:00.001+01:00

IMG_8534
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Here I am with my friends and colleagues, Chewang Motup and Ngawang Nima Sherpa at the UIAA General Assembly. The proposals for the development of the Training Standards were well received by all the delegates at the various meetings. The meetings also included some inspiring seminars including a surpisingly refreshing look at ways that climbers can make a real difference in helping mountain communities to cope with climate change.

Another day in paradise

2011-09-28T23:46:00.001+01:00

DSC02407.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Finally turned up trumps with a day off as good weather arrived. After completing reports from Arco and Nepal, I joined BMC Cymru's access officer Elfyn Jones for a trip to the coast at Gogarth, and we climbed a couple of great little lines in glorious sunshine! First we followed the girdle of Smurf Zawn to a ledge on the E2 "Gnome" and finished up its lovely second pitch, then we climbed the overhanging corner in the left wall, the excellent route named "King of the Swingers(E3). A magical day despite both feeling a bit run down, so today was a real tonic.

Misty mornings

2011-09-25T20:05:00.001+01:00

IMG_7673
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Running a trek leader course in the monsoon was always going to be challenging! Daily deluges and legions of leeches were the order of the day. However, our 16 candidates kept high spirits throughout, and were keen to learn. One of the students, Mingmar Sherpa, is an Everest veteran having summitted at least 4 times (One trekking agency says its 5 times). He says he learned masses from the course; we certainly learned plenty from him!
Our co-instructors from Nepal are both aspirant IFMGA Guides and great company. The course director was Eric Lescarcelle, an International Mountain Leader and climbing instructor from France.
My job was to co-direct but mainly to get an overview of the course which is part of a long-term project run by various French Guides in partnership with the Petzl Foundation. It was really challenging but rewarding to work with such a mixed group, and without modern teaching aids. On the last day we put everything together in an 18km trek throught the leech heartlands.
After the course we stayed for one last night at the house of our colleague, Lapke Sherpa near Bouddhanath, the famous stupa. We had various meetings with the NMA president and the local Guide and Instructor associations. They see the UIAA Training Standards as a catalyst to bring together various disparate training projects that have been undertaken throughout Nepal. We emphasised, as always, that it is for the federation to decide what training is appropriate within its country, but we would be happy to accredit Nepalese qualifications when the courses are running autonomously at the international standard. I should point out that the UIAA training standards are aimed primarily at volunteer leaders and instructors - but in a country like Nepal its only natural that many graduates of these schemes are going to be looking for paid work - indeed several of the students were already old hands in the trekking business. Check out my other photos by clicking the image; its hard to take a bad photograph in Nepal!

A friendly welcome in Kathmandu

2011-09-25T19:54:00.001+01:00

staff_team_Kumari.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

If you're willing to stay a couple of miles away from downtown Thamel, I can thoroughly recommend the Kumari Inn (http://www.hotelkumariinn.com). It's run by a lovely family, very honest and generous. They'll pick you up from the airport and are great company.

Astrek Climbing Wall

2011-09-06T09:19:00.001+01:00

IMG_7455.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Who would have thought there would be a 13 metre high climbing wall right in the heart of Thamel? We made friends with the local climbers, (here we see our instructor colleague Lapke Sherpa on a 6b wall climb) and all headed over to the Ramshackle Blues Bar for some live music and refreshments. A great day full of surprises. Doctor Kulesh Thapa was a trul excellent first aid teacher; most refreshing! So far the quality of teaching provision in Nepal seems pretty good, though the outdoors component that starts tomorrow will be vital.

Kathmandu

2011-09-03T07:51:00.001+01:00

IMG_7302
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

The 2011 phase of Asian trek leader training starts tomorrow. This time its based at a small training centre set up by a French benefactor a few years ago. Its at the hill station of Kakani, where there is a memorial to the plane crash that killed some of my friends from Plas y Brenin.

We will be training Nepali trek leaders, mostly Sherpas, with one representative each from 15 trekking companies. The idea is that there will be an assessment course early next year and the best of these candidates will go on to become trainers for the Napalese Mountaineering Association. Nepal has already produced its first International Mountain Guyides, and I am hoping that these guys will be able to join the programme as trainers as well. It would be great if eventually the trek leaders course could build up to UIMLA level.

We started a similar programme last autumn in Ladakh, working with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation - we're hoping to assess last year's candidates this October, but we're well past the deadline for numbers and dates, so its looking increasingly likely that we may have to postpone the Ladakh assessments until 2012.

Here in Kathmandu the monsoon seems to be fizzling out a bit early - maybe its moved to Wales this year - it certainly felt like it at times. This afternoon I'll be meeting a representative from the Nepalese Mountaineering Assciation to confirm plans for the next fortnight. Yesterday I hitched a lift to Durbar Square in old Kathmandu - its certainly a lot busier and more built up since my last visit in 1991 - such is progress I guess.

Red Haze, Gogarth

2011-08-30T21:18:00.001+01:00

Red_Haze_17.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Gogarth Red Walls has always been one of my favourite climbing venues. Access is limited due to bird nesting restrictions, but in the autumn its a special place and usually quite well protected from the wind.Bank Holiday Monday was my last chance to climb before setting off to Nepal later this week to help train some Nepalese trek leaders with the Nepal Mountaineering Association. This is another partnership project with the Petzl Foundation, with the long term aim of helping the NMA achieve UIAA accreditation under the UIAA Training Standards.

Climbing at Llandudno

2011-08-21T23:37:00.001+01:00

Cradlesnatchers - 07
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Despite an encouraging weather forecast it rained almost all day in Llanberis. Mike Pycroft and I drove to Llandulas but it was raining there as well - however it had seemed brighter as we passed Llandudno. Sure enough we found a sun trap at the Empire Crags. Upper Empire is bolted but inherently unstable; Lower Empire has some great roof climbing, generally with good holds between the overlaps. This pitch is very impressive for the grade, and great fun! Highly recommended.

Fantasia

2011-08-15T20:57:00.001+01:00

DSC02014.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

A sunny day at last! Pete Johnson and I followed up a tip-off that Gogarth was dry and headed over to my favourite crag: the Red Walls. This sandstone bastion has a notorious reputation as an "acquired taste" but once it gets under your skin (and in your hair!) there's no finer place for a day's adventure. To our surprise the crag was quite busy, though as usual we knew most of the others already. We started off with the ultra-classic Fantasia, and then got a bit lost on Redshift and decided to escape up a neighbouring, obvious line up a continuous corner. I got it into my head that this was a notorious corner line named Khmer Rouge, so spent the entire journey expecting hard moves to appear. It was pretty sustained but never too hard, so back at the car we hit on the bright idea of looking at the guidebook (we had both climbed Redshift before and each assumed the other remembered where it went!) Turns out it was the correct line after all, though actually the guidebook description could be improved. I've sent some suggestions to Groundup, who are publishing the next edition of the Gogarth South Stack guidebook

Don't bother rushing over again just yet though: 24 hours later the rains returned.

A week later we abseiled back down the line to check our hypothesis (correct), and climbed out via a route that I climbed with Chris Parkin in 1988 on the first ascent. Since then the piton that protected the strenuous crux has rusted away, but the climbing follows cracks and is well protected anyway. Named Dangerous Liason, it is technically harder but better protected than most of the other routes on the wall.

Steve leading Dangerous Liason, Red Wall, Gogarth

Anarchy in the UK

2011-08-09T11:52:00.002+01:00

It's been shocking to see the wave of looting that has spread across England lately though sadly I have to say I'm not entirely surprised - all the right ingredients for anarchy have come together recently as a pseudo-justification for anybody who wants an adventure on the streets. It's up to the government, the press, the Metropolitan police, the banks etc to regain their moral authority, but there's something that can be done to help young people find adventure and challenge in socially acceptable ways: adventure education. Not dumbed-down "adrenaline fixes" but real adventure based on learning skills and matching them to challenges and peer groups. Its no wonder that climbing walls are so popular, but there's so much more that could be done with better funding for bouldering venues and coaching at the realistic level for young people to continue developing outside "taster" sessions - bouldering ticks a lot of boxes for example - sociable, cheap, exciting and pointless, just like all the important things in life.

First aid requirements for Mountain Leader Training qualifications.

2011-08-09T11:26:00.000+01:00

This is a piece that's hidden away on the old news section of the MLTUK website but I think it gives some important and useful information, therefore worth adding to this blog as well.

We are regularly getting asked for advice on first aid requirements, so here's a statement from the chief officer. We don't police this, so it is up to the assessor (and candidate) to satisfy him or herself that the first aid course fits the criteria. Some people use the awards in more remote places than others so we just specify the minimum requirement. For the WGL, for example, the remit criterion is that the area is easily exited within a few hours, so prolonged casualty care is less likely than for an ML holder. When there is any doubt they contact us and we simply go through the syllabus requirements, extracted below. So you can assure your participants that the course meets the criteria required by the Boards if you can go through the syllabus tick list (which is very open as you can see) and agree that it matches all points.

FIRST AID REQUIREMENTS

For any leader, First Aid is an essential skill and our assessments require a current first aid qualification. The minimum requirement for the outdoor schemes is that such a course must involve at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and include an element of assessment. Candidates are further expected to undertake such additional elements of first aid training as are consistent with their work in wild and remote country, including emergency assistance and evacuation techniques. It is the responsibility of award holders and/or their employers to evaluate their likely work and the type of situations that they can reasonably expect to encounter and to maintain current appropriate first aid training and qualifications.

In addition, here are some specific items to be covered:

First aid training is about risk management, so the trainer needs to cover the sort of things that are more likely to go wrong on the hill. Given the restricted time available, incidents such as poisoning through industrial cleaning fluid, for example, would be a low priority topic for WGL candidates whereas environmental injuries such as heat or cold exhaustion, or even drowning, would be much higher up the list. This is the sort of thing that is sometimes best done by getting the candidates to brainstorm everything that could go wrong on an expedition, and write up the topics that require specific first aid training for the first aid course. In addition to primary and secondary care, casualty examination and basic “ABCDE” life support I would certainly expect the following to be covered (not an exhaustive list!):

Calling for help
Methods and limitations of evacuation
Common conditions, e.g. asthma, epilepsy, angina and diabetes
Cold injuries inc. hypothermia and frost nip/bite
Heat injuries inc. burns, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, blisters, dehydration
Drowning/near drowning
Electric shock (lightning for example)
Bites and stings, inc. sheep ticks.
Substance abuse and poisoning

Finally, I would recommend that the course should be as "hands on" in emphasis as possible, keeping lecture style to a minimum and group participation to a maximum. First aid training should be about building skills and confidence first, knowledge second.

Climbing on the North Wales coast

2011-08-08T17:18:00.002+01:00

The_Hunt_02.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

This is a recent and excellent addition to the wealth of sports climbing on the North Wales coast, put up recently by local activist Jon Radcliffe and graded at 6c+ thanks to a strenous approach to a fingery crux right at the top. The impressive arete to the right is a highly acclaimed 7c that has received rave reviews.

The nearby Cigfran Wall is also well-worth a visit, offering an interesting journey at 6b up a 30 metre wall and some shorter neighbouring routes. With a delightful approach walk along an abandoned quarry track and a seaward aspect, this area provides a great day out.

Multi-pitch sport climbs in Twll Mawr, Llanberis slate

2011-08-05T10:20:00.003+01:00

Supermassive Black Hole_02
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Dodgy weather this week so Mike Pycroft and I nipped out twice after work to the slate quarries, which dry relatively quikly to tackle a couple of enjoyable multi-pitch new routes from Ian Lloyd Jones, weighing in at 7a and 7a+ respectively. Great additions to the quarries and clearly a lot of work involved in equipping the lines. Both routes are logical contenders for sport routes, as the rock is quite friable and traditional protection would fail.

Both routes have very difficult cruxes that are much harder than the rest of the routes; indeed I would suggest that a more enjoyable experience can be had in both cases by just climbing the top 60 metres (at perhaps 6b+ and 6c+ respectively).

This photo shows the key to the crux of Super Massive Black Hole. This took me ages to work out, not helped by pulling off the left hand hold in this photo! Or by the pool of water in the borehole pocket that kept spilling over onto the high toehold.

Tim Neill found this sequence easy but he bridged up it - my leg span is half a metre less so this wasn't an option though I did practically dislocate my hip trying! so a high rock-over on the right wall is the answer for most mortals combined with walking your hands up the left wall. Typical slate weirdness. We topped out as darkness and drizzle arrived. The party behind us (a dusk start!?) were not so lucky but were able to escape through a tunnel near the first stance

Update on coaching climbing qualifications development

2011-08-03T11:14:00.003+01:00

BMC officers throwing some shapes

Earlier in the year MLTUK formed two separate small teams drawn from across the whole of the UK and Ireland in order to provide management and technical support to the development of a coaching qualifications pathway. This has allowed each group of specialists to focus on a specific area of this exciting project, and at the beginning of August we have now reached a good level of consensus of the syllabus contents for levels 1 (Assistant Coach) and level 2 (Coach). These will be submitted to the MLTUK Board at the forthcoming meeting at Plas y Brenin on September 17th 2011.

The scheme will be designed for wall and sport climbing and in the case of national coaches it will use existing qualifications such as the CWA to guarantee good safety management (local coaches who only operate within one wall may well be signed off as technically competent via in house accreditation). In time there may also be a level 3 coach and the work now turns towards discussing and agreeing delivery mechanisms, accrediting prior learning and training providers.

John Cousins at MLTUK said ‘with the safety of participants covered through existing awards the requirements for each syllabus are more about quality of delivery, and the working groups have done very well to agree the minimum standards’.

Neil Gresham commented to Steve Long, the project coordinator: ‘I couldn't agree more that we're making progress. I can also see a future for mapping my coaching activities in with the proposed scheme. This really is excellent news.’

Graeme Morrison the new Chair of MLTS said ‘For me the progress and effort Steve has put in is very good and the resulting draft syllabi excellent. I have a support network including sports scotland coaching staff and Abertay Uni specialists and they say we are well on the way to developing a sustainable coaching format for climbing and mountaineering.

Membership of the advisory groups is as follows:

Management Group: Nick Colton (BMC), John Cousins (MLTUK), Rosie Goolden (MCofS), Steve Long (MLTUK), Mike Pinder (BMC)

Technical Group: Dave Binney, Angela Carlin, Martin Chester, Ian Dunn, Jon Garside, Neil Gresham, Steve Long, Graeme Morrison

Steve Long

Mountaineering Ireland

2011-07-20T11:29:00.002+01:00

I've just returned from a fortnight in the Alps, helping on the Mountaineering Ireland meet. This was held in Argentiere this year, familiar ground for myself after several seasons directing the Conville Trust training programme. As always it was great to get out of the office and onto the (big) hill. Due to various factors I ended up guiding on a one to one basis for the first week in preparation for an attempt on the Matterhorn the following week, with a weekend's attempt at Mont Blanc with a different team in between. The weather was pretty reasonable for the first week apart from some evening showers: we completed the Crochue traverse, Cosmique Arete and reached the summit of Point Lachenal. We also completed the mixed approach to the Dent du Geant/Rochefort Arete but decided to withdraw due to encroaching mist and wind. A dodgy forecast added some spice to the Mont Blanc trip but we emerged above the cloud and the forecast galeforce winds never materialised - we had the summit almost to ourselves! Unfortunately the forecast storm in Zermatt certainly did arrive and after a day sculking in the Hornli Hut we had to don crampons to retreat to Zermatt.
Lots more photos here.

Lachenal_038.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

BMC leaflet on belay devices

2011-06-24T14:02:00.002+01:00

The new (free!) BMC leaflet on belay devices is now out. The new edition focuses on the factors that users should consider when it comes to choosing a device. One big change is a switch in terminology to describe all belay devices as either 'manual devices' or 'assisted braking devices'. This wording has arisen out of progress being made by CEN (the European Committee for Standarisation) who are seeking to develop a standard for belay devices. Long-standing BMC volunteer Neville McMillan, (who recently received a BMC volunteer award), was involved with those developments for many years, with new BMC volunteer Rob Foster continuing this work.

Terminology such as 'auto locking' is misleading when it comes to the way in which many devices work, and manufacturers like Petzl are using the term assisted braking to describe their devices.
The new edition of the belaying and abseiling leaflet also places a greater emphasis on issues to consider when choosing both rope and belay device, as each are of equal importance. Specifically, belay device design, rope design & diameter, characteristics of climber and belayer and the style of climbing are each considered in detail.

Download the free leaflet here

See http://t.co/hBbRi57 for futher details

Coaching Developments Update

2011-06-17T13:45:00.001+01:00

The two advisory groups supporting Mountain Leader Training in developing a coaching system met earlier this week. The climbing coaching system is being developed by Mountain Leader Training (MLT) under the direction of their Technical Officer Steve Long. The two advisory groups supporting Steve in his work are a Coaching Management Group and a Coaching Technical Group.
The Management Group is made up of MLT Board members, and comprises John Cousins (MLT Executive Officer), Steve Long (MLT Technical Officer), Nick Colton (BMC Deputy CEO), Mike Pinder (BMC MLT Board Member) and Rosie Goolden (MCofS MLT Board Member). This group is concerned with the strategic and practical delivery of a sustainable and self-funding infrastructure for coaching qualifications.

The Technical Group comprises Steve Long, Jon Garside (BMC/MLTE Training Officer), Ian Dunn, (British Team Manager), Neil Gresham (Climbing Coach), Graeme Morrison (Chair, Mountain Leader Training Scotland), Angela Carlin (Mountaineering Ireland Coaching Development and Talent ID Officer), Dave Binney (Sport Scientist) and Martin Chester (Plas y Brenin Director of Training). Being comprised of coaches and coach trainers, this group's job is to design scheme syllabi & course materials and the methodology for training, assessment, accrediting prior learning and continued coach development.

A lot of research and development has taken place over the last 5 years. A National Source Group was established in late 2006 to investigate the possibilities of a coaching scheme, with their report published in autumn 2008. Subsequently, the BMC sourced funding from Sport England for 2009 - 2013 to develop a coaching system.
Other sports and outside agencies such as Sports Coach UK have been consulted, and Steve Long attended the recent round of National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme workshops to gauge the needs of climbing walls.
The BMC Coaching Symposium demonstrated the very strong grass roots support for a coaching system; the FUNdamentals of Climbing Workshops have played a part in identifying the demand for a particualar aspect of coach education (see also Scotland and Ireland) and Plas y Brenin has been delivereing a Coaching Processes for Climbers workshop for a number of years. A central theme of that training is that coaches don't coach climbing, they coach people. Developing coaching behaviours will be an important theme of MLT's coaching system.
However, a wholly new set of national coaching awards cannot be developed without consulting widely and taking into account the views of the many different stakeholders, all of which takes time. The sometimes differing views of the three Mountaineering Councils can lead to a pause in progress whilst issues are explored.
At their recent meetings, the Management and Technical groups discussed progress to date, and reviewed MLT's strategic plan. The short term goal is finalising syllabi for assistant coach and coach qualifications by mid-September. Steve Long presented the first drafts of these syllabi to the Technical Group who thought them a very good first draft.
MLT are working to a tight deadline. Alongside finalising syllabi, their immediate task is reviewing the coaching system operational plan covering the period from now to March 2013.

British Mountain Guides Committee Meetings

2011-06-13T23:13:00.003+01:00

The British Mountain Guides held a series of meetings this weekend in Leysin, which I attended as observer. Both meetings were very efficient and further progress was made in paving the way for collaborative work with MLT award holders as well as the UIAA Training Label. On the Sunday we showed guests from the BMG's new sponsor, Arc'teryx, around the local crags. More photos from the weekend at http://www.flickr.com/photos/46624718@N03/sets/72157626924557330/

DSC01335
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT
Via Flickr:
Roger Payne, BMG President, shows some of our guests from Arc'teryx where the lines go.

Peak District visit.

2011-06-09T21:39:00.001+01:00

Wee Doris_05
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Just back from a couple of days in the Peak District. Showery outbreaks (thunder and lightning!) drove us to the shelter of Stoney Middleton, where we enjoyed Dead Banana Crack, Scoop Wall and, to my surprise, a clean onsight of Wee Doris, the polished testpiece. The next day was bright and breezy so we went over to Stanage, where I managed to climb high enough to get into trouble on a couple of pitches but no higher. Sion took a bit of persuading but preceded to saunter up a delightful pitch called Cave Buttress. I'll be back, just as soon as I've worked out where the footholds are on grit. I've been looking for 30 years and still not found them.

Craig y Don

2011-06-04T21:20:00.003+01:00

Fisnishing the crux of The Tyndale

Rocio and I decided to go for a day of red-pointing on Pen Trwyn limestone, so packed accordingly. It just goes to show that you need to keep your options open for climbing: the whole of the Marine Drive was shut to both vehicles and pedestrians for the day, so we ended up calling in at Craig y Don, where we were fortunately able to have a look at another team's guidebook - at least I had a selection of wires so after climbing the easiest sport route on the crag we were able to climb a couple of trad pitches, both very worthwhile - though one felt very fierce for the grade as the holds after the crux were quite dirty and vegetated. We climbed The Tyndale (6c+ but with a hard clip for a sport route), New Wave (E3 6a and delightful) and finally The Cruel Sea (E3 6a - old school E3 - i.e. the holds think that they are on an E4).

A great day's climbing at Llandulas Cave

2011-06-02T19:52:00.001+01:00

Llandulas Cave is becoming a great little venue for climbing, as the local community has cleaned up a lot of rubbish and loose rock. There are some excellent climbs now ranging from Grade 5 through to 7c, though the rock still demands some respect in places. Today Rocio Siemens and I worked our say through a couple of old classics at the righthand end of the crag, including the classic Ralarwdins (6b+) before moving along to a newly developed crag tucked away in the trees. Unfortunately I can't tell you where this is or we would have to shoot you. But suffice it to say that there are some really worthwhile new routes of about 20 metres in length - standout lines being a 6c groove near the righthand side - an outstanding pitch, and at the far left another nice route but it felt very strenuous and sustained for the grade, maybe I had got the wrong beta!

British Mountain Guides Summer Training course part 2.

2011-05-25T22:55:00.003+01:00

Bruce Poll short-roping
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

This week I'm helping on the British Mountain Guides Summer Course 2. As a member of the Training Committee I thought it would give a useful oversight of the summer section of the scheme if I worked on both elements of the summer training course. It was interesting to compare the two courses; one based at a club hut in the Lakes and convened by an independent Guide (Adrian Nelhems) the other based at the National Mountain Centre and convened by its Director of Training (Martin Chester). I feel that the two coursed complement each other very well, with the fortnight in between providing a good consolidation opportunity. It's a real privilege to be able to work on courses like these and I am excited that MLT has agreed to free up my work schedule to stay current and also ensure a level of consistency between the various UK (and worldwide!) training schemes.
Tomorrow we have some keen young mountaineers for the coach candidates to coach, so there should be plenty of ideas and enthusiasm on show. Unfortunately there will also be vast amounts of rain water pouring down our sleeves, but you can't have everything!

woodpecker_38.jpg

2011-05-21T23:00:00.001+01:00

woodpecker_38.jpg
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Great Spotted Woodpeckers are visiting my feeding station every 5 minutes or so, gathering a beakful and then flying out towards Cae Coch farm. Fascinating birds, almost reptilian in their movements. As the station is about 3 metres from a window getting photos is almost too easy!

Glyn Hudson's photos from the BMC International Climbing Meet 2011

2011-05-16T13:55:00.003+01:00

Click this photo to see Glyn's photos from the Meet

Due to work commitments I was unable to attend this year's International Meet, which is a shame as I love showing people some of the highlights (and esoteric gems!) from our wonderful trad crags. Looking at these photos it would appear that the "inclemental" weather didn't dampen spirits or enthusiasm too much.

Taghia, Morocco

2011-05-08T13:37:00.002+01:00

DSC00841
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Just got back from an exciting cragging holiday in Taghia, Morocco. Great hospitality, perfect rock, magnificent scenery - what more could you ask for?
This shot shows MLT Board member Andy Boorman on the crux sequence of "Au Nom de la reforme" (6c). I've posted more photos on Flickr, click on this photo to see them.
A morning at home and then off to the Lake District to work on the British Mountain Guides summer training course. It's all go!

Climbing in Nant Gwynant

2011-04-22T23:14:00.002+01:00

DSC00662
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Yet another great day in Nant Gwynant. Here's Mike Pycroft on Femaelstrom (E2) which was as good as the guidebook suggested. We followed this with the awesome Prowler (E5). The top wall turned out to be harder than expected with a peg tantalisingly out of reach. An ash twig with a quickdraw lashed on sorted that out though!

Wizard

2011-04-19T20:47:00.001+01:00

Wizard
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Another sunny afternoon! Snowdonia is the place to be. Armed with the Tremadog guidebook my son Sion and I have been working our way through some of the obsurere classics. This was Tuesday's offering: Wizard.This pitch requires a delicate touch as its steep but friable. Well worth the effort though.

Magnum_05

2011-04-16T14:27:00.001+01:00

Magnum_05
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Another breezy morning, so Mike Pycroft and I drove over to Nant Gwynant, which seemed a good choice based on experience gained earlier this week. We climbed the Gwynant Needle by the contrived but enjoyable "Priapic Worship" (E2) and followed with this rather enjoyable little groove in a steep wall, again at E2. Now I have to decide whether to go over to the BMC AGM. We didn't get an official invitation this year, hope we are not in the BMC's bad books!

Nant Gwynant climbing

2011-04-12T18:35:00.002+01:00

Nant Gwynant climbing, a set on Flickr.

A sunny day today, but with a cold breeze. I figured that Nant Gwynant, normally too still and therefore prone to midge attacks in summer, would be ideal, and so it proved. Facing southeast, the crags were warm and sheltered. We linked the start of Easy Riser to its neighbour, the popular Sunrise, to give a longer and more sustained pitch, taking in the best moves of both routes. Eloquence (E3) and the surprisingly fierce and sustained "Taylor-Made" (E1) provided good sport to follow.

UIAA Mountaineering Commission in Bern

2011-04-12T09:51:00.002+01:00

UIAA Mountaineering Commission in Bern, a set on Flickr.

The Mountaineering Commission meetings were highly productive. We made huge progress on the Training Label business plan and also found time afterwards to climb together at Interlaken. We also firmed up plans for an internal training seminar for technical advisors to be held in Arco in September, as well as reached an agreement witht he Petzl Foundation work to continue the leader training programme project in India

IML winter training

2011-04-12T09:37:00.002+01:00

IML winter training, a set on Flickr.

On the way to the UIAA Mountaineering Commission meetings I stopped off for a moderation visit for an International Mountain Leader winter training course. Conditions were exceptionally lean for this time of year, but you can see that there was still plenty enough for teaching. Plenty of good teaching going on to a competent set of candidates. The scheme looks pretty healthy to me!

Pen Trwyn Sport climbing

2011-04-12T09:34:00.002+01:00

Pen Trwyn Sport climbing, a set on Flickr.

A great day at Pen Trwyn! T-shirts on Mayfair Wall at this time of year, whatever next? It got a bit chilly when the crag lost the sun though. It was nice to see Rob Greenwood back in Wales; he's recently returned from climbing the North Face of the Eiger in winter. I coached him on his first Alpine Route a few years ago on a Convuille Trust course!

Do the Strand

2011-03-31T09:09:00.004+01:00

DSC00319
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Spring is in the air in Norh Wales. Last weekend there was a cool breeze blowing in from the sea but it was still pleasant enough for climbing. After climbing the Strand at Gogarth with my son Sion, I took a few photos of the team following us; here are a couple of the better shots. we followesd this up with the eponymous Gogarth, in my opinion one of the less satisfactory routes on Main Cliff. However, it was ideal for us as it alternates the crux pitches, allowing us to swing leads.

BMC coaching symposium

2011-03-30T19:11:00.001+01:00

Over sixty coaches descended upon Plas y Brenin this weekend for the BMC’s Coaching Symposium.

The range of delegates, both in terms of age and experience, reflected the diversity of Britain and Ireland’s coaching population. British Team coaches, climbing champions, Plas y Brenin, Mountain Leader Training, climbing wall and freelance coaches were all represented; with ages ranging from the early 20’s to the late 50’s. With many other people wishing to attend once the symposium was full, the BMC will hopefully run future events to meet demand.

A central aim of the symposium was to educate coaches working with talented young climbers who take part in climbing competitions. British Team Manager Ian Dunn, whose
enthusiasm inspired the symposium, felt there was a need to run such an event if talented climbers were to be nurtured. However, supporting the talent pathway is not just about competitions. Many former competitors, such as Leo Holding, move on to very different climbing styles later in life. Good coaches play an essential role in developing skills that can last a lifetime.

BMC Vice President and former British Climbing Champion Audrey Seguy was one of the delegates.
Audrey noted that, “The main message for me is that good coaching is about the climber, not the coach, and with the knowledge gained at this symposium, I hope that many climbers will be able to get closer to achieving their personal goals.

Tom Greenall makes a point

"Our sport is unique in that participants seek to improve over a long span of time and across a variety of disciplines and the role of the coach is to facilitate this. Whilst the workshop did look at competition climbing, it was clear that many of the principles would benefit all climbers.”
Appropriate coaching behaviours are key to successful coaching. Martin Chester kicked thesymposium off with a presentation about skill acquisition, seeking to make delegates aware that adopting particular coaching styles will improve the likelihood of the climbers they coach developing long-term skilful performance.

The biggest step forward in climbing coaching currently being undertaken is Mountain Leader Training’s development of a coaching system, which is being spearheaded by their Technical Officer Steve Long. On Sunday morning Steve outlined the progress so far, and delegates were provided with a chance to put their thoughts into the mix. So keen were all to discuss the topic, that many stayed back at lunchtime to talk further!

Dr Tim Woodman provided insight into how athletes respond to stress. This included consideration of how stress impacts on performance, and ways in which the coach can modify their behaviour to hopefully reduce the likelihood of stress having a negative impact, especially in a competition setting.
In considering how they can support both participants and coaches, many sports consider the pathways that participants take. In climbing, this pathway can include many activities, such as bouldering, competitions, traditional climbing, climbing walls, alpinism, sport climbing and deep water soloing. Steve McClure and Tom Sugden provided insights into the pathways they took as route climbers and boulderers, outlining key decisions they took along the way, and the impact these decisions had upon them achieving their goals.

Children are not ‘mini-adults’, and inappropriate training can have a long-term detrimental impact on the developing bodies of young climbers. Dave Binney provided guidance on this very important topic, highlighting the dangers. Dave also made clear that children need to develop fundamental motor skills when young, if they are to achieve their full potential later in life, in whatever sport they may pursue, at whatever level.

Dave also talked about the science behind training, which was followed by Tom Randall who explained the complicated world of periodised training plans. The way in which a one-week training block fits into a much longer training cycle had some people’s head spinning at first, and so this topic was revisited on Sunday.

Not so long ago beer featured highly in a climber’s diet! Audry Morrison, a qualified nutritionist, who has been supporting the British Team, provided insights into nutrition and hydration. Audry also made clear the serous impact that dieting can have upon young developing bodies.

With his wealth of competition knowledge, Ian also gave a humorous presentation on what to do, and what not to do, when preparing for and attending competitions.
Plas y Brenin was very generous in turning the National Centre over to the BMC for the Coaching Symposium, providing B&B for over forty of the delegates and delicious meals for everyone. The strength of weekend events such as these is often the chat in the bar at the end of the day, having Plas y Brenin as a base was of great benefit.

Finally, thanks to Sport England whose talent support funding the BMC sourced was used to subsidise the cost of the Coaching Symposium.

Coaching weekend at Plas y Brenin

2011-03-17T10:07:00.001Z

This weekend Snowdonia will be the place to be! Plas y Brenin will be hosting a coaching seminar with guest appearances from some highly respected key speakers plus myself! Meanwhile over in Llanberis the annual mountain film festival, Llamff, will be in full swing. The weekend is so full that you will need to programme your timetable quite carefully to get the best out of the events - that is if you've already booked a place on the coaching seminar - standing room only!

Rock climbing season approaches

2011-03-14T22:07:00.002Z

Andy Boorman leading Plumbine (E3 5c)

Although winter has returned to the summits, along the coast road spring is definitely in the air. On Sunday 13th a keen group of "golden oldies" met up at Pen Trwyn for some climbing while the sun was on the crag. We arrived well-wrapped but soon had to strip of some layers - away from the breeze it was surprisingly warm. We led a few classic "trad" lines like Plumbline and Klondyke and top-roped a few harder lines while we were at it. MLTW Board member Andy Boorman was on good form and also led the recently reinstated classic Quicksilver (7a). Chris Parkin brought along a bucketful of metalware to dish out to various volunteers from the North Wales bolt fund team. Once the crag lost the sun it was a different story as the rock chilled instantly
Arriving home, I found that the clothes on the washing line had dried as well. Some days you can just pick and choose your season; this was one of them.

Chris Parkin leading Klondyke (E3 6a)

MIC Moderation visit at Glenmore Lodge

2011-03-08T09:21:00.002Z

Following the MLT Board meeting at Glenmore Lodge it was a great opportunity to stay on for a Quality Assurance inspection of an Mountaineering Instructor Certificate course - we call these moderation visits. This involved a full day on the hill with the group as well as various briefing sessions as well as anb evening session about the role of the MIC and an introductory avalanche lecture delivered to residents and guests - an audience of about 70 people in all.

We had perfect conditions for the first day, an easy walk in to hard snowpack: ideal for looking at the finer coaching points of snow craft: kicking and cutting steps, self-belay, fall arrest and snow anchors.

Words of wisdom from George Mac

Sean Roberts gives a great demonstration of ice axe braking

Lovely day for a walk

2011-03-04T16:28:00.000Z

John Cousins (MLT Executive Officer) and myself had a day off while in Scotland so we went for a walk over to the Shelter Stone. We took a small rack and rope in case conditions the temperature dropped, but it was clear that the snow wasn't frozen as we strolled over the Cairngorm plateau, although crampons were desirable in places on the approach.

We soloed the first couple of pitches of Route Major up the snowy ramp, but at the step rightward onto a steeper ramp we found bare rock and grass. It was clearly climbable in these conditions and not very difficult but we decided that we would cause too much damage to the turf and therefore climbed carefully back down the ramp. So we continued up the gully, enjoying the rock architecture and then made good use of the good visibility to enjoy the walk back over the plateau, passing the usual cluster of snow holes in Coire Domhain.

John Cousins apporaching the summit of the Shelterstone crag

Interesting points about the bowline for knot geeks

2011-02-11T12:15:00.000Z

The bowline is used quite extensively in climbing, so I thought the following snippet might be of use to others.

Bowline (left) and "Dutch" bowline (right): note tail end on outsid of knot (from wikipedia)

Following a dispute with a colleague in the UIAA I have done a little digging on the subject, although to be fair I should say Dan Middleton, the BMC technical officer has dug for me!

The discussion was about the merits or otherwise of a bowline tied with the tail end on the outside. This configuration is called a “dutch” or “cowboy” bowline, and the research paper here suggests that it works just as well as the ordinary bowline which confirms my feeling that it is not an important distinction, though best teaching practise should demonstrate the classic bowline.

The wikipedia (here) suggests that this version knot is actually superior when the loop is subjected to loading that pulls it apart.

MIA registration fees: what you get for your £70

2011-02-10T14:59:00.000Z

When Oxford University announced the decision to charge £9000 per year for students, it led me to the following reflections:

MLT is self-funding. This means that all of our day-to-day work has to be funded from the income from registrations and publication sales. The £70.00 that each MIA registrant pays contributes to the following (not a definitive) list:

· Possible correspondence (sometimes lengthy) over missing pre-requisites from application, along with (normally) a 6 month “grace period” if necessary

· Support to candidates while passing through schemes including free access to a complaints investigation panel over (rare) complaints about assessment course

· Support for life with the following services:

o Access during office hours to information and administration service

o Development and maintenance of syllabus, handbook, website

o Liaison with dozens of employment and education bodies to ensure continued recognition of our qualifications

o Liaison with professional associations (AMI, BMG, BAIML) + voluntary association (MLTA) of award holders

o Expenses for quarterly meetings of conscripted volunteers who constitute the development board

o Pro-active work to protect our vocational mountaineering qualifications as the “industry standard”

o Development and publication of the online “National Guidelines” document.

o Representation of the UK qualifications at the Union of International Alpine Association’s (UIAA) international Training Standards, resulting in increasing international recognition

o Parallel support and development of the MIC to complement and extend the scope of MIA

o Quality Assurance system requiring regular inspection visits to National Centre courses in Snowdonia, Scotland and Ireland (summer + winter)

o Marketing of the awards

o On-going development of the MLT publications “Hillwalking”, “Rockclimbing” and “winter skills”

o On-going development of ML, SPA CWA etc. which feed into the MIA scheme.

o Production and postage of logbook

o Maintenance and security of a UK-wide database of mountain leaders and instructors

o Support for AMI, the association for MIA and MIC holders. (MLT receives no income from AMI apart from an administration service contract)

o Regular news updates on the MLT website, blog, Twitter etc.

o Potential access to work on SPA, ML, CWA, CWL, WGL courses

Graduates at Oxford who complete their degree will have parted with £27,000 in tuition fees plus accommodation and food costs for 3 years. Most degrees do not directly qualify them to get a job without further vocational experience and/or qualifications.

By comparison, an MIA graduate will have spent £70 registration and £1500 on tuition fees, including travel costs, and this is all tax-deductible. Apart from annual insurance costs for working there are no on-going costs for MIA holders (though of course many choose to join AMI and MLTA). Many AMI holders start earning a reasonable living immediately on completion of the qualification and continue to earn a good living for the rest of their working lives. Others work in a voluntary capacity, but either way the workplace is the Great Outdoors!

I can’t think of any other industry that gives so much in return for so little outlay.

Guidebook work is never finished

2011-02-01T16:44:00.002Z

The Tremadog guidebook was a succesful project but it was impossible to personally check every route, and indeed I feel that the strength of a club production is in developing means to involve the membership, who collectively are likely to have climbed far more of the routes than I can ever hope to. However, that's no reason not to continue researching for myself, or perhaps I should rephrase that - I love climbing at Tremadog!

Sunday 29th January was blessed mainly with clear skies, and although the frosts still lingered it was reasonably warm in the afternoon, so I dragged out my long-suffering son for some exploration of the isolated buttresses to the west of Craig y Castell. We found that thanks to discreet but convenient abseil anchors we were able to complete several climbs in quick succession and check their neighbours. We climbed Gestiana (E1, slighly over-rated at 2 stars), followed by Pryderi (E1) and Pert (E2) both well worth 2 stars if you ignore the muddy and brambly link between the approach pitch (with its perplexing crux) and the upper buttress.

Busy weekend for all the mountaineering associations!

2011-01-22T22:14:00.004Z

Its been a busy weekend for all mountaineering associations. On Friday 21st, a meeting at Glenmore Lodge brought together representatives from the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI), British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML), British Association of Mountain Guides (BMG), and Mountain Leader Training Association (MLTA) including their respective training officers. The main aim of the meeting was to share details of the training schemes that underpin association membership and to compare notes about continuing personal and professional development.

MLT's Associations Collaboration Working Group viewing presentations

After a successful meeting, Paul Platt from(AMI) and myself headed over to Alan Kimber's bunkhouse to join a workshop entitled "Working the Ben"; discussing efficient link-ups and alternative itineries for various prevailing conditions. Based at the same accommodation are an MLTA workshop and the BMG winter training course, and up on Aonach More we bumped into a sales team training day for Mountain Equipment run by Plas y Brenin. All-in-all a highly social day for a wide cross-section of winter Mountaineering Instructors and Guides!

Climbing the Nid ridge on Aonach Mor

Sportscoach UK publishes reports on its vision for coaching

2011-01-19T13:42:00.000Z

The vision for coaching within the UK is a constantly evolving picture. MLT is developing a coaching scheme specifically for climbers but it doesn't do any harm to look sideways. Here are a couple of reports you may find interesting.

Sports Coaching in the UK III
sports coach UK has published Sports Coaching in the UK III.

The report provides a high-level picture of the use of coaching, as well as an insight into the current coaching workforce and its key characteristics.

To view the report please click here

sports coach UK's Coaching Children Action Plan: An Industry Approach
sports coach UK’s Coaching Children Action Plan 2010–2013 seeks to develop a sustainable, child-centred approach to the delivery of coaching for children, recognising the needs of delivery partners within each country.

It aims to provide solutions to some of the most pressing issues within children’s sport, bringing together all stakeholders and partners with a role to play in realising our vision; UK Coaching Excellence, enabling all children to follow their dreams, have fun and fulfil their potential.

The Plan - which is a live document - was produced with the support of industry partners.

To view the plan please click here

Climbing wall action

2011-01-17T13:52:00.000Z

Dave Turnbull and Elfyn Jones from the BMC

Last night at the Beacon climbing wall saw quite a big presence from BMC office staff. The photo shows gentle giant Dave Turnbull pulling hard on small holds on a route graded 7a at the Beacon - not known for its soft grading! The Beacon is named after the Marconi radio centre that occupied the original building, an historic landmark in the development of global communications. More recently the building gained a more colourful reputation as a strip joint before being brought respectability by the climbing community!

Interestingly enough Dave was seen providing some coaching advice for his young protogee. Perhaps we will see Dave signing up for the proposed coaching qualification next year?

4 seasons in a fortnight.

2011-01-12T12:01:00.000Z

Calum Muskett climbing Devil's Appendix on Boxing Day

Today is mild and wet in Snowdonia, but not long ago it was a very different story. Within a fortnight we've had off-piste skiing, rare ice-climbs in condition and also reasonable cragging weather. Bryn Williams was skiing in Chamonix before Christmas and I've recently returned from the British Mountain Guides in-service ski technique course, delivered by top Swiss coaches (or instructors?) from Leysin, Switzerland. Another opportunity to marvel at Swiss public transport with immaculate hourly service and connections even on New Year's Day. The photos show highlights from the Christmas break.

The Teasdales approaching the Devil's Kitchen crags

Sportscoach UK coaching workshops

2011-01-12T11:30:00.003Z

Sportscoach UK are advertising what they describe as a "thought-provoking and exciting workshop" entitled 'Coaching the Whole Child: Positive Development Through Sport', that will allow coaches to reconsider the emphasis of their coaching and make a positive impact on the children they're coaching as a result.

Outcomes: By attending this workshop coaches will be able to:

improve the development of all their children
make a positive impact on their children and enhance their experience
help their children realise their full potential
develop their coaching to incorporate positive youth development into their sessions.

Check it out at: www.sportscoachuk.org/workshops.php

Ogwen valley under snow

2010-12-23T23:06:00.002Z

Approaching Llyn Idwal

When we get proper winter conditions in Wales its such a luxury to potter about in the morning before wandering out to climb. So after a few last minute Christmas preparations my son Sion and I were able to drive over to Ogwen Cottage to see what the ice is looking like. A lot collapsed about a week ago but lately we've been getting dumps of snow on a fairly regular basis, with cold clear days in between. Yesterday I was committed to a coach qualification planning meeting with my colleague Jon Garside so was unable to take advantage of the clear skies, so today was our first chance in a while to get out.

Parking the car took a while as available spaces were full of snow - however some enthusistic shovelling carved out a safe niche and we were on our way. There's about half a metre of snow on either side of the path, a narrow beaten trail snaking up to Cwm Idwal. The llyn is well frozen under a mantle of a few cms of snow, although there were a couple of pools of water at the shore in a couple of places. Poor Sion hasn't been exercising much at University so he found the brisk pace hard work but we up against a tight deadline now with about four hours of daylight.

Sion in Devil's Kitchen

Below the Idwal slabs we met Tim Neill and Nick Bullock who had been pipped to the post by a couple of teams also bound for the Devil's Appendix, which is very well-formed this year, certainly "fatter" than I've ever seem the first pitch before. Surprisingly the ice elsewhere is a bit leaner, though certainly starting to build. We bumped into Tim Jepson and his daughter who were descending from an ascent of the Screen and all scrambled up the cleft of the Devil's Kitchen to see if the ice on the back wall has formed. It hasn't. Well, if you are hungry for it I guess its possible but the ice is steep and fragile at the moment. So we beat a strategic retreat, and found the Screen now cleared of climbers so were able to race up this in the fading light.

Mini ice age arrives in Wales

2010-12-06T20:58:00.005Z

Issie Inglis makes the BAIML Presidential speech

After the excellent AGM and annual dinner for the British Association of International Mountain Leaders - highlight of which was the after-dinner speech by ex-president Richard Villars - he heads up a first response medical team for disasters and leads a life that makes James Bond look pretty tame! - my wife Anita and I headed back to Wales and I drove up to Llanberis Pass to see if the ice had survived the mini-thaw on Saturday. Sure enough, Craig y Rhaeadr was looking plastered still. Surprisingly, nobody had tackled any of the routes yet.

Tim Jepson on Central Icefall Direct

Accordingly Tim Jepson and myself went up to have a look this morning. A nice leisurely start - this is practically a roadside crag so there's no need to rush - but! another team had already started and were half way up the first pitch when we left the road. Well, we hung around and enjoyed watching them, it was my friend Matt Stygall leading the middle pitch. Although they made efficient progress, there was the odd lump of ice coming down, and with the reputation of the big icicle for detaching itself we decided to wait until they had finished before embarking. All the pitches are serious so you can't afford to get knocked off. In the meantime though I was starting to have doubts as I had decided to start climbing without leashes on my axes. This is the modern way to climb ice and it is without doubt the way to do it these days -however in retrospect this probably isn't the best route on which to try out a radical change in style!

I've waited 28 years to climb Central Icefall Direct, and because, surprisingly, Cascade (it's easier neighbour) was looking less well-formed, the choice was an ignominious retreat or at least an attempt, so eventually we threw caution to the winds and launched off up the route. It was utterly brilliant, well worth the wait.

Winter arrives early

2010-12-01T13:15:00.000Z

So, with so many roads blocked across the UK, what are the winter conditions like? Currently things are quite unstable due to the new snowfall and winds. However, Black Ladders is starting to look quite wintery. Closer up though it is pretty lean and although ice is starting to build it has a way to go. Llanberis Pass is looking pretty wintery and if it stays cold Cascade should be climbable pretty soon.

Yesterday I had picked up some sort of virus so I had a pounding headache and hacking cough. However, I didn't want to let my partner down as it was his first chance to climb in weeks, so I literally staggered up the hill with him. We climbed a line to the right of Central Gully named Gallipoli (V). It's an excellent route though the crux pitch was pretty hard due to the lean conditions. As so often with a day on the hills the virus worked its way through my body pretty quickly - you sink into survival mode - which is fine as long as you don't have an epic day, in which case the lack of reserves can be dangerous. Fortunately despite a late start we were back home before 18.00 and I was able to warm up in front of a hot fire.

Mark Walker leading the crux of Gallipoli in lean conditions

NICAS seminar at Manchester Climbing Centre

2010-11-24T23:29:00.001Z

We had an excellent turnout for the latest NICAS seminar - 41 active providers. Photos from the day at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/46624718@N03/sets/72157625493023174/

Moscow UIAA meetings

2010-11-17T21:28:00.001Z

The Mountaineering Commission meeting in Moscow (11-13th November 2010) was highly successful. From the MLT point of view the main event was the formation of high-powered working parties to produce a business plan and articulate operating procedures for a strategic expansion of the international Training Standards. For more details see the report on the UIAA website: http://www.theuiaa.org/news_276_To-bolt-or-not-to-bolt-discussed-at-Mountaineering-Commission-meeting

Representatives from the former USSR meet to discuss mutual cooperation

revamp

2010-11-17T21:05:00.002Z

Thanks to Neil Wills from the Scout Association for feedback on the blog format. I've changed the format to make it easier to read.

Club night at Indefatigable climbing wall

2010-10-29T23:27:00.000+01:00

At long last, a Friday evening free! I poked my head in again at the Anglesey Adventure club which my son Sion used to frequent. As always it was great to see so many keen young climbers bouldering, top-roping and leading. All the discussions about when to let young people learn to lead and to belay lead climbers that occupied much of the NICAS seminar gained a fresh relevence when you see how seriously even the youngest climbers take their belay duties. In fact, much more attention to the job in hand than the average adult surrounded by beautiful people....

NICAS seminar at Ratho

2010-10-29T23:18:00.001+01:00

The move

Another visit to Ratho - what a fantastic place! It's certainly the most inspiring artificial climbing wall that I've ever visited. in fact its better than some real crags... This trip was to update NICAS providers with developments in the coaching qualifications. I travelled up to Scotland with Dave Rudkin, who volunteered to do all the driving - as do most people when they've seen me at the wheel. Dave ran a session about coaching processes and ways to "front load" long-term teaching objectives right from the start. Other interesting sessions included a discussion about young climbers peer belaying , training a squad, acting as a technical adviser and integration with the education examinations requirements. An integrated pathway for young people seems to be emerging. My overall observation of the current state of play is that we have moved from a situation where climbers feared a takeover by "educationalists" to a new order where the education world has been won over by the climbers. You can quote me on that.

Ian Dunne and disciples

Climbing at Red Rocks, las Vegas

2010-10-15T09:02:00.002+01:00

MLT officer Steve Long and Board member Andy Boorman have been sampling the delights of Red Rocks, the magnificent desert wilderness bizarrely located only 3 miles from las Vegas. Along with 2 other Climbers Club members they have completed dozens of routes including the celebrated Rock Warrior, Risky Business and Cloud Tower (UK equivalent grades of E3, E3 and E5 respectively).

Steve returns to the office on 17th October.

Andy Boorman on Risky Business (5.10c)

Steve on the crux of Cloud Tower (5.11d)

UK and Ireland-wide agreement over FUNdamentals workshops programme

2010-10-01T11:13:00.004+01:00

This week the National Councils (British Mountaineering Council, Mountaineering Council of Scotland and Mountaineering Ireland) and MLT took a quantum leap forward in the develiopment of a coaching qualifications pathway: a formal agreement to work to a shared syllabus for LTPD in UK and Ireland. (LTPD = Long Term Participant Development in case you're wondering, also known as LTAD, the A standing for Athlete - there was much fun at the meeting trying to work out which members of the group were athletes and which were participants. The best known component of the LTPD/LTAD concept is FUNdamentals, coming to a wall near you soon!)

After the meeting Kevin Howett, the Development Officer for MCofS issued the following statement: "We are developing a coaching pathway in Scotland with the support and advice of sportscotland. The first step in this is a FUNdamentals of Climbing course, a syllabus for which we have been developing with their help. At the meeting of the National Source Group led by MLT on the 29th September we were pleased to gain agreement across Britain and Ireland to amalgamate our respective syllabuses, refining the successful workshops already delivered by BMC in England to produce a UK standard course. We hope to start delivering the new course in Scotland in the New Year, and use it to start the training and endorsement of an expanded number of Scottish climbing coaches, who will then help in developing and delivering the follow-on level courses of learning to Train and Elite Training."

In addition to agreeing to merge the draft syllabi, we also agreed on a principle of "team training" throughout the UK, as part of an ongoing move towards harmonisation and external valuation throughout the UK. This helps pave the way for these workshops to eventually be integrated into the coaching qualifications pathway that MLT is developing and implementing over the next two years. This means that canny coaches will be able to keep "a step ahead of the game" by following the LTPD workshops as they are introduced: LTPD is already being piloted under the working title of "Learning to Train" (though "FUNdamentals II", or "conSOLIDation" may be a more suitable title for this interpretation of this phase for climbers)

Chief Officer working on UIAA/petzl Foundation project in India

2010-09-24T11:21:00.000+01:00

My first update for a while, as there were no phone communications in Ley and very limited access to the internet. Ley was hit by a freak cloudburst in August which wiped out a segment of the town during the night, causing considerable devastation. However, as so often in India, the inhabitants have rallied round and business continues as usual for the survivors. Most of the city is unchanged; it is a beautiful place.

For the last 3 weeks I've been working in Ladakh with 2 colleagues from the UIAA Training Standards working group. We've run 2 courses back-to-back with the long term intention of producing a basic trek leader's course for local residents to work towards. This will eventually be managed by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation, but the set-up logistics have been financed by the Petzl Foundation, a charity introduced by Paul Petzl to organise cultural and environmental projects in India.

The first course was delivered to a group of very keen young trek leaders working for a large private company called Rimo Expeditions. This was based in Ley in Ladakh, sometimes known as little Tibet. Indeed we were privileged to attend a ceremony presided over by the Dalai Lama, an unforgettable experience. The course was tiring but highly successful, including various short practical outings including a snow skills day at over 5,500 metres! The 2-day journey from Ley to Manali for our second course was bumpy but exciting, especially as the following day the road shut down for the long winter! Here in Manali, the second course was for mountaineering instructors from 3 national centres, with widely differing backgrounds. The course content and presentation was therefore very different, involving a lot of replanning "off the cuff". However, it was also successful, and now we are about to start packing for our return journey to Delhi, which is currently largely under-water by all accounts, so this may be quite eventful as well!

Autumn photos

2010-09-05T16:53:00.005+01:00

Here is a slideshow of Steve's best photos from the autumn of 2010. Watch this space - autumn has only just begun!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/46624718@N03/sets/72157624759836675/show/

Open Season at Gogarth

2010-08-29T13:00:00.001+01:00

In case it has escaped your notice, the summer bird ban for climbing on the Red Walls at Gogarth is over. The Red Walls are an acquired taste but for those who are smitten they provide real adventure in an other-worldy location. Pride of place goes to Mousetrap as a British sea cliff classic. The crux pitch is actually well protected where it matters, with a wire at your feet and cam by your waist as you stretch rightwards to reach a series of corrugated chimneys. The rock is weird and disconcerting, but basically the red walls consist of underlying "cheese" with baked coatings of relatively hard sandstone. The problem comes in the areas where the coating is missing. The chimneys are one such area, but they are studded with fins and spikes of a largely quartzite nature. You can drape slings over spikes and place nuts and wires between flutings, but its hard to be sure whether this would hold a fall, so the whole experience is heart in mouth from beginning to end. Like all good horror movies there's someething particularly uplifting about topping out from these committing adventures.

Saturday 28th August was reasonably dry so Sion and I set off up Mousetrap then for some reason that I no longer understand we continued rightwards on the relatively obscure line of "Bedlam". This was descibed in the guidebook as bold, which it probably was before the pitons snapped. Now its better described as "character-building". The photo shows Sion aproaching the belay of Bedlam; you can see the easy slab of Mousetrap behind him. Next time I'm going up the slab.

Moderation visit to an MIA training course

2010-08-27T16:25:00.000+01:00

Today I accompanied an MIA training course into the Ogwen valley for Day 7 of an MIA training course - these courses are 9 days long, providing an intensive week by anybody's standards! The candidates were bearing up well and all of them stated a preference for a single long installment of this nature rather than dividing the course into seperate weeks.

Three of the teams tackled scrambles on Glyder Fach, so I followed a team part way up Main Gully Ridge and then traversed across to Shark Buttress before taking a downward traverse back to Llyn Bochlwyd and back down to the A5 for an afternoon of paper work.

This weekend has a good forecast: see you at Gogarth?

2010-08-12T11:18:00.004+01:00

Last week was the National Eisteddfod for Wales down in Ebbw Vale in South Wales. The Eisteddfod is still the largest festival of competitive music and poetry in Europe and lasts for 8 days, and is believed to date back to the 12th Century.

All events and activities are done through the medium of Welsh, so we joined Clwb Mynydda Cymru (an all Welsh mountaineering club), BMC Cymru (Access & Conservation Officer, Elfyn Jones) and the North Wales Outdoor Partnership to jointly run a stall under the banner of Mynydda (Mountaineering).

It was a good opportunity to build links between the different organizations and look closely about ways we can work together. Clwb Mynydda Cymru was successful in gaining more club members and also we discussed running leadership awards through the medium of Welsh in the future.

I had a few days of in the middle of the week and rather than drive home and back, it made sense to visit one of the best sea cliff climbing venues in Europe for some cragging.

Bryn Williams
MLT Wales/Cymru

UK's Mountaineering Associations meet at Glenmore Lodge

2010-08-03T07:45:00.004+01:00

Representatives from the Mountain Leader Training Association, British Mountain Guides, Association of Mountaineering Instructors and British Association of International Mountain Leaders met at Glenmore Lodge on 2nd August to explore ways of working in collaboration and to provide Mountain Leader Training with information about the way that its qualifications are used by their members.

It is hoped that in the long term this collaboration may also bring benefits in articulating to the public a more unified message about the scope and remit of the UK's range of qualifications for leaders, instructors and guides of mountaineering activities.

THE ASSOCIATIONS COLLABORATION WORKING GROUP

This new group, gathered as a working group of the main MLT (UK) board, and is made up of representatives from the:

British Mountain Guides - Mark Diggins

British Association of International Mountain Leaders – Issie Inglis
Association of Mountaineering Instructors - Tony Halliwell
Mountain Leader Training Association

Through discussion it became immediately apparent that there are many ways in which this forum could enable all the Associations to work more closely together.

The group is chaired by Steve Long, Chief Officer with MLT and, during the first meeting, the following Role and Objectives of the group are being proposed:

Role of the Group

To support MLT by providing information which will:

enable better understanding of how Award holders are currently using their qualifications,
how the Awards could interrelate more effectively
how the Awards might be more easily understood

Objectives

To create:

Opportunities to share ideas
Clear and unambiguous information about the awards and assoications to the public
Mutually beneficial co-operation between Associations

Some Discussion Topics

1. To develop a full mutual understanding of all the current award processes

a. Training and assessment

b. How and where the Awards are used

2. Professionalism, accountability and standards

3. Effective ways of presenting the award structure to the public

4. Ongoing development after gaining a qualification

5. Collaborative communication and marketing

MLT making progress with coaching qualification pathway

2010-07-23T19:21:00.006+01:00

Mountain Leader Training was formally tasked by the Mountaineering Councils with developing a coaching system over the next two years to complement the existing leader and instructor schemes. To date a lot of information gathering has taken place and this article summarises the work done so far and also what is
involved in the UK Coaching Certificate.

This spring and summer we held several meetings with staff from sports coach UK including our coach development advisor, Dr. Gillian Mara (The UK Coaching Framework is explained here http://www.sportscoachuk.org/index.php?PageID=2&sc=5&uid =)
This research was contextualised by the annual coaching summit in Cardiff (June 29-30th) and provided sufficient background information to allow a tentative mapping exercise of the Climbing Wall Award syllabus and assessment methodology against the National Standard recommended for Level 1 (assistant coach) and level 2 (coach) in the UKCC framework.

The UKCC is not a qualification but rather a standard. If we develop coaching qualifications that match or exceed the UKCC standard it makes sense to consider seeking endorsement of them as UKCC qualifications. This is because the UKCC is a recognised national standard that can be used by coaches to clearly demonstrate their coaching competencies. Also, those working within the outdoor industry often coach other sports, such as orienteering, mountain biking, paddlesport and sailing. Therefore, if the various awarding bodies follow common standards it can be easier for prior learning to be recognized.
This can allow a coach in one sport to move more easily into another sport, as they will hopefully not have to repeat generic coach training that they already possess. UKCC awards can attract funding, which is an obvious benefit for coaches wishing to become qualified.

A UKCC ‘qualification’ is an endorsement process, whereby a qualification meets set criteria, and is then endorsed. The preliminary mapping process demonstrated how our existing schemes meet many of the risk management criteria, but are lacking in common coaching skills. Regardless of whether or not our coaching qualifications pathway fulfils the UKCC framework, an audit of the existing coaching workforce and employers’ needs is desirable; this is something that Mountain Leader Training has always done before introducing any new awards. The difference here is that participant needs should also be assessed. This will enable us to gauge the level of demand for coaches at various levels, including assistant coach. It will provide a snapshot of where we are now, so provide a benchmark for monitoring the success of future coaching qualifications supporting both participant and coach pathways.

News integrated into main MLT website

2010-07-23T10:55:00.000+01:00

Over the next few weeks you will find progressively less news about MLT workshops and developments in this blog, as we are making more use of the live news bar that runs throughout the MLT website. Be sure to visit the MLT website for up to the minute news about developments in Mountain Leader Training.

Moel Famau, WGL Training

2010-07-09T20:20:00.003+01:00

This week I joined a Walking Group Leader Training Course in the Clwydian Range of North East Wales.
We had a nice stroll up th track to the summit of Moel Famau and I was able to chat with the Course Director and candidates about the WGL scheme and gaine feedback over its suitability for them. The candidates were from North Wales and thought that the area was a bit limiting for the remit of the WGL, which echoed some comments from providers at the last workshop.

Maybe we should add paved paths, and way marked trails to the remit in the syllabus?

I'm now getting ready for the National Eisteddfod at the end of the month in South Wales, where we will be joining a stand with Clwb Mynydda Cymru and the BMC.

Bryn
MLTW National Development Officer

Coaching summit and reality

2010-07-04T12:33:00.002+01:00

Another hectic week, starting with a couple of days in Cardiff at the sportscoach UK annual summit in Cardiff. With representation from many sports as well as representatives from all the home nation sports councils, this was a great opportunity to catch up with the mindset of the policy makers in the new political era. Thanks to Lottery funding, sports coaching is pretty safe financially, but there are potential areas of controversy that we need to be aware of. At MLT our primary aim for a coaching qualification pathway is to create a system that works for our sport/pastime. So if the UKCC model doesn't work for us, so be it. However all my research so far suggests that for at least levels 1 and 2 there is no reason why we shouldn't work within the UKCC model as long as our assessment methodology is acceptable to UKCC. If it looks like it will create mounds of pointless paperwork we'll step sideways but certainly at the moment there is no reason not to stick with it. On Thursday I presented a mapping of the Climbing Wall Award against UKCC Level 1 and level 2 criteria to our designated sportscoach UK rep, Dr. Gillian Mara. Jon Garside and myself were gratified to find that the CWA needs little other than some background understanding on team working and reflective practice/formal evaluation methods to fulfil the criteria for level 1 at least, so I will begin consulting over a proposed syllabus for this over the next few weeks.

I spent a long weekend in the Peak District with my son Sion Idwal and Chris Parkin's family for a coaching induction into gritstone climbing. This was an interesting challenge as we wanted them to sample some mid-grade classics as well as gain some leading experience in preparation for university life in Yorkshire if they get their "A" level grades. I think we pulled it off reasonably well, with various team switches enabling everybody to climb something at an appropriate grade throughout the trip. Routes climbed included Flying Buttress, Flying Buttress Direct, Hollybush Crack, Queersville, Leaning Buttress Direct, Tippler, Dangler, Goliath's Groove, Wall End Flake Crack, Right and Left Unconquerables at Stanage, Embankment Routes 1 and 4, Portland Street, Great North Road, Lyon's Corner House, Knightsbridge and the Mall at Millstone, and Tody's Wall plus Valkyrie at Froggat.

Workshop and Moderation

2010-06-30T10:22:00.004+01:00

Last week I joined one of the MLTW Providers down in South Snowdonia for a Mountain Leader Training course. I joined the course on the second day and they were learning about micro navigation skills in complex terrain. The group were enthusiastic and enjoying their course.

Last weekend I was working on the join workshop which is mentioned in Mal's post below. The afternoon session I attended was with Chris Rowlands from DMM. The climbing kit DMM makes is all done on their site in Llanberis as part of their quality control process and Chris gave a very good talk on the process of how carabiners are made.

We then spent the rest of the session looking at how equipment might fail and also how to check and care for the equipment.

Bryn
MLTW

Joint Workshop

2010-06-29T16:20:00.003+01:00

On Saturday 26th June 22 people and 5 MLT staff attended a joint MLTE/W workshop at Ogwen Cottage. After an introduction from the Head of Centre, Stan, never a man to miss the opportunity to offer a couple of amusing anecdotes, we got on with matters relating to the delivery of the awards. Updates, News from the Boards and the BMC and a quick look at some of the 'not so perfect' course reports it was time for a look in to the future to canvas opinion as to what folk think might be required 10 - 15 years time. After lunch it was either breaking karibiners and snappping slings with Chris Rowlands from DMM or out in to Idwal for a session on conservation, access and land management issues with BMC Cymru Officer Elfyn Jones and Jim Langley of http://www.natureswork.co.uk/ The pictures here prove that it does not always rain in Idwal with staff mambers Cath, Jon Garside and John Cousins sporting the latest in high mountain footwear...in the other picture Elfyn explains some of the finer points of land management to Bob, Mick and Clare.

Mal

News from the Welsh Officer

2010-06-24T06:04:00.003+01:00

Its been a while since I have posted on here - must be a sign of busy times!

The last few weeks has been great in terms of work and play. I have made several Moderation visits to Providers and Course Directors and had a chance to talk with staff and candidates on how we might look to improve our services for the future. Some candidates suggesting the idea of an online logbook, and also clarity in the organisation structor too as they have found it a bit confusing with the current setup, so hopefully the plans for a single website which directs people into the different Home Nation Board area may help this.

My spare time I have used well with some good climbing days on Slate, Tremadog, Ogwen, Llanberis Pass and also several sport climbing evenings down the coast. The new A55 Sport Guidebook is now out and if very useful for evening bolt clipping ideas.

Bryn

Another day in paradise

2010-06-20T19:08:00.000+01:00

Today I made up a foursome on the main cliff of Gograth. Our team consisted of a military trainer, a development trainer, the vice chair of MLTW and myself, the chief officer. A slice through part of the leader training world! Pete and Andy dispatched Citadel (E5 6b) in good style and Rob and myself fought our way up Hunger (E5 6a). It shouldn't feel too hard as I've climbed it so many times before, but it was really damp and I had to fight every pinch grip to stay on. A fun and safe tussle though and I enjoyed the fight. We lounged about in the sun for a while afterwards before a leisurely stroll back over the heath and home. There is nowhere finer in the world than Gogarth.

2010-06-16T22:30:00.001+01:00

Back to the promised land today. I love that place. As I'm working at the weekend I took a day off to climb with some friends from the Climber's Club. We romped up the lovely classic "Big Groove" (E3 5c) and followed this in the afternoon sun with "Fail Safe" (E2 5b). Although early in the season I felt that I was going well, so threw myself at the pumpy testpiece "Energy Crisis" (E5 6a). After running it our rather alarmingly above reasonable protection I was able to throw in some knee-bars and piano hands until a final rock-over negotiated an in-balance solution to the final bulge. Hauling myself onto the belay ledge I was almost sick with exertion! Further proof however though that sports climbing mileage helps to kick start the "trad" climbing year.

Pete Sterling leading the first pitch of Big Groove

Lecture tour of Japan

2010-06-13T07:46:00.006+01:00

P1010637
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Right now I'm engaged in a series of meetings and lectures as the guest of the JWAF. I've lectured in Tokyo, Sapporo and Osaka about the work of Mountain Leader Training and also the work of the UIAA Training Standards Working Group. The meetings have included an advisory consultancy meeting today with the Osaka branch of JWAF as well as the Search and Rescue Committee. I've also been interviewed by TV and met the presidents of various Asian federations and the Nepalese Ambassador as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations. The Japanese are very interested in learning from the lessons learned in standardising qualifications across the UK and are investigating the possibility of working towards UIAA accredition, though these are early days, with a politically complex background.

We managed to slip in a day's hill walking in Japan's Northern Alps and I had a brief play this afternoon on the ex-competition wall at Kobe University, Osaka. After the lectures I stayed on for a few days and joined the JWAF's General Secretary Mr Takashi and translator Ms Owada for some climbing at Mitsutoge, a stunning location with Mount Fuji as a backdrop.

You can see a report from the lecture at Sapporo at: http://hkdrenmei.exblog.jp/i14/

You can see my other photos on Flickr.

UK SAR

2010-06-10T09:50:00.002+01:00

On Tuesday I attended a meeting of the UK SAR Operators Group. There was a wide ranging agenda incorporating just about all types of Search and Rescue in the UK from nland water to mountain, cave and coastal. We had an update from the RAF SAR on the proposed changes the helicopter service and how it might affect rescue teams in the future and apart from bigger, better, (noisier?) machines that will be black and orange it would appear that things will carry on much as they do now. The meeting was based in the depths of the Lancashire Countryside in the forest of Bowland and very pretty it was too. The next meting is at the end of November so more updates then.
Mal

Munro-ing...

2010-05-25T09:44:00.009+01:00

Well I've just returned from a weeks holiday in Scotland where my other 'arf Caroline has recently (within the last couple of years) got in to ticking off a few Munro's. Over the years I've got quite a few, probably over a hundred and mostly in winter through work but I am not a ticker of lists so quite frankly I havn't a clue how many. Well we got seven in the week mostly around Glen Sheil and I must admit it was quite novel having to get my head in the map and really navigate! I must say the new BMC Mountain map was great and when the going gets a little more technical the Harvey Superwalker makes life sooooo easy......specially with the 'ole mince pies not as sharp as they used to be 'cos it saves you reaching for the specs every 5 minutes. The weather was great for the first few days but then as the heat wave kicked in down south we got a warm muggy south westerly coming in of the coast so it was back to what you normally expect in the north west....Still, there were some good views as the picture taken on the South Clunie ridge above demostrates. However, the other picture could be anywhere in Scotland, and a prize for anyone who can recognise the cairn...

Mal

British Mountain Guides Open Day

2010-05-24T14:46:00.002+01:00

Mountain Leader Training works in close partnership with the British Mountain Guides - closer than many people imagine, as our training schemes are largely seperate. However, the reality is that MIA and MIC holders can attend shorter training programmes for the UK sections of the British Mountain Guides' scheme on account of "recognised prior learning". The British Mountain Guides sit on the MLT Board in a non-voting capacity, and MLT has a place on the BMG Training Committee in return. All of the Associations; BMG, AMI, BAIML and MLTA are currently working towards closer working relationships through a collaboration group set up last year.

This weekend I attended the Management Committee meeting in my observational capacity as Chief Officer, but the day before was a lot more fun. This involved showing up in my capacity as a keen climber to meet up with a group of young hopefuls on a Guides' Open Day. The afternoon involved divinding up into climbing teams and blitzing Llanberis Pass, followed by a bouldering session at the RAC boulders.

Saturday evening was also great fun. I was a guest at the launch party for the fantastic new Ogwen guidebook from the Climbers Club. This was also a celebration for the work of long-serving editor-in-chief Bob Moulton, after 35 years of service. So the forthcoming Tremadog guide will be the first book to be published by the next generation. During the ceremony I was lucky enough to meet the legendary John Disley, athlete extraordinaire and orienteering advocate. Now in his 80's, he was the man who persuaded the CCPR to purchase the Royal Hotel, now Plas y Brenin. (which sort of means the same thing - King's House)

Another busy week.

2010-05-17T14:48:00.005+01:00

Well, the past week has been pretty hectic to say the least, with travel to Portugal, Spain and Ireland. The European travel was an accreditation visit to a climbing club based in Lisbon, with a fantastic training and instructor training programme. Instructors on this scheme progress to senior status based on 9 years' experience of teaching within the club programme, as well as regular "trad" and "sport" climbing within this period. If they don't regularly attend club events and continue to climb at trad VS+ and Sport 6a they start moving back down the ladder of instructor status. The scheme was organised to a very high standard and I was most impressed by the energy and commitment of all involved: I watched people teaching on multi-pitch trad and Sports routes as well as delivering teaching sessions and lecturettes, all of which was subject to extensive but supportive peer review. After the accreditation visit I was shown some of the Lisbon area's best new crags by two young club members, both of whom have been involved in the development of new climbs in the area up to 8a+ in standard. I was lucky enough to be in a position to bag the first British leads of a number of fantastic sports climbs in th 6c-7b region.

The Board meeting in Ireland was very interesting. We were hosted by the fantastic new national centre at Tollymore and apart from some fairly serious travel disruption due to flight cancellations and the knock-on effect on ferry services we had a highly successful series of meetings, resulting in some positive agreements and progress on various projects. On Sunday however I have to admit that I was too drained by the previous week to contemplate climbing in the damp and showery conditions so just tried out the new training panels at Tollymore then endulged in watching a "Welsh Connections" DVD - rather ironic, on reflection.

Weekend play

2010-05-13T09:09:00.004+01:00

During the Bank Holiday weekend Rory and I went to the slate quarries, and I was excited about climbing on one of my favorite rock types, unfortunately the part I had underestimated was that my toes would not be use to it as I have been mainly in ski boots of fully rigid boots since October last year.

We started with Fresh Air (f6a and really nice - a route I helped with bolting a while ago), then moved onto my own route called 362 (named after the number of quarry men who died working there. Graded at f5c).
Following this we strolled up to the Zippy Level of Australia and Rory led the pumpy and sustained Ziplock (f7b) - I could give many reasons for not completing this route, but that would be boring!

On the Monday, Alun came over and we only had a few hours and climbed at the Gorbals Level, and started on Harri Back Llanrug (graded f6a), then put a rope on Toe be or not Toe be (graded f7b). Once again failed to do the last move, and managed to blame the pain in my toes.
We then headed over to finish off on Clash of the Titan (a 40m f6a).

This week I went out with Rich, and had a blast at Stand Up Paddle-boarding, and took a journey around the Little Orme. I was interested to see the Diamond area, and we took a lunch break on the boulders below and viewed the crag - its very impressive. That afternoon Tanya and I went up to Castle-Inn quarry do a couple of quick routes in the evening sun before heading home.

Bryn
National Development Officer MLTW

Workshop and moderation visit

2010-05-06T09:56:00.004+01:00

Last week I travelled down to Mid Wales to Moderate a new MLT Wales Provider on his first Single Pitch Award training course. Discussions took place in the morning, then the group headed out to Craig yr Ogof, in Trawsfynydd. A nice little crag in a stunning location (well apart form the nuclear power station - but thats been decommissioned back in 1991, and should be safe for demolishing by 2098. Makes you question if the 26 years it was there producing power was worth it!).

Following the Moderation visit I went on to South Wales for a meeting with the MLTW Chair, to discuss the objectives for the future. That evening I met up with Mal Creasey from MLTE to discuss and plan the following days workshop.

On the Friday we ran a joint MLTW / MLTE Provider and staff workshop, based from the Storey Arms outdoor centre. We had a good turn out and discussed various issues throughout the morning and the afternoon was spent with Sunita Welch from the Brecon Beacons National Park.

A good few days.
Bryn

April news round up from the Chief Officer

2010-05-02T09:39:00.003+01:00

As we prepare the papers for the AGM and Board meeting to be held at Tollymore in mid-May, a whole series of threads are gradually coming together. As always the day-to-day running of the office is a full-time job in its own right and I can only say that it will be a huge relief when the new Executive Officer starts in post in June. For those of you who are wondering who this is, I can reveal that it is John Cousins, who was my predecessor at MLT so it is fair to say that he already has a good understanding of the various organisations that constitute MLT! Currently our executive are so busy dealing with many issues as well as getting on with their own lives that there hasn't been a statement forthcoming about the appointment, but this appointment will make an enormous difference and will enable me to focus on core issues such as quality assurance at national and international levels, the design and implementation of the coaching scheme and the publishing house, which is after all our main income strand. In any other business these 3 areas would be regarded as a pretty ambitious work plan, so it's not as if I will now be putting my feet up!

The CWLA has been well received, MLTE and MLTW ran a joint providers' workshop on Friday, and registrations levels are very healthy. There are a lot of success stories to celebrate but we also face some real challenges as the reality is that we are still several different organisations all working towards a shared vision but with different infra-structures, largely built on out-dated technology. One example of recent development is the new website, which is database driven. The first indication of the power of this system is the searchable list of courses, which will be a great service for providers and students alike, but until all the home nations join into this database it will not achieve its full potential. I have every confidence that we will bring all this information together during 2010. However the biggest frustration is the cumbersome process involved in registrations; I spend an average of an hour per day dealing with registration enquiries! I can't even begin to express how much I would like to see a simple one-stop shop for all the home nation boards; there are undestandable reservations about a possible loss of autonomy but we need to resolve these and make the registration process work properly. Right now we can be sure that anybody who gets as far as completing the registration process is really committed - this probably adds to the kudos of the ML schemes but it doesn't make good business sense.

I'm currently recovering from an inflamed elbow; it's not the dreaded golfer's or tennis elbow but it was pretty bad by the end of last week, when I could neither bend nor straighten the arm. This was caused entirely by pulling too hard on small holds every evening and weekend! I saw the warning signs, but with a bunch of new routes to squeeze into the Tremadog guide, as well as photo shoots and a couple of days climbing at Montserrat, there were too many goodies around so I decided to pay the price later, when the rains arrived.

Early last week I took a morning out to join the BMC/RSPB crag inspection of Cilan Head on the Lleyn peninsular. This resulted in a new access agreement, and a good chance to document the whole coastline photographically (perhaps a future guide book project?) We were accompanied by a pod of dolphins, who proved very difficult to photograph.

Ski touring holiday

2010-04-28T12:48:00.002+01:00

After a few hectic weeks of work, Tanya and I were en-route to Chamonix in the French Alps for a 2 week break. We were to meet Rob out there and the plan was for some ski touring action.

The first few days were spent on great powder conditions on the Grand Montets and then Rob and I skinned up to the Col des Dards on the Aiguille Rouge and had excellent powder for the descent back to Lac Blanc.

The following day we drove around to Italy and skinned up to the Emanuele Hut (2732m) in the Grand Paradiso National Park.

We woke at 5.30am to fresh snow outside and clearing skies so after some coffee and bread we started the long skin uphill towards the Grand Paradiso (4026m). After over five hours of slogging uphill against altitude and freezing temperatures we arrived at the rock ridge, which led to the summit. We took skis off and made the last scramble to the summit on foot.

The fun them began with the ski down – in an hour we were back at the hut for a coke and some food, then another hour got us back to the car in the valley (1960m), very sweaty and stinky and looking forward to a shower and a beer.

Rest rest of the trip included another trip up the Aig Rouge for some touring and also some late season resort skiing and gentle touring.

Back in the office now and looking forward to some rock climbing action.

Bryn

Gadding about

2010-04-20T10:46:00.005+01:00

Lots of activity on the moderating scene at the moment with three visits over last week. On the first visit it was good to see father and son team operating with Andy and Ian Boorman delivering an excellent SPA training course in the sunshine. Three days later it was off in the sunshine again with day 1 of the Llanrug ML training course, again a great day out before finally, and with the sun still shining it was off on the early train to visit Jack Griffiths running a CWA training course at the Castle in London. Another excellent course so well done all! Picture on the left is Ian Boorman enjoying the sunshine above Betws y Coed.
Mal

New routing at Tremadog

2010-04-18T23:39:00.000+01:00

A great weekend in the UK - I feel sorry for the people stranded in Spain! Climbed with Jon Garside, the BMC/MLTE Technical Officer this weekend. On Saturday evening we climbed Zangorilla on Carreg Wastad, and on Sunday we had a fulfilling but tiring day, with a new route up the centre of the Castle at Craig y Gesail, weighing in at about E4 6a, followed by a successful tussle with Vulture on Bwlch y Moch (hard E4 6a). A good start to the trad climbing season, and the Tremadog guidebook is now almost finished. We want to get more action shots at the Tremadog climbing festival next weekend.

Business as usual

2010-04-16T22:44:00.000+01:00

As indicated in my "Twitter" report, the recent UIAA meeting was very successful. The UIAA will be launching full support for the Training Standard label, which is set to take off in much the same way that the Equipment label has over the last few years. The UIAA is the only organisation with the history, representation and kudos to take on a project of this scope and ambition. The UK quality assessment team are in an excellent position to help service the anticipated demand, because we have several decade's experience of guilding and ensuring that 4 home nations work to the same standards.

This week 2 of the MLT Board members joined a group piloting a proposed RLSS water safety management course at Plas y Brenin.

It's been a great week for in-depth discussions with several organisations, including BAIML, AMI, SLUK, skillsactive, BOS and the Scout Association. But one more day in Spain and I would have missed the whole thing as I would have been stranded on the wrong side of the volcanic ash.

Apart from that it's been a pretty active week in my own time, including several towers at Montserrat, SS Special and Brant Direct yesterday evening and a solo ascent of the esoteric Canyon Rib this evening as research for the Tremadog guidebook.