Summer Mountain Leader Award

(ML)

The Mountain Leader Award allows you to take groups anywhere in the British Isles, in any mountain range on ground where the use of a rope is not intended.

The remit of the award allows you to lead groups in "summer conditions". This does not mean you are limited to the summer months, in fact you can lead people during the winter months however, you should not be going out in "winter conditions" (i.e. with snow or ice on the ground likely to require the use of axe and crampons). You can take groups wild camping in the hills and you can lead groups on easy scrambling ground. This allows a leader huge scope to take groups on interesting and exciting terrain and discover all that the British hills have to offer. The rope work enables you to deal with emergencies on steep ground, but it's your leadership and navigation kills that help you avoid these situations.

As with all the awards, environmental knowledge is a key element so throughout the course we will be helping you improve your own knowledge and look at interesting ways you can get groups excited about the environment. The award also looks at emergency procedures, the legal and moral aspects of leadership and route planning.

One of the most challenging but rewarding aspects to the award is navigation. Being able to find your way around a barren hillside, in the middle of the night and knowing exactly where you are is very satisfying!

Training

Training is 6 days long and specifically involves:

• Navigation (micro, macro, good & poor visibility, night time.)
• Practical leadership skills in mountainous terrain inc. steeper ground
• Expedition skills
• Environmental knowledge
• Access and conservation
• Legal and moral aspects of group leadership
• Planning day and multi-day expeditions
• Emergency procedures inc. ropework

The course involves four days out of our Edale base and a two day overnight expedition in either Snowdonia or the Lakes. During the course all the components of the ML syllabus will be covered however the emphasis will be on the practical aspects of the award.

Assessment

The assessment looks at all the aspects of the award, however there is strong emphasis on navigation and leadership. During the assessment you'll be asked to lead and demonstrate your competence in mountain leadership (see assessment section). You need to provide all your own equipment and this will be looked at as part of the assessment. As with all our assessments your job is to show how good you are. Our job is to give you the best possible environment to show your skills.

Prior Experience for Assessment:

• Attend a training course or apply for exemption
• How logged a minimum of 40 Quality Mountain Days
• Hold a valid First Aid Certificate

See the ML movie