Award Winning Outdoor Activities
Split Weekend Mountain Leader Assessment (ML)
Mountain Leader (ML) Assessment Course in partnership with Adventure Expertise
Summary
There is something reassuring to know that you are navigating and moving in the mountains at this high and professional level. Are you ready to show us what you have got? your pathway to a new career or mountain super hero is almost over. Good luck!!
Highlights
- Start your journey to become a ML
- Split course between the Peak and the Lake District
Course Overview
The Mountain Leader Award is designed for people who want to introduce and lead people in the mountains, hills and upland areas of the UK and Ireland. The scheme began in the 1960s and today Mountain Leaders operate the length and breadth of the country.
The award offers the opportunity to learn best practice and prove competence in mountain leadership and is recognised by private companies, local authorities, the Health and Safety executive and the Adventure Activities Licensing Service as the appropriate qualification for those leading walking groups in the UK mountains. For a definition of ‘mountainous’ terrain and specific geographical areas see Appendix 1 of the Mountain Leader handbook.
Mountain Training England provider Adventure Expertise in conjunction with Pure Outdoor is offering the opportunity to participate in a ML Training course based in the Peak District and Lake District National Parks.
The 5-day Mountain Leader Assessment course is based in the High Peak and Lake District and assesses competence in the skills needed to lead walking groups in mountainous areas. The assessment course comprises a first weekend based in the Peak District and three days/two nights overnight expedition in The Lakes on a subsequent long-weekend. Over the course of the five days all aspects of the Mountain Leader syllabus will be assessed. Candidates should come prepared with the equipment and skills to operate independently as a leader.
Dates:
2023 Course: 11th - 12th Nov 2023 (Peak District, Hathersage); 25th - 27th Nov 2023 (Lake District, Borrowdale)
2024 Course: 9th-10th Nov 2024 (Peak District); 15th - 17th Nov (Lake District)Note: the number of hours of assessment is the same on both split long-weekend and five-day courses with the week course having evening sessions.
Stages in the Mountain Leader Scheme
1. Gain personal walking experience in the UK mountains. This should amount to at least twenty walking days over a period of at least twelve months in mountainous areas (e.g. Highlands of Scotland, Lake District, Snowdonia, High Peak and others).
2. Register for the ML scheme with Mountain Training. In order to do this you will need to be a current British Mountaineering Council (BMC) member. Registering for the scheme will give you access to a digital logbook where you can record your walking experience.
3. Attend a Mountain Leader Training course.
4. Consolidate experience between training and assessment courses.
5. Attend a Mountain Leader Assessment course.
Registration with MTUK prior to attending
To register you should have at least twelve months experience of hill walking. You must also have an interest in leadership of groups in the hills and be at least eighteen years of age. Candidates with particular requirements or special needs may wish to contact Pure Outdoor staff for advice and guidance.
Course Outcomes
- Background knowledge of mountaineering and mountain training in the UK
- Group management and the responsibilities of the leader
- Equipment - Navigation - Access and the environment
- Hazards of steep ground, use of the rope to safeguard the party
- Emergency procedures and medical Dealing with water hazards
- Expedition skills Weather
Course Information
- Have attended an ML Training course or have been granted exemption from training by one of the mountain leader training boards
- Have experienced an absolute minimum of fourty quality mountain days. This experience should be gained in at least three different mountain areas and should include at least eight nights camping, at least four nights of which should be wild camping.
- Have assisted with the leading of walking groups.
- Hold a current, valid first aid certificate
FAQs
Bookings can be made online or over the phone. All of our courses can be booked in 3 ways:
a) Attend a scheduled course.
These are open to the public to anyone that meets the pre-requisites. We often advertise many dates for each course, we generally always list 12 months of available dates. This is the most popular and often works out the most cost-effective way of attending our courses.
b) Add a date to our schedule.
On some courses, we can add extra dates to our schedule, providing you are booking for a certain minimum number of participants, this could be as low as only 2 people. To give us plenty of time to assign staff to your course, you can only add a date to the schedule if it is more than 7 days in advance.
c) Make a private booking.
All of our courses can be booked privately, with a private instructor just for you or your group. This gives you the flexibility to book any date that suits you and also it means the instructor can fine-tune the course content to suit your aspirations. To make a private booking, you just need to fill out a booking request, we will then get back to you with availability and a price.
d) Book our premium 'Private Booking Plus+' service.
All the benefits of the private booking service, with lots of additional extras including meet & greet at your hotel, luxury picnic hamper including Champagne, digital photo pack, flexible booking arrangements and a pre-activity consultancy to allow your first-class instructor extra time to design your special day. To make a private booking plus+ booking, you just need to fill our a booking request, we will then get back to you with availability and a price.
Our instructors can be booked privately to deliver this course. Benefit from private tuition, pick a date that suits you and your instructor can design the day to suit your needs. You can hire one of our instructors from just £240 inc vat per day. (Click here to book a private course)