A very steep learning curve (literally)

Everything I learned doing my Mountain Leader Training (plus Q+A)

At the end of October, I completed my Mountain Leader Training. The training is a six-day course that forms the first step in your journey to becoming a qualified Mountain Leader. Well, perhaps not the first step. Prior to enrolling on the course you have to log at least 20 “Quality Mountain Days” (more on those below) and demonstrate sufficient experience in the hills. Once you’ve done your training week there’s then a consolidation period (which I’m in now) that you use to hone your skills before booking onto a five-day assessment. If you pass that, you’re officially qualified to lead groups in the mountains.

My reasons for doing the ML training were twofold. Firstly, I feel painfully aware that I spend a lot of time talking about the outdoors and offering other people advice which I’m perhaps not qualified to give. I live in fear of ending up on the front cover of the Daily Mail: Adventure Writer Stranded on Mountain After Phone Battery Dies. I decided it was time to start practici…