CLUB LEADER – MOUNTAIN NAVIGATION AND STEEP GROUND SKILLS

Who Is This Course For?
Many people, through clubs or youth organisations, are involved in introducing others to hillwalking, developing their skills and expanding their experience.  While progression through the governing body coaching scheme is recommended, we recognise that within club and youth organisation structures, which use specific locations and rivers there may be a shortage of qualified coaches.

‘Mountain Navigation and Steep Ground Skills’ is provided for those involved in youth organisations, university and college clubs and other organisations that work within a specific structure.  You will be an experienced hillwalker, but may lack any formal qualifications. You would like to be involved in running sessions and leading others on the hills, for those within your organisation or club.

Course Aims
This course has a number of aims, including:

• To refinement personal skills
• To reinforce safety protocols
• To develop of generic risk assessments
• To introduce and clarify ways for passing skills onto others
• To provide pointers for future development and accreditation

Skills Covered
When the staff meet the group and discuss aspirations and previous experience, they will decide on a more accurate structure for the weekend.  This will ensure that all participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills at a pace that suits them.  It will also bring course participants into the planning process, looking at the current weather and what is forecast for later in the day. 

A variety of skills and topics will be covered during the weekend, including:

-           Consolidation of basic personal skills

-           Running hillwalking sessions – getting the basics right

-           Introduction to leadership

-           Emergency techniques

-           Passing on skills to others

-           Equipment appropriate to this environment

These are some of the essential skills required to be able to lead others on in the hills. These skills are relevant whether you want a one-day taster experience, for a group, or be involved in a more long-term programme for your club or organisation. All of these areas will be covered in a practical way during the course of the weekend programme, giving you the opportunity to learn from the staff and other course participants alike.

The format of the weekend will be altered to suit the specific needs and backgrounds of those on the course.  However, considerable time will be spent ensuring that all participants have a sound platform of basic skills from which to work. 

Outline Programme

All of these areas will be covered in a practical way during the course, giving you the opportunity to learn from the staff and other course participants alike.

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide.  Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff
The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified.  Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its full time and part time staff bring to its courses.  The staff who will be working alongside you are all keen paddlers.  They have a range of mountaineering experience, and all enjoy working with others, when they have the opportunity to pass on ideas and skills, as well as learn form you.  You may well have met them on the water in the past or will bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!  All are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses.

What do I need to bring?
The following list is a suggestion of what you should bring.  Waterproofs, walking boots and rucksacks may be borrowed from our extensive stores.  We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs. You should bring the following: 

Tollymore Information
Tollymore Mountain Centre, on the edge of the Mournes, is Northern Ireland’s National Centre for Mountaineering and Canoeing Activities.  It is funded and managed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland as a National Centre. The Centre is an attractive, purpose-built facility of log construction with accommodation for 30 people in 2, 4 and 6 berth bedrooms.  Quilts, pillows and bed linen are all provided.  The Centre is well appointed with toilets, showers, modern kitchen, lecture room, workshop and drying room.  Outside there is ample parking space, a ropes course and a floodlit granite-climbing wall.  A modern indoor climbing wall is open year round.  The centre is ideally situated on the edge of the Mournes, with quick and easy access to the hills.

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969.  In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust.  In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates.   However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2007.  The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Your course is a weekend course, and you will be staying and comfortable dormitory accommodation.  You will have access to a good drying room and lounge area to relax in after evening sessions.  There is a wide range of videos, DVDs and reference books that you are welcome to use during the course of your stay in Tollymore Mountain Centre.  Tollymore has a number of comfortable meeting rooms, where the instructors will meet the group prior to the start of the course.  We will also meet here for formal evening sessions and at the end of the course to discuss the course and what to do next (over a cup of tea or coffee).

Catering
Your course is fully catered, so you will be provided with all meals from breakfast on Saturday morning, through to lunch on Sunday.  You may however wish to bring your own personal snack food for use during the course.  You can fill a flask with tea or coffee at the centre if required.

You are free to help your self to tea and coffee at any stage during the weekend in the centre.

What next?
‘Mountain Navigation and Steep Ground Skills’ provides you with an insight into to basic skills required to lead groups in the hills, within a defined structure.  However, the training undertaken does fall short of that which the governing body would recommend for professional instructors.  It does provide a useful framework from which you can further develop your own skills, but the obvious ‘next step’ would be to progress toward the governing body courses, such as Walking Group Leader or Mountain Leader Awards.

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore
Hillwalking, by Steve Long (published by MLTUK)

Useful contacts:

Mountaineering Council of Ireland,

Sport HQ,

13 Joyce Way,

Parkwest Business Park,

Dublin 12.

Tel +353-1-6251115

Fax +353-1-6251116 

Email mci@eircom.net