Mountain Leader Award Assessment (Mountain Training UK)

Mountain Leader Overview Transitional arrangements & timeline.
As you will probably be aware the two training boards in Ireland have been replaced by a single All Ireland Training Board, Mountain Training Board Ireland, MTBI. This new board took up position on 1st January 2018. Mountain Training boards of the UK & Ireland administer several shared awards, such as the Mountain Leader, Hill & Moorland Leader, Lowland Leader, Climbing Wall Instructor, Climbing Wall Development Instructor and Rock Climbing Instructor. The awards share the same syllabi and outcomes, but the pathway or prospectus differs in the case of the Mountain Leader Award. The new training board has made transitional arrangements on the way to implementing an agreed single pathway.
This outlines the current differences in the ML pathway for the UK & Ireland and describes the timeline for transition in Ireland towards a single preferred pathway, whilst still acknowledging the alternate pathway in the rest of the UK.
Currently, there are two pathways to Mountain Leader, which are:

In Ireland
1. Completion of the 2 day Mountain Skills Assessment.
2. Register for the Mountain Leader Award.
3. Complete the 60 hour Mountain Leader Training Course, this can take place over a five day course or a split two day Mountain Leader 1 and three day Mountain Leader 2.
4. Consolidation period, where the assessment requirements are gathered.
5. Attend a 3 day Mountain Leader Assessment.
In the UK (including Northern Ireland)
1. Register for the Mountain Leader Award.
2. Complete the 60 hour Mountain Leader Training Course, this can take place over a six day course or 3 two day Mountain Leader courses.
3. Consolidation period, where the assessment requirements are gathered.
4. Attend a 5 day Mountain Leader Assessment.
*The all-Ireland agreed prospectus for the Mountain Leader Award post transition period
is as follows:
1. Completion of the 2 day Mountain Skills Assessment.
2. Register for the Mountain Leader Award.
3. Complete the 60 hour Mountain Leader Training Course, this can take place over a
five or 6 day course or a split version of the same.
4. Consolidation period, where the assessment requirements are gathered.
5. Attend a 4 day Mountain Leader Assessment.
Transitional arrangements & time line

Registrations:
-Registrants from 01/03/19 will follow the all-Ireland agreed new prospectus shown above*.
-Registrants pre 01/03/19 continue the pathway they started until; the last 6 day training
(31/12/19), and the last 3 or 5 day assessment (01/03/22).
Training:
-Last 6 day ML training course, 31/12/19.
-Candidates trained up till 31/12/19 can continue to sit the appropriate 3 or 5 day Mountain
Leader Assessment until 01/03/21.
-All candidates trained after 31/12/19, will follow the all-Ireland agreed new prospectus
shown above*.
Mountain Leader Assessment.
-Last 3 day or 5 day Mountain Leader Assessment 01/03/22.
-Launch 4 day Mountain Leader Assessments 01/03/19. (Unlikely any courses until at least
03/2020.)
-Move to all 4 day Mountain Leader Assessment from 02 March 2022.
In summary
Launch of single pathway* Withdrawal of dual pathways
Date: 01/03/19
Registrations: 01/03/19 Last Registrations: 01/03/2019
Training: 01/03/19 Last Training: 31/12/2019
Assessments: 01/03/19 Last Assessment: 01/03/2022

Before you book onto a Mountain Leader assessment, make sure you have done the following:

• You must have attended a Mountain Leader training course (or have been granted exemption)
• You must be familiar with the syllabus
• You must have logged a minimum of 40 Quality Mountain Days in three different regions of the UK and Ireland
• You must have logged at least 8 nights camping, including at least 4 nights wild camping
• You must have physically attended and completed (i.e. not online) a first aid course which involved at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and included an element of assessment

The Mountain Leader assessment is 5 days long and includes a two night expedition. Before attending this Mountain Leader Award Assessment Course you must first have registered with Mountain Training (or one of the other UK training boards) and completed the full Mountain Leader Award Training Week or Mountain Leader Award Training Weekends (some students with suitable experience may apply directly to MT for exemption.

All candidates attending assessment must ensure they have fulfilled all of the pre-requisites for assessment as indicated in the Syllabus & skills checklist.

Students should be fit and prepared for five full days on the hill including two overnight camps and lengthy night navigation sessions.

The Mountain Leader scheme is designed for people who want to lead groups in the mountains, hills and moorlands of the UK and Ireland. If you love being out in the mountains and want to share your enthusiasm with others, become a Mountain Leader and you’ll never look back (unless you’re checking your group’s still there!).

Mountain Leaders operate the length and breadth of the country with all sorts of groups of people; from scouts and schoolchildren to outdoor instructors and OAPs. The qualification is what you make it and there are countless opportunities for passionate Mountain Leaders. This Mountain Leader Award Assessment Course is for those who wish to be assessed for the Mountain Leader Award.

This Mountain Leader Award Assessment Course aims to observe and assess candidates in all aspects of the Mountain Leader Award Syllabus and their suitability to lead others in the mountain areas of the UK and Ireland in summer conditions.

Upon acceptance onto the course students will receive a written home paper to be completed and returned to Tollymore before attending assessment.

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For this Mountain Leader Award Assessment please bring any of your own personal hillwalking outdoor clothing and kit such as, waterproof jacket and trousers, boots, fleece jacket, hat and gloves, flask, water bottle, appropriate map’s, compass Silva type 4 or similar, cam kit (sleeping bag, stove, cookware, etc) and spare clothes. It’s best to bring plenty of lighter layers and avoid cotton if possible as it offers little heat and takes ages to dry out if wet or sweaty.

Please ensure you bring along a device which will allow you to ‘stopwatch’ your time.

Tollymore can supply most of the equipment you require for this course but as an aspirant ML it is assumed you will be fairly self-sufficient in terms of kit.

Tollymore will supply all ropes for this course and helmets where required.

In-course transport and assessment.

Please note this course is based at the Centre until the morning of Day 3 when the group will depart for their expedition. Students must be self-sufficient in terms organising their own food once they depart the Centre for the expedition.

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