Mountain Leader Training
Mountain Leader Training – Who is it for?
The Mountain Leader Award is a training and assessment certified scheme for those that wish to lead groups in the mountains in Ireland and the UK.
Mountain Leader is a certified Mountaineering Ireland award and is recognised as the minimum requirement for those that are leading groups into our beautiful mountains. Holders of the MLA are not only certified to safely guide groups in Ireland but they can also avail of an insurance package through Mountaineering Ireland and Mountain Training UK.
The ML Training is split into two training modules, ML1 and ML2, running over five days in the mountains.
Those that attend the ML Training and the Assessment will learn much about group management, planning, risk assessment, fluid decision making, navigating in poor conditions and introducing others to the joys of being in the mountains.
Requirements for attending the Mountain Leader Training
Before signing up for the Mountain Leader Training there are certain prerequisites one needs to provide.
One needs to be a member of Mountaineering Ireland or the UK equivalent Mountaineering Council.
Needs to be 18 years or over.
Have passed the Mountain Skills Assessment.
Have a current Remote Emergency Care cert or equivalent.
Have a genuine interest in guiding and introducing people into the wild Irish Mountains.
Mountain Leader Training 1
The Mountain Leader Training 1 runs over two days, including one night, in a challenging mountain environment.
The training focuses on personal navigation, route choice, micro navigation, emergency rope work, methods of boosting confidence among clients and communication skills.
The day will start with an introduction and briefing regarding the structure of the two days training. We will navigate into the mountains using the skills learned during the Mountain Skills scheme. During the journey we will move over steep ground and focus on how, why and when to use a rope in an emergency situation.
We will also look at the possibility of using a rope to provide confidence in specific scenarios.
During day one we will wait for darkness and spend a few hours navigating at night, with a focus on micro navigation.
Day Two we will meet and once again head into the mountains to focus on navigation, group management and communication skills.
Mountain Leader Training 2
We will meet on day one and spend time focusing on the equipment we will be bringing on our camp, including camping practicalities and our pack weight.
After lunch we will navigate into the mountains in search of a suitably positioned wild camping spot. During our camp set-up we will explore all the practicalities involved in campcraft and responsibly in the mountains. We will eventually leave camp and navigate into the mountains to await darkness and more challenging night navigation.
Day two we will depart camp and continue to develop navigational skills while discussing risk identification, dealing with an emergency, developing an understanding of local flora and fauna. We will also discuss mountain weather, river crossings and managing a group on steep ground. We will break camp and navigate back to our vehicles.
During day three we will continue to push towards excellence in navigation and take the opportunity to revisit any aspect covered during the previous four days that the candidates have questions about. We will also talk about the consolidation period following the training and the pre-assessment requirements that one needs to fulfil before attending the Mountain Leader Training.
The Mountain Leader Training One costs €190
The Mountain Leader Training Two costs €240
This excludes the registration fee of €52 paid directly to Mountaineering Ireland
The Mountain Leader Training is run nation wide in a suitably complex mountain environment.
Happy Hiking.