Mountain Leader Training Course

The Mountain Leader training course aims to develop the technical skills, judgement and leadership necessary to lead others in the mountains of the UK and Ireland.

Mountain Leaders offer people an opportunity to explore the UK and Ireland’s highest mountains on foot, where spectacular views feed the soul, challenging terrain tests the body and making the right decisions is essential. Mountain Leaders can also lead walks in hill, moorland and lowland areas.

This is a 6-day course with minimum of 60 hours contact time. To register for this course

You must be at least 18 years old
You should have at least a year’s worth of mountain walking experience
You should have an interest in leading groups in the mountains
You must be a member (club or individual) of a mountaineering council suchs as the BMC, Mountaineering Ireland, or Mountaineering Scotland). Find out why this is required here.
You must create an account on the Mountain Training system and register for the Mountain Leader qualification (cost: £65). More info and link here

Once you have registered you can attend a course so long as you fulfil these two criteria

You must be registered on the Mountain Leader scheme - see above
You must have recorded a minimum of 20 quality mountain days (ideally these will be recorded on the Mountain Training DLOG) which can have taken place at any point pre- or post-registration

The Mountain leader training course will be based from White Peris Bunkhouse in Dinorwic. Location is here. You are welcome to stay somewhere else or journey in each day. We will meet each morning at White Peris although the final night is spent on overnight camp in the mountains.

During the course we will be covering the Mountain Leader syllabus which is written by Mountain Training. This covers

Leader responsibilities
Leadership and decision making
Planning and weather
Hazards and emergency procedures
Equipment
Walking skills
Navigation
Expedition
Teaching and learning skills
Access, conservation and the environment
Background knowledge

These courses are delivered by Nick Read who will work alongside another approved trainer. The ratio for this course is one trainer to six people. If you have any questions about this course please contact us or Mountain Training.

Location: White Peris Bunkhouse, Dinorwic near Llanberis

Dates:

27th October to 1st November 2024 & 24th to 29th March 2025 & 26th to 31st May 2025 (please specify date on booking)

Price: £410 non-residential or £500 including dormitory accommodation

A £80 deposit is payable here to secure a place. You can also pay in full. Full payment is required by 27th September 2024

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Mountain Leader Assessment Course

After you have completed your Mountain Leader training course you may wish to also book and Assessment with us. The assessment takes place over five consecutive days and includes two-nights out wild camping in the mountains of Snowdonia.

To book an assessment course

You must have completed a Mountain Leader training course
You must be familiar with the syllabus
You must have recorded a minimum of 40 quality mountain days in at least three regions of the UK or 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

Location: A range of locations

Dates: Available on request. Please contact us at least two months in advance.

Ratio:1 :4

Price: £400

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BOOKING AND INFO

Equipment Required

All our events are outdoor based in mountain environments. You will need warm waterproof clothing, sturdy mountain walking footwear, water and snacks and to be self sufficient. A full kit list will be sent to you prior to the course.

If it is good weather please bring sun cream and a sunhat to protect you from the sun. In the event of wet and windy weather for safety reasons we may alter the event location or activity to accommodate this whilst still giving you a good day out. Please be prepared to be flexible.

Payments

We do not make bookings for you until a deposit is paid. Please pay a deposit to ensure you have a place on this course.

If you have any questions please get in touch below or take a look at our FAQ’s

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What our customers are saying

UK Testimonials

“Nick guided us through two days of Hill Skills in Snowdonia. The weather was great and we got out to see Moel Cynghorion and Crimpiau.”

Hill Skills - Snowdonia, North Wales

“We learnt all sorts like compass and map use, identify land features and pacing”

Sam, Hill Skills Weekend - Snowdonia, North Wales

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Frequently Asked Questions

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HOW DO I BOOK?

We will only book instructors and make arrangements once a deposit has been paid. If you would like to ask us any questions prior to booking or would like more information please contact admin@prideexpeditions.co.uk . Once you have decided the adventure you would like to do please click on the orange ‘book you place’ tab to pay a deposit securely at our expedition shop.

DO YOU DO CUSTOM PACKAGES?

We have the expertise and the local knowledge to arrange your adventure. If you would like something a bit different to those advertised on our website please contact our Managing director to discuss Nick@prideexpeditions.co.uk . Safety is paramount to everything we do, we will not agree to provide anything that where safety is overly compromised or anything we consider damaging to the local environment.

WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?

All our adventures take place outside. We are an adventure company and operate in wilderness, sometimes hostile environments. Please be prepared to spend the whole day outside with everything that you need including lunch and water to keep hydrated. We will send you a comprehensive kit list once you have signed up for you adventure. Please pay strict attention to this and let us know if you do not have or are unsure what waterproof clothing is or sturdy footwear consists of. We would rather take the time to help you understand and be properly equipped rather than compromise safety by not being adequately prepared.

WHAT IS YOUR PAYMENT SCHEDULE?

We do not make bookings until a deposit is received. If you pay a deposit and we are unable to provide you adventure we will postpone your trip to a date that we can provide it or give you a refund. Once we have a deposit we will make bookings and contact you to confirm and highlight the payment schedule. For UK adventures please pay the remainder of the balance as soon as we have contacted you with confirmation. For overseas adventures once we have secured enough deposits we will send you a payment schedule that will spread the payments for the expedition out at intervals in the lead up to the trip. If we do not secure enough deposits to make the expedition viable we will refund your deposit.