Overview
This course is for Mountain Leaders that want to lead groups in winter conditions. This offers the exciting possibility of leading all year round, with the rewards and challenges that winter presents for both leaders and groups.
The course will progressively provide opportunities for you to demonstrate your competence in the winter environment and how you will support groups on their winter adventures.
DETAILED INFO
AIMS
The five-day assessment will likely follow a similar format to your Mountain Leader assessment and will cover the competencies trained on your Winter Mountain Leader Training.
We aim to focus on the winter environment and the personal and leadership skills that are required to keep groups safe while enjoying the winter experience. This will be the first opportunity you will have to get feedback on your skills and get further training to elevate you to the next level. Many candidates say they learn more from their assessment than training, as we give you as much autonomy to perform as possible, enabling you to learn about yourself along the way.
PRE-REQUISITES
Prior to booking your Winter Mountain Leader Assessment:
You need to have attended a Winter Mountain Leader training course (or have been granted exemption). In addition, you need to have:
- Logged a minimum of 40 Winter Quality Mountain Days, with at least 20 of them gained in Scotland, distributed over a period of at least 3 winter seasons (75% of the minimum required quantity must be in the UK and Ireland, and at least 50% gained in Scotland)
- Completed and logged at least 10 Grade I (or above) named UK winter climbs or equivalent mountaineering routes
- Attended and completed (in person, not online) a first aid course which involved at least two full days or sixteen hours of instruction and included an element of assessment. You will be deferred if you cannot produce a valid, original copy of your first aid certificate.
- Completed the Home Paper which is part of this document WML Assessment Homepaper
All the information you need about the Winter Mountain Leader, including the candidate handbook and skills checklist can be found on the Mountain Training website: Winter Mountain Leader (mountain-training.org)
IS IT FOR ME?
If you’re already a Mountain Leader with experience of 40 winter Quality Mountain Days and the motivation to consolidate your skills since training, then you’re ready for this assessment. This course will be run by some of the most experienced course directors in the UK, who will create an environment and experience that maximises your ability to perform to the best of your potential. You will also be in one of the most inspirational winter venues anywhere.
Glenmore Lodge has a heritage of decades spent delivering winter skills training of this type, and the Cairngorms offer one of the most reliable winter environments in which to train. We recommend choosing to stay at Glenmore Lodge for the duration of this course, as it means we’re able to fully support your learning on what is typically a demanding course. Due to the nature of the conditions, the programme is highly flexible with the course director often adapting the days to make best use of the circumstances for learning. This is made easier with access to onsite accommodation, brilliant catering, drying rooms, laundry facilities, meeting spaces and a bar in which to socialise and share learning with other candidates.
CONTENT
The assessment is a very holistic process, which needs a degree of flexibility to adapt to the conditions. However an outline programme is provided below.
Over the five days, we will provide opportunities for you to demonstrate your personal winter skills. We will use our knowledge of venues and conditions to progressively move onto steeper terrain so that you can demonstrate hazard awareness and group leadership.
We will also assess the skills required to look after groups in steeper terrain including some emergency procedures. Throughout the course we will seek opportunities for you to demonstrate how you would develop your group’s winter skills.
Winter navigation and avoiding avalanche hazard will be required continuously, reacting to the conditions on the day. Usually some form of expedition provides the best way for you to demonstrate competencies in multiple syllabus areas, including snow holes and emergency shelters.
DATES & PRICES
| 2025 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COURSE DATE | COST (no accommodation) |
PLACES | BOOKING | |
| Date24/02/25 | Cost (no accommodation)£465.00 | Places | ||
| Date10/03/25 | Cost (no accommodation)£465.00 | PlacesFULL | Contact Us | |
| Date17/03/25 | Cost (no accommodation)£465.00 | Places | ||
| Date24/03/25 | Cost (no accommodation)£465.00 | Places | ||
| Need a different date? Call 01479 861 256 to arrange your own date, or email [email protected] | ||||
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USEFUL INFORMATION
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Instruction
Use of kit
Packed lunch and afternoon tea each day
In-course transport
NEED TO KNOW
WHAT WILL I NEED
YOU WILL NEED (Glenmore Lodge can provide if required)
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Insulated synthetic jacket with hood
- Winter Boots
- Gaiters
- Crampons
- Ice Axe
- Helmet
- 40lt rucksack
- Walking poles
EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO BRING WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE IN THE STORES
What will you need to bring? Listed here are the essentials; this is not an exhaustive list.
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping mat
- Bivi bag
- Stove & fuel
- Personal clothing
- Winter outdoor wear
- Insulating layers
- Winter climbing / mountaineering trousers
- Hat & gloves, several pairs of.
- Whistle
- Compass – Silva type 4 recommended with a 1:40,000 romer ***
- Waterproof map case.
- Headtorch
- Rucksack liner (or sturdy bin liner) / dry bags
- Hydration system (water bottle / flask)
- Box or bag for packed lunch.
- Personal first aid kit
- Personal toiletries & medications (towels are provided)
- Suncream & sun hat
Map information – we encourage everyone on mountain courses to have a map covering the Northern Cairngorms with a 10km radius from the ski area. There are now a range of scales and maps available OS 1:50,000, OS 1:25,000 and Harvey Map 1:40,000. For candidates on any NGB course such as Mountain Leader winter, you should have a 1:50,000 map and ideally one other scale. For non-qualification courses any scale is fine, OS 1:50,000 map sheet 36 covers the widest area, but the Harvey 1:40,000 has a lot of additional information on the back of it, however it is useful to have the Silva Mark 4 compass with the 1:40,000 scale on it. If you have digital mapping and can print off map sheets a suggested area would be:
NW corner NH8514 NE corner NJ0314
SW corner NN8593 SE corner NO0393
Glenmore Lodge will provide any technical equipment required on a skills course e.g. climbing ropes and racks. However it would be expected that students attending any climbing NGB courses will have their own technical equipment other than ropes which Glenmore Lodge will provide.
