A Sneak Peak Into A Mountain Leader Training Course

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A Sneak Peak Into A Mountain Leader Training Course

When you sign up for something new, the worst thing for many people is not knowing what to expect. In 1990 I set off on my journey to becoming a British Mountain Guide. I had an idea of the outline of the course programme, and I had talked to other people who were further along in the scheme. But I still had unanswered questions, and I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. That is true for anyone on any course, whatever the subject or level of learning. And it will be true for you when you sign up for a Mountain Leader training course, so we’re giving you a sneak peak into our courses, including a couple of excellent videos made by one of the candidates

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7 Reasons Why You Should Embrace Failure

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7 Reasons Why You Should Embrace Failure

No-one likes to fail. It doesn’t make us feel good, and it can cost us time, money, energy and pride. Failure can be defined as a lack of success in doing or achieving something, especially in relation to a particular activity. Fear of failure can prevent us from trying, but failure is inevitable. Everyone experiences setbacks sometimes, and if we can change our mindset about failure, it can be good for us, even though it might not feel like it at the time. If you’ve been out with Chris, you’ll probably have heard him use the FAIL acronym, which stands for First Attempt In Learning.

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First Aid Kit Comparison: The Minimalist vs The First Aid Trainer

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First Aid Kit Comparison: The Minimalist vs The First Aid Trainer

If you’ve been in the mountains with me, or you’re a regular blog reader, you’ll know that I am a minimalist when it comes to packing a rucksack. Whatever I am doing, from guiding in the Alps to walking in to a crag on a Rock Climbing Instructor course, I don’t want to be carrying any unnecessary weight. And that applies to my first aid kit too. Over the years I have whittled it down to the things I know are absolutely essential, and I’ve ditched everything else. But not everyone has the same philosophy. Kelvyn James is on our freelance team, and he has featured in our My Story series. He runs his own business, which includes delivering first aid courses. He has a totally different approach to his first aid kit, so we thought it would be fun and informative to do a comparison.

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So What Do You Really Do On A Movement Masterclass?

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So What Do You Really Do On A Movement Masterclass?

Movement coaching is one of Chris’s big passions, and he includes it in everything he does - you might book a place on a Contour Masterclass or a Mountain Leader course, but you’ll get a good helping of movement coaching alongside the course syllabus. Why does he think it is so important? Walking for most people is an unconscious competence – we do it without any thought. It is almost as automatic as breathing, so why does it need to be taught? Can’t any able-bodied person walk without thinking about it?

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Updated: What's So Special About The Black Cuillin Of Skye?

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Updated: What's So Special About The Black Cuillin Of Skye?

Well, how long have you got? This paragraph from the introduction of the Skye & The Hebrides guidebook sums it up: If you love mountains then you will almost certainly love the Cuillin. A marriage between rock, water and sky, these are mountains unique in their ambience and configuration. A classic and near perfect horseshoe provides the finest ridge traverse in Britain, whose flanks give a host of climbs on some of the finest rock imagineable.

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