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Poor Visibility Contour Masterclasses in the Lake District
This is a great opportunity for you to take your poor visibility navigation skills to the next level, and it is perfect as a refresher before an assessment. We’ll start off in the light to let you get tuned in, and then navigate into darkness. You’ll learn how to navigate using the shape of the ground with contour-only maps, and then transfer this knowledge back to normal maps, again focusing primarily on the shape of the ground. This will really sharpen your navigation skills so that you no longer rely on line features, such as streams, walls and paths, which can all change.
The course is open to trainees and award holders of the following awards, and anyone with comparable personal experience:
Venue: meet at the Stickle Ghyll car park, Langdale valley, Lake District
Dates: see the Masterclasses section on our online calendar
Times: 2pm to 9pm approx
Cost: £68 Mountain Training Association members, £74 non-members
Counts as 1 CPD point for Mountain Training Association members
Equipment list:
~ the usual personal gear for a full day/evening out in the mountains
~ compass
~ watch
~ headtorch & spare batteries
~ mapcase (essential because the contour-only maps are not waterproof. Ortlieb is best)
~ 1:25000 map - Ordnance Survey OL6 Lake District SW sheet or Harvey’s Superwalker Lake District West or Dinky Map+ Central Lake District
We will be using contour-only maps which we will provide, and which you can keep at the end of the day.
Useful blog posts::
How to Navigate Like a Pro
So What Do You Actually Do On A Contour Masterclass?
One of our clients made this video for his YouTube channel in January 2022.
What do our clients say about us?
Thank you Chris for a great day/evening, very valuable information learned and even if in really bad weather conditions, enjoyed every bit of it. Chris does look after all people in the group and makes sure everyone is safe at all times. I look forward attending his courses in the future.
Carlo Riva, January 2018
Anne’s communication was excellent. Chris has a wealth of experience and knowledge which really shone through in the delivery of the course. His enthusiasm and passion were infectious. I had heard great feedback from colleagues who had also taken part in one of Chris’s courses, and I was keen to also experience his delivery. Thanks for a great evening. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and certainly learnt a great deal from Chris’s knowledge. I look forward to taking part on another course in the future. Thanks.
Ben Keen, January 2018
With Chris you get much more than the name of the course. An excellent training day with a lot of navigation skills, movement and group management ideas thrown in. As always delivered with a focus on individual client learning in an enthusiastic and friendly nature.
Martin Bates, January 2019
Chris shared his huge experience in the mountains with enthusiasm, ensuring the masterclass was fresh, inclusive and fun.
Richard Tower, November 2019
I like learning from Chris. He is a master in his own right. The Yoda of Nav! The way he explains things and then gets you to put into practice is very good. He puts you at ease and always has time to help you. He has is someone that I would aspire to be like.
Joe Hall, January 2020
Excellent course which certainly built my confidence. I especially enjoyed all the non navigational aspects (e.g. movement, plants.....) It was very easy to engage with Chris. I’ve previously visited Plas y Brenin but this course fitted my diary and allowed me to break my journey from Cardiff to Fort William. I will certainly use Chris again. Excellent course, excellent tuition. Was delighted with my Masterclass.
Lathan Ball, February 2020
The booking process was absolutely seamless. Brilliant session, really feel I’m starting to click now, learned so much more than nav though, this is so good! Chris is such a patient instructor, fills me with confidence and I never feel daft asking questions. Inspirational! Just love Chris’s sessions - I learn so much!
Steve Turner, November 2020
Always easy to book and lots of help from Anne with any questions, kept informed and reminders sent before the event and some good advice about some map alternatives. Fantastic! We covered more than just navigation which is always really useful, pulls everything together, all the skills you might need in the hills not just nav. Lots of help, tips and advice. Great as always! A big thank you as always. A great afternoon / evening, a lovely group of people as well. There's always something to learn and Chris has a great way of encouraging the learning and making you think rather than just telling you the answer.
Sharon Bianchi, January 2022
The whole experience from enquiry to booking on the course has been excellent. The programme was tailored to suit the group and individual and Chris’s informal, friendly and people-centred approach was fantastic and exactly what I needed. He has a real skill when it comes to working in the mountain environment and breaks the learning down into bite size chunks which are then easily digested and put into practice. I had heard very good reports and I wanted to see for myself and having experienced other providers I can say that Chris is the best and I am looking forward to attending some of the other workshops in the future. Many thanks to Anne and Chris and I have already started to recommend your services to my friends and colleagues.
Paul Simpson, January 2022
Brilliant, it was honestly the most informative session I have had. I appreciated the steep ground movement too it has given me something else to think about too. It was really obvious and fantastic to see how both Chris and Alex work together to do these workshops.
Fran Croot, January 2023
A really helpful course, which I came away from feeling much more confident. Chris was fun and informative in his approach and the content never felt too overwhelming.
Abi Thompson, November 2023
