Mountain Leader Course

MOUNTAIN LEADER COURSE ITINERARY

29th November – 4th December 2019 (6 days)

The Mountain Leader Award or MLA is designed for people who want to lead groups in high mountain areas in non-technical and easy technical terrain. There is a strong focus on accurate navigation in all weather conditions and bad visibility. The award also includes expedition organization skills for multi-day trips. It is an Award, which requires dedication and a high level of experience and skill.

The Mountain Leader Award is issued by an accredited governing body from South Africa and is equivalent to the UK Mountain Leader Course. The trainer is an approved international provider of Mountain Leader courses and assessments. The skills learned on this award are similar to those required for the NQF Mountain Walking Guide and therefore is a good platform for training towards this Unit Standard.

The award consists of 4 distinct parts:

1) At least 12 months prior hiking experience.

2) Attending the 6-day training course with an approved provider.

3) Gaining of further experience.

4) Attending a 4-day practical assessment.

Course program:

Day 1 and 2: Lectures, based in Dubai.

Day 3 – 6: Practical hiking in the mountains of the UAE

ML Course Day/Night Arrangements 30th Nov - 4th December

Month         Day Date               Day Arrangement Sleep Arrangements     Public Holiday/Work Day

November   Friday 29th            In Classroom In Dubai                              Official Day off

November   Saturday 30th        In Classroom In Dubai                              Day Off

December   Sunday 1st            In Mountains Camping - Area TBA            Official Public Holiday

December   Monday 2nd          In Mountains Camping - Area TBA            Official Plublic Holiday

December   Tuesday 3rd          In Mountains Camping - Area TBA             Official Plublic Holiday

December   Wednesday 4th     In Mountains In Dubai                                Work Day

Subjects covered:

- Maps and navigation

- Equipment care

- Managing a group

- Conservation

- Steep-ground

- River crossing with a rope

- Emergencies

- Roping skills on steep ground

- Duty of care

- Winter conditions and hazards

- Weather

- Bivvy skills

In all of these areas candidates are specifically shown methods of good and safe practice when dealing with beginners and groups, as this is in essence what MLA is about. Navigation, including the ability to read maps properly, forms a major part of the course. GPS devises are not considered to be suitable for proper and accurate wilderness navigation and thus not included in the course.

Before Assessment:

Before being assessed against this award, the candidate must present a logbook demonstrating that the candidate has:

Necessary experience prior to assessment:

- Completed the Mountain Leader Award Training Course.

- Gone through a minimum 6-month consolidation period, unless extensive prior experience is proved.

- Recorded a minimum of 40 Quality Mountain Days with at least 10 in winter conditions and 5 days at altitude (≥2400m). This experience must be spread across three distinct mountain ranges.

- Recorded at least 8 nights’ wilderness camping.

- Be in possession of a minimum Level 2 First Aid certificate and have attended a wilderness first aid course.

Assessment:

Please note that assessment not included in this course and assessment is subject to meeting assessment criteria and is to be done 6-12 months after this course at an additional cost.

The Assessment is a minimum of 4 days long and includes an overnight expedition. The fundamental skill of a Mountain Leader is navigation (and group management) on steep and complex terrain, often in unfavourable environmental conditions. Therefore, a significant part of the assessment will be the actual demonstration of navigation and route finding skills in a real context, in a suitably mountainous environment. Thus assessment will include a limited visibility (or night) navigation test.

If the candidate passes this assessment and also has a valid Level Two First Aid certificate

then the MLA certificate is given.

Course Costs: APPLY WITHIN

Costs for Assessment which is done 6-12 months later and is subject to meeting assessment criteria. 50% non-refundable deposit is required to book your place. The remaining is required by the 1st of November.

A non-refundable deposit of 50% of your cost will secure your booking. An invoice for the final balance will be submitted to you by Adventure Quest and must be paid by 1st November 2019.

Inclusions:

Course material

Office location in Dubai

Map material

Use of ropes will be supplied

Exclusions:

Assessment – To be done at a later date. We will run this assessment in the future and costs depends on numbers.

Food – please bring own food and water for the duration of the course

Compasses and navigation material required

Camping and sleeping gear

Bookings:

There is a limit to 12 people on the course, on a first come first serve basis. Course is limited and places are filling up fast. Place in the course is not considered as confirmed unless 50% deposit has been made, with remaining 50% made by 1st November.

Please contact us on +97155 608 8593 for any queries, or on adventurequestae@gmail.com in order to book your place.

What you need to provide: Personal medication, passport copy, medical insurance, Toiletries, Torch/headlamp, sleeping and camping gear. Due to the nature of activities, you will need to ensure that you have sufficient health insurance cover for this activity.

Required Documents: A waiver document shall be signed by all guests and a short health and dietary questionnaire is also required from each guest. 

About the Trainer 

The trainer is a certified Mountaineering Instructor (M.I.A.) endorsed by the Mountain Development Trust of South Africa. He is a NQF National Mountaineering (level 7), Cultural and Nature Guide (level 4). He is also a past President of the KwaZulu-Natal Section of the Mountain Club of SA. He has been involved in mountain rescue since 1992 and since 2005 has been the Convener of Mountain Rescue.