studying for winter ml

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 00:00:00 +0000

They say Winter ML, ML(W) is the hardest qualification you can go for, especially if you come from a walking background. The years of commitment, skill levels and initiative required are an order of magnitude greater than Summer ML, ML(S), although ML(S) is a tough enough qualification in itself. On the last night of a three day exped into remote mountains, 1am in the morning, howling gale and heavy rain, you can wonder what on earth you’re doing there and being grilled into the bargain by a tough assessor saying “ok, you’re not where you thought you were, you’ve got 5 mins to sort it”. However, move forward a few months, increase the wind speed by 50mph, chuck in blowing snow and rub out the rest of the world in a whiteout and you get the picture for ML(W). Add in the requirement to have winter climbing experience (minimum of 10 Grade I routes and above) and it puts it at the extreme end of most walkers’ experience. It’s a real achievement to aim for and one that will give you fantastic days out and experiences you’ll never forget, while turning you into a competent winter mountaineer. Although it’s not designed to cover graded winter climbing, being a walking award and climbing is out of remit, you still need to demonstrate your comfort level on steep ground, hence the Grade I requirement. The thinking being that a lot of winter walking is on Grade I type ground such as open, steep slopes, although not specifically graded and in really bad weather a Grade I gully could get you out of trouble as a descent route.

ML(W) on eBothy Blog

studying for winter ml