Mountain Leader on eBothy Blog

setting up a mountain guiding company

Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been considering setting up a mountain walking company recently and did a bit of research into what’s actually needed. I didn’t include the initial cost of getting qualified as I’m already a Summer Mountain Leader, ML(S) and I’ve done the Winter Mountain Leader ML(W) training but until I go for assessment, I can’t get insurance to work in winter.

The first thing I’d need is a business, or in my case, set up as a Sole Trader. That means I can set up, say, Stravaiger Mountain Walking and have my name on all business communications as stipulated in the Sole Trader regulations. There’s a full guide to this here. I started on the Sole Trader stuff here.

all change at the top of cairngorm

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Since its inception in 2001, the Cairngorm funicular has barred access from the top station to the plateau, mainly due to the 2.7m quid they’d have to repay the EU as letting visitors out of the train and onto the hill was forbidden due to the terms of the European funding element. Then last year they ran a trial that let walkers make their own way up the hill and take the train down and now, the inevitable has happened. Walkers will now be allowed out of the top station and onto the hill. Apparently this won’t affect the 2.7m pounds clawback as the designated fragile areas are 1.5Km from the top station, despite the entire Cairngorm plateau having a few Natura 2000 sites.

But it’s not as bad as it sounds. It looks like it’s going to be a ticketed system, where you can book a return funicular and guided walk package for the bargain price of 13 pounds. Considering a day’s hire of a Mountain Leader (ML) can cost you anywhere from 70 to 120 pounds, that is indeed a bargain. According to the company, a maximum of 140 bods per day could be doing the summit walk package but from the telly report, it’s starting at 7 walks per day with a maximum of 10 per group.

the litigious mountains

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been ruminating on remit for a Mountain Leader (ML) lately, as I’ve been doing some “guiding” in the Cuillin for my old friend Corncircles, who’s researching a book that takes in some of the classic outings in the highlands. The latest foray into the rocky world of the Cuillin started me thinking on what it would take to be able to offer my services to paying clients, as opposed to helping friends through challenging terrain, as, believe it or not, most of the Cuillin are “off limits” to holders of the ML award, who’s remit basically states:

“lead parties in the mountains of the UK and Ireland”

However, there’s a little word missing from the “mission statement”. That word is “all”.

ml and scrambling

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000

The Mountain Leader (summer) award is more or less for leading groups in the UK and Ireland on non scrambling terrain. I sometimes call it the Grassy Mountain Leader award as you’re not “allowed” to lead scrambles. It’s a grey area though. What I mean by “allowed”, is scrambling is not in the remit of the award, as it’s a walking award, however, what it boils down to is you can use the rope in an unplanned situation but not go out in the hills intending to use it. So if you are leading a group of very strong walkers who would have no trouble going along, say, the Clach Glas ridge unroped, you could argue that you had no intention of using the rope. On the other hand, if you tried it with a group of novices, as a competent leader, you would know where the rope would be needed and therefore that its use was planned and you’d be out of remit. It’s this grey area that puts most of the Cuillin “off limits” to ML award holders, including myself.

the tao of navigation

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I read a really nice article the other day by Lauren Webster about the Taoist principle of action and I thought about how this might be applied to navigating in the mountains. The principle basically states that to overcome obstacles in life, you have to be confident in your environment and your abilities. You have to believe in yourself. One of the traits of a good mountain leader is having the courage of your convictions. Many times I’ve been out in foul weather and someone has been making pronouncements on the way ahead while I have been studying the map and working out a safe descent route. More often than not, the compass shows the way that is not obvious from memory. The way down always looks obvious in the mist. It’s the route of least resistance but which can lead to a big drop or a swollen river. The wisdom of the compass is always hard for non-believers to trust.