SAFETY & TRAINING
NEVER NEGLECT NAVIGATION
The Scottish Mountain Safety Forum has noted the popularity of the navigation courses previously run by the Scottish Mountain Safety Group and these are, therefore, to be the first courses open to all comers to be arranged by the Forum as part of a wider mountain safety programme.
For the newcomer to mountaineering and hill-walking this course is a must, and with winter fast approaching others might find this an ideal opportunity to brush up on those navigational skills.
Whichever way you look at it you can't go wrong with Ben Macdui . You just can't go wrong with the grid reference for the summit - it is definitely 989989 . But which 989 is easting and which northing ? Are you sure you remember ? And what about that wee needle in the compass - which end is supposed to point north ? How many degrees of variation is the magnetic from true north ? Did you get that fix right before the mist closed in ? Or do you just rely on blindly following the leader on the club meet ? Not quite sure … maybe need a bit of a brush up on the navigation. Then let us help … try a navigation course .
Qualified mountaineering instructors help you get to grips with those eastings and northings as you grapple with the grid references, or sort out the vagaries of magnetic and true north. Whether you intend meandering Munros (or Murdos, and Marilyns !), climbing Corbetts or grabbing Grahams - this IS the course for YOU !
The Navigation Courses consist of two evening sessions of approximately two hours each, followed by a short day of practical experience on the hill.
As previously a choice of venues is offered. These are :-
|
Largs: |
Evening Sessions 28 October, and 4 November
at The Scottish National
Sports Centre, Burnside Rd. Largs.
Practical Outing 14 November
|
|
Callander |
Evening Sessions 27 October, and 3 November
at McLaren Leisure Centre, Mollands Rd.
Practical Outing 7 November
|
|
Falkirk: |
Evening Sessions 9 and 16 December;
at Falkirk Council Outdoor Activity Base, Queen St.
Practical Outing 19 December
|
The three sessions courses are modestly priced at £18 per head. Course places are limited to approximately 10 persons so early booking is advisable
MCofS Courses - Reminders :
CLUB GUIDANCE SEMINAR
Newsletter 36 gave details of this one-day seminar on safety and good practice for clubs. The programme will include information about organising club affairs, responsibilities of club officials, designing club programmes, operating gear pools, trips to climbing walls, to foreign countries and employment of professional help. Finaly, there will be time to answer any particular concerns.
This seminar is of vital importance to clubs, in an increasingly litigatious age.
| Date : |
Saturday 31 October 1998 |
| Venue : |
Cotterell Building, A4 room, Stirling University |
| Time : |
9.30am - 5.00 pm |
| Cost : |
FREE |
MCofS WINTER SKILLS COURSE 1998/99 AT GLENMORE LODGE
A final reminder to members to apply now for the Hillwalking Introductory / Refresher Skills Course or the Introduction to Winter Mountaineering Skills Course being affered at reduced price at Glenmore Lodge. Full details are in Newsletter 36.
Course Dates
2 day course: Sunday 27th - Tuesday 29th December 1998
2 day course: Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd January 1999
2 day course: Tuesday 5th - Thursday 7th January 1999
2 day course: Friday 8th - Sunday 10th January 1999
Applications direct to Glenmore Lodge only on the MCofS application form.
MOUNTAIN FIRST AID COURSE
Course instructors will once again be Arrochar Mountain Rescue Team with a donation of proceedes from the weekend being donated to the team.
| Date : |
7/8 November |
| Course content: | Day One - British Red Cross First Aid course including Leisure Time and First Aid.
Day Two - Casualty management on the hill. |
| Certificate : |
Emergency First Aid Cert. of Competence & Voucher of Attendance. |
| Cost : |
£52 plus certificate costs
£5.00 extra for Friday night accommodation |
NEW OFFICER POST FOR SAFETY ISSUES
Advertisements recently appeared in "Climber" and "TGO" magazines for the newly-created post of part-time Mountain Safety Adviser with the MCofS. MCofS hopes to have the position filled in time for the coming winter as a large proportion of the work of the Mountain Safety Adviser will be focused on getting across the winter safety message. The post has been made possible by the handing over by the Scottish Sports Council to MCofS of the work previously done by the Scottish Mountain Safety Group. The post will be based at the MCofS's Perth office and we are looking for an active mountaineer with experience of training, whether formal or informal, and an in-depth knowledge of mountaineering safety issues.
If you feel you have the experience and the skills contact the MCofS office for further details.
Closing date for applications is 10th October 1998
ROUTE CARDS - DO YOU NEED THEM ?
Part of the ethos of mountaineering is freedom from control and regulations; to be able to participate at whatever level of risk you decide is right for you and to experience adventure without hindrance by time or deadlines. However, when things go wrong and there is an accident then a cavalier approach can often seem foolhardy and irresponsible to non-mountaineers. Rescue from remote areas of Scotland is not easy and although there is a good network of civilian (voluntary) Mountain Rescue Teams that can mobilise huge searches for missing climbers and walkers it obviously helps them to have some idea of where you are. This dilemma is constantly deliberated every time a climber heads out. Do I leave detailed information of my movements (what if I change my mind ?) or do I decide to be totally self reliant ?
To help in that decision, the MCofS Safety & Training Committee have produced an Information Sheet about Route Cards that is available to members FREE. Simply send us an A5 SAE for a copy. Clubs wishing to make bulk orders please contact the office first.
SMLTB DIRECTORS' SEMINAR REPORT
Glenmore Lodge, 21 November 1997
The SMLTB held a Director's Seminar on 21 November at Glenmore Lodge with the theme of "Communications". This drew together several different strands - communications between candidates and those working on training and assessment course, communications between the Board and those who deliver the courses on its behalf and communications between the Board and the candidates. It seemed appropriate to have the seminar at this time when the Board could get feed-back on the new summer documentation and introduce the newly printed winter documents (so new it only arrived from the printers that day). It was also an opportunity for course directors and other interested parties to meet members of the Board and the new Secretary.
The seminar was well attended with 56 people coming to Glenmore, 12 of these being Board members. The National Centres were also well represented as were the other home nation boards and AMI who provided some of the speakers. Another welcome event was the contribution from the MC of S heralding closer links between them and the SMLTB as two bodies whose main interests are in the hills and mountains of Scotland. Facilities were provided by Glenmore Lodge and their co-operation was instrumental in the success of the day.
Kate Ross, the SMLTB Vice Chair did the introductions and chaired the day in her usual efficient and business like manner.
Developing Effective Leaders
The first speaker was Dale Kitching whose theme was "Developing Effective Leaders". This was a summary of Dale's work for her Master' Degree at Moray House College and was a study of the training of leadership skills within the Summer ML scheme. This was based on the belief that technical ability alone is not sufficient and that these "soft" skills should be a fundamental part of a leaders' training. This study resulted in Dale producing a "Becoming an Effective Leader; A Workbook for ML Trainees" which was distributed to the delegates. This was well received and comments from the floor indicated keen interest in this aspect of ML training and ultimately assessment. It was felt that the change in use of ML awards has influenced a change in approach to both training and assessment by ML providers. Discussion centred on how trainers can help candidates develop judgement by encouraging them to review their mountaineering and leadership experiences.
Communication, the Assessor and the Candidate
Anne Salisbury from Moray House Institute spoke on this topic. After some of the stories about negative experiences on assessment, Anne went on to discuss how assessors could improve. As candidates are expected to learn, even from an assessment course, then assessors too should learn by continually re-evaluating their performance. Ways to improve feedback and communicate with the candidates were suggested and ideas to try out during assessment were given. On the technical side some good ideas for improving navigation assessment when the visibility was good were put forward. The key point is that the perfect assessor does not exist. Assessors need to learn a broad range of communication styles and be able to adapt style and techniques when necessary. Assessors must learn to use assessment time effectively and also consider their own performance.
River Crossing Developments
This session was followed by Nigel Williams, the Director of Training at Glenmore Lodge and was a presentation on a simpler rope system. However, this raised a great deal of debate on the whole question of river crossing and its place in the syllabus. When and where to use the various methods of river crossing were discussed and the need for a variety of techniques to be available was emphasised. A key point was that river crossings taught at inappropriate venues were viewed in a negative way by candidates. It was suggested that video showing river crossing should be produced for use when conditions for practical training are poor and that the SMLTB gives a strong lead on river crossing to trainers and assessors.
Computer Aided Navigation Learning
This was a practical demonstration by Dr Ross Purves of Edinburgh University of a project he had developed for the Scottish Sports Council. This was an inter-active computer program which used maps and 3D computer simulations of the terrain to develop map reading, particularly map interpretation skills. The area used was that around Dreish and Mayar in Glen Clova. When travelling along a route the shape of ground could be displayed and as the navigator turned then the ground did likewise. The terrain could be viewed from the perspective of a walker or as an aerial view and questions set and assistance given by the program. This impressive demonstration created a lot of questions and interest and the future of such teaching aids debated at length. The possibility of future developments of this work was uncertain at that time.
Access
This session on access was presented by Nick Kempe, President of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, who spoke on the role of the MC of S and the work they had been doing. The Concordat on Access was discussed as one of the more notable developments in this field with the emphasis on communication between mountaineers and land owners. Nick also outlined some of the legal aspects of access as it effected hill walkers in Scotland. He also cleared up some widely held but mistaken ideas on trespass and the like. Once again this stimulated lively debate and a better understanding of what the MC of S had been doing and what they hoped to achieve. Several Course Directors were even seen enquiring about becoming individual members of the MC of S. The leaflets and booklets were seen to be very useful for Course Directors and ML candidates as it is important that Mountain Leaders are aware on the impact of groups and their rights and responsibilities of access.
Changes to the SPSA scheme
John Cousins, the Secretary of the UKMTB, then gave an update on the changes which were transforming the SPSA into the Single Pitch Award. This would be a UK wide award but in Scotland administered by the SMLTB from 1998 onwards. A number of the Course Directors present already delivered the SPSA in Scotland so these changes would directly effect them.
Open Forum
Allen Fyffe, the SMLTB Secretary, then answered questions on the previously circulated paper on the proposal to introduce provider fees in Scotland. The primary aim being to further harmonise the home nation Boards' schemes. The SMLTB would continue to approve individuals as course directors while the MLTB approved Centres. There was some discussion on the subject but no real objection to these new charges. Finally the new SMLTB Winter ML literature was distributed for inspection and comment.
The Seminar concluded an open forum with the Secretary and John Newman- Carter the SMLTB Chairman. The theme of communication was thus continued then concluded. A successful event in which everyone left with some new ideas and food for thought, a greater understanding of the some of the many issues affecting candidates, trainers and assessors and an update on current issues affecting the SMLTB and Providers.
Back to Newsletter index
next article
|
