Information
Mountain Training In Ireland
Mountain Training in Ireland by Bren Whelan
As the number of people becoming involved in outdoor pursuits steadily increase year on year. More and more members are getting involved in some form of training schemes, but how many of these new or even the exsisting adventurers are aware of the differences in the types of training that are available?
Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI)
The MCI is the national representative body for the sport of mountaineering in Ireland. It covers the full spectrum of mountaineering activities including hillwalking, rambling, rockclimbing, alpinism and indoor climbing. The work of the MCI includes: promoting mountaineering activities in Ireland; providing a range of services to members; promoting safety and training to walkers and climbers and encouraging responsible use of the mountain environment.
Membership is open to both clubs and individuals. At present the MCI has over 9000 members – made up of 120 member clubs and 1200 individual members.
The MCI produces a quarterly magazine – the Irish Mountain Log.
Who is BOS?
BOS is a subcommittee of the MCI. BOS develops and administers training schemes for hill walking and rock climbing. It sets the standards and validates course providers, but it does not run any training directly. Each one of its training schemes includes an element of formal training as well as a requirement for candidates to gain a specific amount of experience. BOS only has remit over training run in the South of Ireland. The board is comprised of representatives from the MCI, Mountain Rescue, VEC, Youth Services and other interested parties. The training board meets about 7 times a year, usually at the Mountaineering Council of Ireland’s office at Sport HQ in Dublin.
The following is the range of formal courses which are available Ireland:
Walking Group Leader Award
Mountain Leader Award Training. The format and requirements for this scheme differ in the South of Ireland from the scheme run in NI & UK
Single Pitch Award Training & Assessment
Multi-Pitch Climbing Award Training & Assessment
Personal Proficiency Training
Mountain Skills Training (MS)
Is the bench mark personal proficiency training course for anyone who travels in the mountains of Ireland or else where. This scheme was introduced in around 1990 and has evolved over the years. Over the duration of the training course (usually 4 days and normally run over 2 separate weekends) candidates are introduced in a relaxed and progressive manner, to the essential skills required for safe and enjoyable travel in the hills. This course provides instruction in day navigation, night navigation and travel through steeper broken ground, and the course has a continuous environmental theme. Training also includes group discussions on route planning, mountain hazards, emergency procedures and mountain walking equipment. Training is open to anyone who has an interest in hill walking, and the course is of benefit to everyone who wants to enjoy the mountain environment in a safe and responsible manner. The scheme is very effective in making individuals and club members safer in the mountains and it helps raise the personal skill level of candidates progressing onto the Mountain Leader Scheme. Candidates with substantial experience receive an exemption from training (but not the assessment) if they can provide evidence of at least 30 hillwalks.
More info: http://mountaintraining.ie/index.php?lnk=courses&type=mtnskills
Mountain Skills Assessment (MSA)
The MS scheme concludes with a two day hillwalking assessment during which candidates are assessed in the skills of day & night navigation, personal equipment, mountain safety, knowledge of the mountain environment and personal movement through steeper terrain. There is also a (short) written paper element to the assessment. Candidates should have at least 14 personal walks completed and these should be presented in logbook form, in addition to holding basic first aid certificate.
The MSA forms part of the BOS Mountain Leader Scheme and it is a compulsory requirement for every candidate who wishes to register on the BOS ML scheme.
Leadership opportunities
The Walking Group Leader Award was adopted by BOS without change from the MLTUK in 2002.
More info: http://mountaintraining.ie/index.php?lnk=courses&type=walkinglship
