Course One
Sunday 1st Feb (pre-meet 15:00 - 17:00 & Friday 6th to Sunday 8th Feb (skills weekend)
Course Two
Sunday 3rd May (pre-meet 15:00-17:00) & Friday 8th to Sunday 10th May (skills weekend)
This weekend is run by GLSW and the Surrey Scout County, and are open to all Scout Association members over the age of 16 it will be run from the GLSW County Activity Centre (Yr Hen Neuadd) in Bethesda on the edge of Snowdonia National Park, North Wales. Participants are expected to have a general interest in mountaineering and ideally would have been involved in expeditions into the hills.
The programme structure is flexible and will depend upon the skills training required by the participants themselves, it is hoped this will be fully discussed and covered at the pre-meet (as such please ensure that the relevant form section is fully completed so as to let us know what you want from the weekend).
Mountain skills covered over the weekend could include the following:
- A general and practical introduction to the many aspects of mountain walking, with the weekend providing the basic personal all round skills required.
- Leader responsibilities, when taking young people into the hills. Awareness and understanding of group management. The additional technical skills leadership requires.
- Route planning and navigation, techniques required to navigate safely off main paths, and in wild country. Additional navigation skills under poor conditions and during the winter months.
- How to move safely with a group over steep or mixed ground.
- Group supervision and monitoring.
- Training and guidance for those wishing to make a start on the Walking Group Leader or Mountain Leader Awards. Please note national qualification training is now an assessment requirement.
- Building experience/log book by; acting as assistant leader, using skills previously gained, or exploring unfamiliar routes.
For those that have previous experience, authorisation assessment for the scout authorisation scheme may also be taken over the weekend (terrains one and two). Notification must be given when the application form is returned, and the authorisation form (code FS120416) must be completed and returned prior to the pre-meet. This requirement is to ensure that the applicant is properly briefed by the assessor and arrives prepared.
The pre-meet morning will be spent covering navigation techniques, equipment, risk assessment and other relevant matters. The Scout Association’s hill walking authorisation scheme will also be covered. Route plans will be completed for the following weekend and transport to Bethesda on the following Friday (leaving afternoon/early evening, returning Sunday evening) will also be arranged. Coffee will be served during the morning.
The cost of the weekend is £65(sorry not the £62 advertised cost), cheques should be made payable to G.L.S.W. Scout Training Account. Applicants are advised to enquire at once of their D.C. regarding the availability of grant aid payment of grant aid may be dependent upon submitting an application prior to the weekend.
Applications should be made on the attached form; places will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for your booking confirmation, which will include a location map for the pre-meet.
Please note that weekends in the mountains can be physically demanding, participants should be fit enough to sustain and enjoy a full programme, this would be particularly relevant to the February weekend.
Please contact us if you have any questions.
Martin Beach
Surrey Mountaineering Courses Administrator
07824 631155
Martin David
County Advisor - Hillwalking Activities
07968 907368