UKC

Finally got round to booking my ML at Plas y Brenin and just wondered if anyone who has done it already could give me a little advice. It's been a while since I have attempted any sort of official qualification and, although I do a lot of climbing and hill walking and consider myself competent enough for what I do in my own time, I wanted to know if there are any particular areas you wish you had improved on before taking the course. Looks like an amazing course but I'm not keen on being the obvious newbie!
Many thanks

In reply to Philo22:

Assessment or training?

I wished I'd taken more warm clothes and some boiled sweets. other than that, I didn't think I needed much else. I took advice before not to put too much pressure on myself to succeed as if you've done the prep, you should be slick and that will come across naturally.
Try not to be too focussed on getting things right first time; you'll be given ample opportunity to correct any mistakes.

Have fun, it's a great course and you'll learn lots on both training and assessment too.

In reply to Philo22:

I'm guessing its training rather than assessment? Take 2 torches,easier to swap torches than it is to swap batteries. Be prepared to share tents, not point carrying more kit than necessary! Be ready to learn and ask questions, and ready to learn new ways of doing things that you think you are already good at, their way might be better. Have fun! I love training courses, you spend a week with an expert and can just get so much knowledge from them!
If it's assessment you are going for, expect it to be like the training but less fun!! Lol

In reply to higherclimbingwales:

Thanks mate, appreciate the advice. Got a week's training at the end of Feb so will definitely be packing in the thermals!

In reply to girlymonkey:

Ta for the advice. I'm guessing there's a fair bit of night nav then? I'm really looking forward to it. It's taken so long to get my act together and actually save enough to book the thing!

In reply to Philo22:

It depends a bit on the weather you get during the day. If it's clagged in all day, then they won't flog the night nav, but if you get clear sunny weather then you could be out for a while at night.

In reply to Philo22:

Great stuff. Girlmonkey said it right there - be prepared to learn. Don't go in thinking you know it all. be receptive to the instructor and the other people on the course. Don't take criticism to heart - it's how we learn.

In reply to Philo22:

The course will advise you of all you need to know. I was quite impressed by the level of navigation required to pass. I had always considered myself as reasonable but doing the ML pushed me to higher standards, especially on the night nav exercises. We did it in December in pouring rain and no moon, I would advise against doing it at that time of year. If I'm honest I found it quite demanding. Finding an almost indiscernible widening in the contours on the ground is not easy with just pacing and bearing in pitch black with just a head torch and no obvious features to help you. Make sure you ALWAYS know where you are even when it's not your turn to lead and don't assume that the person navigating the previous leg got it right.

The course seemed a little disjointed with regard to what additional knowledge is required. e.g. one instructor made a huge deal of knowing something about flora and fauna. My group spent an evening swotting up on this only to find that the instructor the following day knew nothing about this subject and cared even less.

As a climber I also had some slight disagreements with one instructor about ropework. I threaded the rope round the base of a huge pinnacle. The instructor climbed to the top of the pinnacle, a good 2 metres or so, put his back against the main rockface and pushed the pinnacle with his feet. It moved an inch or so, at the top, and was declared unsafe. When belaying he also made me move from a position where I was directly in line with the person I was belaying thus creating a "dogs leg" in the system. I can only assume that as I was a very experienced mountaineer he would try to bring me down a peg or two. I didn't make an official complaint but the guy really was an arse and did PYB no favours.

Enjoy

In reply to Philo22:

Did my training at PyB (years ago now) and it still sticks in my memory as a great week.

Nothing to add other than enjoy, take a few treats for the exped.

Adam

In reply to Philo22:

I did the training at PyB in October and it was a fantastic experience. There were about 12 of us doing ML training, mostly split in to 2 groups out on hill. We were a mixed bunch in terms of age, ability and experience and it was great to meet and learn with and from everyone. The food and buzz at PyB are great and some of us enjoyed relaxing at the free climbing wall in the evening. I recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity to borrow kit from the store, it’s a great way to try out different brands (eg soft shell trousers) for free! The only thing I would change, and I mentioned it on the feedback form at the end, is that I would have liked a 10 min chat with an instructor to go over my logbook.
After the course, make sure you go out with some mates and practise the techniques learnt.
I’m sure you will have a great time!

In reply to Philo22:

PyB flapjack is unsurpassed. Eat lots of it!

They supply food and stuff for the expedition but you can take your own if you prefer. I did, though I also took some PyB flapjack! Try to keep your pack as light and compact as possible on the exped.

I had a cracking time on my course - learned a lot even though I was already pretty experienced by the time I went on it.

In reply to Welsh Kate:

Practise navigation, navigation and more navigation.

Take minimal kit as you won't want to worry about a big sack while applying your nav skills at night.

In reply to Philo22:

Loads of really good advice given so far. It's a training course, so although you will presumably have the requisite logbook experience, expect to be learning loads, and don't panic if other people on your course seem more advanced than you- everyone is at their own stage of gaining experience- its how much you take on board during your training that matters.

To that end, my main advice is to make sure you are as physically comfortable as possible during the course. It is exhausting and there is a lot to learn. Being cold, wet and hungry is not going to help so make sure you have plenty of warm gear, your boots are comfy and solid, your waterproofs don't leak, and take enough food. Grab every opportunity to eat when on the go, and get as much sleep as you can when you can. Be organised with your gear and bring spare stuff- extra gloves and hats are a must.

If you feel unsure about something ask your instructor- this is your first and probably best opportunity to clarify techniques and the syllabus requirements before you go in to your consolidation period.

My Summer ML training utterly transformed my confidence and self reliance. Afterwards I felt much more comfortable about bad weather and solo trips. Enjoy!

In reply to Philo22:

Many many thanks for all the advice. Will definitely adjust my pack and revision accordingly! Really looking forward to the week.

In reply to Philo22:

I'd forgot that I'd written this blog about ML assessments, may be of interest for your training too.

Make sure you go in with an open mind and enjoy it

http://www.jbmountainskills.co.uk/news/mountain-leader-top-tips

In reply to Philo22:

The training goes through it all..

The main thing I found was the level of nav, I could nav competently but wasnt expecting to be able to find every reentrent, every spur, basically any squiggle on a contour you should be able to find...

The rest was pretty much hill sense... but the training goes through it all, but read up on the basic knots, rope work and security on steep ground etc..