July of this year I found myself abseiling into Gogarth with a great friend, and an experienced MIA who was mentoring her, about to commit to climbing my first route of the year and hardest in nine months. Of course I didn’t tell them this! (After all the route only got VS, I had climbed here many times before and what kind of person books their assessment and then only wanders around on easy routes for most of a year!) Instead, I suggested that Vicky should have the first lead as I hadn’t done much climbing since returning from skiing and wouldn’t be that fast or slick. (Oh S***!!!)
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| Trying to figure out where the top of Cneifion Arete is... so we could descend it |
Please note I have used headings in this blog so you can skip to any relevant parts of interest.
Beginnings
In November 2011 I arrived at Plas Y Brenin for my Mountaineering Instructor Award (MIA) training course. There was snow on the ground, 11 other course members (I knew no one else on the course, and they were all male and mostly based in the Lakes), and a plethora of staff ready to impart a gigantic volume of information to us. It was both daunting and exciting. Despite having spent the previous few years climbing, leading walking groups and mountaineering, I was still not sure I would be ready for the course. I was the joint weakest climber in the group, had many other UK climbing venues I hadn’t been to, and felt more under pressure to prove myself having been a Centre Assistant at PYB previously. However, youthful eagerness and ambition, along with an accepted logbook made me commit!
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| Having fun on the Scrambling workshop with Baggy in the pouring rain |
Thankfully I finished the training course, having enjoyed it, and ready to start the consolidation period. Hopefully I would do the assessment next year…
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| Using different maps for every navigation leg to add an extra challenge |
Each year passed and despite practicing, I never felt ready, nor had the required logbook for assessment. Finally, after several people asked me when I was doing my assessment, and with a great selection of friends and colleagues booking too, I decided to put down my deposit at the beginning of the year and committed myself. (At least I could always postpone it until 2017 if I wasn’t ready I thought!)
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| Ski Mountaineering with Tom in the Swiss Alps (we left the skis at the bottom!) |
2016 then turned into a carefully planned year of work, practice and organisation. The only practice I could fit in between January and June was rescue practice, basic mountaineering rope work and two MIA workshops I got a last minute place on. I knew that I would return from skiing at the end of May, climbing weak, but aerobically strong. Thinking of the positives, at least I would be able to physically endure the five days! June and July would be ‘money making’ work months with limited climbing, August and October were the main practice months, and September was mostly work and two weeks in Scotland on a non MIA related holiday! The key was making a plan, organising people to go out with and booking them into my calendar just like work.
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| Scrambling off the top of Cwm Silyn in Snowdonia Photo By Lou Beetlestone |
Preparations until 2016
Most years included several days out scrambling with MIA trainees, friends and people who had their assessments imminently. I focused on climbing easy routes slickly, writing notes about what clients the route would be suitable for, if any. When rock climbing I actively encouraged climbing as a three to practice rope work and frequently climbed in parallel. Every belay was a chance to organise the stance and consider what I would do if I was working. The occasional day of rescue practice happened, every ski season several days of crevasse rescue scenarios would be trained. And I also had the opportunity to shadow a number of MIAs teaching clients a multitude of skills from navigation to leading. Most of my work was as a Mountain Leader in the hills. Some basic mountaineering rope work would also be used each winter in the Alps.
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| Scrambling with Vicky and a mock student on Glyder Fach on probably the least protected scramble I have ever done! |
What changed in 2016?
In a break from skiing I squeezed in several days scrambling and two MIA workshops, one on scrambling, one on teaching climbing. This gave me a focus for when I would return from Canada at the end of May. Then my good friend Vicky cajoled me into going climbing with her and Sam Leary as part of the trial mentoring scheme for female trainee MIAs. Thankfully I thoroughly enjoyed the day, and realised that if I practiced enough I might be able to pass. Sam then gave our navigation a shakedown and I ‘officially’ signed up to the mentoring scheme.
Personal Climbing: I just met the minimum logbook requirements and could climb at the level competently, not much time was spent climbing this year other than finishing my logbook off.
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| Rescue Practice amongst the gorse and heather |
Rescue Practice: Over five days were spent outside dedicated to practice, several scenarios were practiced on climbing and scrambling days, several hours were spent indoors practicing too
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| Fully committed to some horrific scrambling on Tryfan Photo by Sally Lisle |
Scrambling: Over ten dedicated scrambling days this year, including a classic routes in reverse day! (this was great fun but did seem to perplex a few people we met on the way) Lots of my trail running included easy scrambles and Tryfan recess
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| That moment you take a good friend up one of your favourite routes that is actually a hideous sandbag, you know that there can be no rope drag and some gear to pull on for the hard move and you hope they'll forgive you afterwards! |
Teaching Climbing: Lots of days working on Single Pitch Crags and Artificial Walls. About six days outside with mock students on multi pitch routes.
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| Navigation practice on the slopes of Moel Siabod with Jim, who didn't make it easy for me. |
Navigation: Multiple days of winter navigation ski touring, snowshoeing and running in the Alps over the winter, this was at a micro and macro level. Over five days / half days specifically focussing in Snowdonia on micro navigation with 1:25 000, 1:40 000, 1:50 000 maps. Tens of days navigating at work, on holiday in Scotland and trail running in new places around the UK.
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| Walking in to Cloggy |
Meltdowns
I have now come to the conclusion that anyone who tells you they haven’t had some sort of meltdown before assessment is lying or mad. Most weeks I was convinced I should cancel the whole thing. In August I found out that my ski season for 2016/17 would be highly unlikely to go ahead which would leave me with no winter employment and no skiing. My technical climbing ability was the lowest it had been since my training in 2011. I pretty much ran away from two good friends at the crag at one stage when I’d had enough! Then you have the constant worry of finances as you juggle work, practice time and paying for the course as a freelance instructor. Overall, preparing for your MIA assessment will lead to meltdowns!
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| Tim kissing the last of the sun after passing on lots of MIA Scrambling knowledge to Tom and I |
Mentoring Scheme
Finally I should add what the pilot mentoring scheme gave me this year. I received an email from Libby Peter asking if I would like to be a part of it as a female trainee MIA. At the time I was about to go away on a ski expedition and was trying not to think about the MIA. In addition to this my initial feelings were that it would be unfair of me to accept the offer when only the women were being offered it.
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| Personal climbing with Vicky and Sam, first 'proper' climbing of the year Photo by Sam Leary |
It left my mind until I went out with Vicky and Sam. The knowledge and confidence Sam Leary filled me with and the things Vicky had got from the scheme made me message Libby to say that I was interested. How could I turn something like this down.
A week before my assessment I met Libby and Sabby (whose assessment was next week) and I went for a casual climb with them in the Llanberis Pass. Until the day was over I was still convinced that I would be cancelling my assessment, but a huge thank you must go to Libby as she instilled confidence and reassurance in us that we would be fine, we were ready and we might even enjoy it. And quite frankly when someone with that much experience and understanding tells you that, you can’t not believe them.
