Expand your hill walking skills
Hill walking requires a range of skills, and no matter how experienced you are there’s always something more to learn. Whether you’re looking to develop a career outdoors or just want to build your confidence, it can be satisfying and fun to improve your existing skills and develop new ones.
Do I need a qualification?
You don't need a qualification to go hill walking. One of the great freedoms that mountain users cherish is the ability to enjoy themselves without the presence of regulation. If you’re walking in a group and informally sharing your skills and knowledge, there’s no requirement for anyone to hold a qualification. If you want to be paid to coach or instruct others, you must demonstrate your competence, and holding a relevant qualification is often the easiest way for leaders to do that.
What skills training is available?
For those with many years hill walking experience, skills training is an opportunity to refresh or perfect those skills, and build confidence and experience to take your walking to the next level. If you’re thinking of joining a training course, or you want to hone a particular skill, there are a variety of courses and providers across the country.
Winter skills courses
Snow, ice and winter weather makes hill walking a tougher proposition compared to summer walking. Before heading out in winter you should feel confident in your hiking skills and be prepared for the increased challenges from more extreme weather. One of the most popular ways of doing this is to book in to a winter skills course at one of the UK’s mountain centres like Plas y Brenin, Wales, or Glenmore Lodge, Scotland. They offer full board and accommodation to go with itineraries which cover crampon and ice axe use, avalanche awareness and much more.
Professional qualifications with Mountain Training
Mountain Training’s aim is to educate and train people in walking, climbing and mountaineering. They have a range of nationally-recognised mountain leadership, instruction and coaching qualifications, as well as skills courses. From Lowland, to Hill and Moorland to Mountain Leader Qualification . Find out which qualification might be right for you, and what’s involved in gaining them.
BMC Club Member Training
The BMC organises a series of courses, lectures, workshops and training opportunities for BMC club members and club leaders. They cover subjects like club safety, how to train novice club members in summer and winter skills, and outdoor first aid. To bring the best value possible to BMC members, courses are subsidised by the BMC. BMC Club Member Training can help you support your novice club members whilst they gain experience, develop skills, and become competent walkers and mountaineers in their own right.
Outdoor First Aid
You don’t need to be an experienced doctor or nurse to carry out some of the basic procedures which will hugely improve the chances of a very sick person before the emergency services can reach you. If you have never learned these skills, or were taught them many years ago, consider taking a course.