We only use fully qualified instructors working within the remit of their qualifications for all of our courses. Stuart Lade holds the Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor which is the highest qualification in the UK for these activities as well as having passed through all the other UK awards needed to get there.

Additionally we are a Mountain Training provider for the Climbing Wall Instructor, Rock Climbing Instructor and Mountain Leader qualifications. If you’re interested in finding out more about gaining a qualification then get in touch.

Here’s a quick introduction to the UK qualifications –

Walking Qualifications

Lowland Leader – award for leading groups in lowland countryside, woodland, coastal paths etc. Navigation is on footpaths which don’t generally stray more than 3km from access points. 

Hill and Moorland Leader – award for leading groups in open, uncultivated, non-mountainous high or remote country. Navigation on and off paths. Groups should be able to exit their route within about three hours. Movement on steep or rocky ground (planned or unplanned) is not required. 

Mountain Leader – award for leading groups in wild country which may contain unavoidable steep and rocky ground where walkers are dependent upon themselves for immediate help. Navigation on and off path. 

Winter Mountain Leader – award for leading groups in hills and mountains of the UK and Ireland in winter conditions excluding roped climbing on technical terrain. You need to be a qualified Mountain Leader before you can become a Winter Mountain Leader. 

Climbing Qualifications

Indoors

Indoor Climbing Assistant – award to support a qualified instructor to deliver climbing sessions on artificial structures. 

Climbing Wall Instructor – award to run climbing sessions including bouldering and roped climbing on artificial structures e.g climbing walls. 

Climbing Wall Development Instructor – award to enable new climbers to progress on to leading routes and become more self-sufficient in leading indoors. 

Outdoors

Rock Climbing Instructor – this qualification covers running introductory climbing activities on both indoors and outdoors at easily accessible single pitch crags.

Rock Climbing Development Instructor – this covers how to develop climbers on single pitch crags, including teaching lead climbing. You need to be a qualified Rock Climbing Instructor before you can start this scheme. This award is for teaching on single pitch crags only, not multipitch venues or mountain crags.

Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor – this covers instructing all elements of mountaineering and rock climbing in single or multi-pitch environments in ‘summer’ conditions (i.e. no snow or ice). You need to be a qualified Mountain Leader before you can become a Mountaineering Instructor. 

Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor – instruct winter mountaineering and winter climbing. You need to be a qualified Winter Mountain Leader and hold the Mountaineering Instructor Award before you can progress to this qualification.