Awarding Body

Mountain Training

Scheme

Hill & Mountain Skills

Course

Mountain Skills

Type

Training

Award Description

The Hill & Mountain Skills scheme is a great way to develop your personal skills and confidence in all elements of hill and mountain walking. From planning a coastal walk to navigating in complex terrain, these courses are an ideal opportunity to learn the basics and enjoy the countryside. THIS IS NOT THE HILL AND MOORLAND LEADER SCHEME.

Vegvisir Expedition and Mountain Leadership is provided by Izzy De Santis and David Bartles-Smith. Vegvisir is an Icelandic name that describes a runic symbol that helps travellers in the mountains navigate through rough weather. Our courses are friendly and focussed on inspiring your journeys in the mountains and hills of the UK. Our courses take place in the Lake district and the North Pennines. Izzy was introduced to climbing and hill walking at school and so made sure that when she went to university it was in a good area for getting out into the hills and had an active mountaineering club! Izzy has subsequently climbed throughout the UK and Europe and in addition to peer based expeditions to areas such as Iceland, South Africa and Morocco she also continues to leads oversea's school expeditions throughout Africa and SE Asia. Izzy has lead treks in Morocco, Namibia, Botswana, Malawi, Thailand Cambodia and Vietnam. Izzy is also a former deputy team leader of a Mountain Rescue Team and a team medic and has been a team member for 17 years. David is a qualified youth worker and social worker having spent that past 25 years working with young people in both group work and individual support settings. Highly experienced in engaging young people who are hard to reach and often in crisis, David has combined his passion for mountain adventure with developmental work with young people. David has worked extensively with groups within the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, freelance outdoor work and continues to leads overseas expeditions throughout Europe, Africa, SE Asia and central America. David has lead treks in Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Swaziland, Madagascar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Costa Rica and Nicaragua. David has lead over 15 expeditions through remote and varied landscapes. David's real passion though is for Iceland, and now after 6 expeditions there he has clearly fallen in love with the country. David is a qualified Mountain Leader and has been a member of a Mountain Rescue Team for 23 years, several years of which were as team leader. We are more than happy and indeed encourage a chat with you about any of our upcoming courses. We provide comprehensive course information including kit lists and loads of advice if you need it, including the best place to stay near our course venues, if you need accommodation, and indeed help with transport pick ups if you are using trains to travel. We also provide course maps and after the training we are more than happy to keep in touch and answer any hill or mountain questions you might have as you head off to explore and enjoy. Email us now for a comprehensive course information pack. davidbartlesssmith@yahoo.co.uk or ring 07713218060. Here’s what course participants have said about us; ‘David and Izzy were superb instructors. They communicated their knowledge and supported us individually and collectively with a great manner. It was a really enjoyable 2 days.’ ‘Really enjoyed it and learnt a lot. The course tutors took full advantage of difficult weather conditions to explore the issues arising from high winds and poor visibility’ ‘David was an excellent instructor, he was able to break everything down into clear concise stages, and then progress us at our own pace. I went away feeling that I had definitely gained new skills, whilst also having had a very pleasant and enjoyable weekend.’ ‘I can't offer strong enough praise for David. From start to finish he was the best instructor we could have hoped for. He presented complete knowledge of his subject, and was generous and focused with his teaching style. He was a patient and passionate teacher who clearly took great satisfaction from expanding people's understanding and appreciation of hill and mountain skills. Through stories shared in a relaxed manner over the weekend it became clear how much experience David has teaching people outdoor skills, and this made me appreciate even more the opportunity to talk and learn in such a personal way. I'd recommend the course and teacher to anybody interested and really can't rate my experience highly enough.’ ‘I'd recommend David to anyone. A very good teacher and incredibly inspiring.’

Start

22/09/2018

End

23/09/2018

Total Days

2

Maximum Bookings

16

Bookings

3

Venue

Ullswater

Town

Penrith

County

Cumbria

Postcode

DL134PT

Country

United Kingdom

Latitude

54.58000

Longitude

-2.89000

Name

Vegvisir Expedition and Mountain Leadership

Phone

07713218060

Email