For myself gaining the Mountain Leader Award was the culmination of many years of tremendous enjoyment on the hills and mountains of the UK, and of course with lots of studying in between. Over the years, before becoming an ML I walked with groups of all ages with varying experience and fitness which, helped me become the passionate and enthusiastic leader I am today.
Since gaining my award I have successfully set up my own small company and developed my website "snowdoniawalker.co.uk" This gives me the opportunity to offer my services to all, no matter what their age or ability. Working for other organisations as a Freelance Mountain Leader also gives me the opportunity to work with diverse groups of people.
My area of expertise is Snowdon and Snowdonia and I do believe it is important not just to lead people safely on the hills but also to be able to share my knowledge of the landscape and its ecology. Snowdon itself is a fantastic mountain steeped in Industrial and Social History, the geology is stunning and interesting, all you need to do is avoid the crowds!
In 2013 the National Park set up up a volunteer warden scheme for Snowdon, this was an opportunity for me to be able to give something back to an area that has given me so much pleasure. I applied, and I am proud to say I am one of the first “new” volunteer Wardens on Snowdon. This has been such a rewarding experience for me and has allowed me to become very familiar with the mountain whilst at the same time helping people to enjoy their visit to Snowdon.
To hold your Mountain Leader Award puts you in a position of responsibility and I think it is important to continually learn and develop, so I take the opportunity to enhance my skills and knowledge whenever I can, whether it is attending courses, reading books or getting out on the hill to practice, it is a continual learning process and I love being able to do that.