Mountain Training Scotland

About us

Mountain Training Scotland is one of five national Mountain Training organisations within the UK and Ireland. It works closely with the central co-ordinating body, Mountain Training United Kingdom and Ireland , to develop and manage a portfolio of mountain-related personal skills training and qualification schemes; to ensure parity in the syllabus of each qualification; and to maintain consistency of delivery across all five national Mountain Training organisations.

Mountain Training Scotland is managed by a Board of up to six volunteer Directors elected by and reporting to a Council of Members of Mountain Training Scotland. Members are nominated representatives of Scottish-based organisations with a strategic interest in and commitment to the Mountain Training qualification schemes. Collectively the Board and the Council of Members are referred to as ‘Mountain Training Scotland’.

A full-time paid Executive Officer (supported by a part-time Administration and Finance Assistant and a part-time Technical Officer) is responsible for the day-to-day operational management and interaction with Mountain Training UK and Ireland, reporting directly to the Board.

The qualifications administered by Mountain Training Scotland are:

Camping Leader
Lowland Leader
Hill and Moorland Leader
Mountain Leader
Winter Mountain Leader
Indoor Climbing Assistant
Climbing Wall Instructor
Climbing Wall Development Instructor
Rock Climbing Instructor
Rock Climbing Development Instructor

The skills schemes administered by Mountain Training Scotland are:

Hill & Mountain Skills
Rock Skills

Become a Mountain Training Scotland skills provider

Staff team

George McEwan

Executive Officer

Email: george@mountain-training.org

Catherine Rose

Administration and Finance Assistant (part-time)

Email: scotland@mountain-training.org

Sandy Paterson

Technical Officer (part-time)

Email: sandy@mountain-training.org

Vision

A community of world-class outdoor leaders, instructors and coaches, representative of a diverse, fit and active society, supported by innovative and sustainable mountain-related training qualification schemes.

Mission

Mountain Training Scotland provides innovative leadership and ensures consistent quality in mountain-related skills training and coaching in Scotland.

Purpose

“Mountain Training Scotland’s purpose is the advancement, for public benefit, of education and training (in conjunction where appropriate with other bodies or persons) in the skills required for the leadership and instruction of safe hill, mountain and moorland walking, mountaineering, rock and ice climbing and other associated activities practised in cliff and mountain environments, and to offer advice on matters of training and safety.” Excerpt from Mountain Training Scotland’s Articles of Constitution and our charitable aims.

Guiding principles

Mountain Training Scotland is open, welcoming, and accessible to all with a shared interest in mountain-related activities.
We encourage diversity and seek to remove barriers to individuals’ and others’ involvement and participation as leaders and instructors of mountain-related activities.
We support and encourage sustainable and sympathetic use of the outdoors by all users.
Mountain Training Scotland is innovative in the development of our work practices and creation of development projects.
Mountain Training Scotland is outward thinking and seeks to work in collaboration with key partners and relevant organisations to fulfil our strategic aims.

Monitoring success

Detailed actions and success measures are identified in an annual Operational Plan.

Our Annual Report will reference these priorities as well as other important aspects of our work and achievements. Our priorities collectively help to deliver our mission.

Council of members

These are stakeholder organisations that have a significant interest in the Mountain Training qualifications managed by Mountain Training Scotland. They are all Members of Mountain Training Scotland and contribute actively to the management of Mountain Training Scotland by monitoring its activity and giving guidance to the organisation. This includes, collectively, helping to set overall policy, deﬁning and setting targets, and evaluating performance against agreed targets via thrice-yearly Business Meetings.

Each Member organisation can appoint up to three nominated persons to attend meetings provided the individual is an appropriate representative of the organisation. Each organisation has one vote.

Observers/Advisors

Advisers have the right to speak but do not have the right to vote at any MTS meetings.

Directors

Dr Mhairi Anne Crawford - Chair

Mhairi has been walking, mountaineering and climbing in Scotland and Europe since an early age and is hugely passionate about anything outdoors be that solo trips or leading a group. When not able to get into the hills, she’s swimming, cycling or running.

Mhairi brings a range of experience to MTS from more than ten years in industry building on her Physics doctorate, combing interests in STEM, business and equalities and eight as a third sector leader focussed on equalities.

Marie Dignam - Treasurer

Marie is an experienced senior financial reporting manager who has worked across a variety of industries. For the last eight years she has worked in financial services delivering both financial and ESG reporting.

With a passion for hill and coastal walking, she is driven to support MTS’s aim to encourage sustainable and sympathetic use of the outdoors by all users.

Craig McClaren

Craig has extensive experience in the outdoor sector, spanning over two decades. He began his journey by volunteering with Venture Scotland, where he discovered his passion for mentoring groups in outdoor settings.

This experience inspired him to enroll in the Mountain Leader scheme, and he successfully obtained both his Summer and Winter Mountain Leader qualifications.

Presently, he has been serving as the Assistant Outdoor Education Officer for Falkirk Council for 15 years. In this role, he combines his love for the Scottish hills with his enthusiasm for leading and teaching people in a dynamic environment throughout the year.

Richard Gammage

Richard has spent 40 years exploring Scotland’s mountains, leading and training others. A keen cyclist and athlete, he combines a passion for the outdoors with a background in outdoor education, teaching, youth work, and the armed forces. He has and continues to be an advocate for safe outdoor exploration and its many benefits.

He holds the Mountaineering Instructor Certificate and two master’s degrees. Since 2013, he has worked in the third sector—across sport, education, homelessness, and social housing—as a senior executive and non-executive director. With extensive governance experience, he thrives on making a difference.

Strategic partners in Scotland

Strategic partners have significant operational and/or financial relationships with Mountain Training Scotland.

sportscotland logo

sportscotland

sportscotland, the national agency for sport, works with partners (including Mountain Training Scotland and Mountaineering Scotland) to build a world-class sporting system for everyone in Scotland. sportscotland supports the development of outdoor and adventure sports through its range of national centres, which of specific relevance includes Glenmore Lodge. sportscotland’s key outcomes include increased participation and progression in sport. In relation to these outcomes sportscotland invests in Mountain Training Scotland to support its development and implementation of new initiatives and projects. Crucially, this investment enables Mountain Training Scotland to operate beyond basic provision of its core business.

Mountaineering Scotland

Mountaineering Scotland aims to inspire and encourage people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to enjoy mountaineering activities responsibly, through its educational programmes and provision of relevant information concerning mountain safety, access and conservation. Many (but by no means all) Mountain Training qualification candidates are drawn from this community of active hillwalkers, mountaineers and climbers. The profile of Mountain Training qualification candidates reflects the demographic of this community. A common aim of both organisations is to work together to broaden the diversity of this community, both by ethnicity and gender.

The provision of educational programmes and safety training significantly relies on qualified leaders, instructors and coaches, whether as volunteers or as professionals. Mountain Training Scotland supports the mountain safety, access and conservation aims of Mountaineering Scotland by providing trained and qualified leaders, instructors and coaches through the Mountain Training qualification schemes. Mountain Training Scotland is also uniquely placed, with its wider links to UK-wide and Ireland-wide organisations through Mountain Training UK, to provide support and advice relating to matters of mountain safety and training.

Glenmore Lodge

Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre, operates within the sportscotland family of national centres. Glenmore Lodge defines its leading core function as supporting and developing leaders, coaches, guides and instructors. Glenmore lodge recognises governing body qualification pathways as a key enabler for quality participation in outdoor sport. Its position in terms of staff skills and experience (both personal and of working on a variety of National Governing Body qualification schemes), and resources, makes Glenmore Lodge uniquely equipped to support the core work of Mountain Training Scotland.