Mountain Training Scotland

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

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.

• Mountaineering Scotland
• Association of Heads of Outdoor Education Centres (AHOEC)
• Scottish Advisory Panel for Outdoor Education (SAPOE)
• Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI)
• The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (Scotland)
• British Mountain Guides
• Ramblers Scotland
• Girlguiding Scotland
• British Association of International Mountain Leaders

Observers/Advisors

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

• Sport Scotland
• Glenmore Lodge
• Joint Services Mountain Training Centres

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.

Pamela Lomoro - Vice Chair

Pamela is a keen mountaineer, competitive amateur distance runner, a qualified running coach, and a keen cyclist. She is passionate about making Scotland’s mountains and hills safe, accessible, and inclusive to people from all backgrounds while ensuring environmental sustainability.

Pamela holds a PhD in mechanical engineering and has over 10 years’ experience of managing large projects in the energy industry and the multisectoral technology research and development field.

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.

Patrick Baker

Patrick is an experienced communications leader, with in-depth specialism in corporate messaging, sustainability, diversity, social-media promotion and content strategy. He has worked in content delivery roles for over twenty years in both the publishing and financial-services industries. He has also been a contributing writer for publications including The Guardian, The Scotsman, The Herald and TGO Magazine.

As a keen mountaineer and paddler, Patrick has been exploring Scotland’s mountains and wild places for over twenty years. He is the author of three outdoor-focused books, which include two narrative non-fiction titles and a hillwalking guidebook to several ranges in Central Scotland.

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.