Mountain Training Cymru

About us

Mountain Training Cymru’s (MTC) role is to provide skills training and qualification schemes for individuals, leaders, instructors and coaches of groups participating in mountaineering and related activities, to offer advice and promote good practice among the mountaineering community within Wales.

Mountain Training Cymru along with Mountain Training England (MTE), Mountain Training Scotland (MTS) and Mountain Training Board Ireland (MTBI) is a full member of Mountain Training UK & Ireland.

Mountain Training Cymru is a registered company and has six voluntary company directors which make up the board. Additionally, Mountain Training Cymru has a members’ council which meets three times a year to help shape the strategic direction of the organisation and acts as a forum among the hill walking, climbing and mountaineering community in Wales with particular interest in leadership activities.

Staff team

Simon Patton

Executive Officer

Phone: 01690 720272

Email: simon@mountain-training.org

Andy Cummings

Moderator

Council of members

Members (voting)

Mountain Training Cymru observers:

Directors

Andy Newton

Andy moved to Snowdonia to undertake a teaching qualification at UCNW Bangor after having completed a degree in Applied Biology at Liverpool Polytechnic, and it was while first at college that he had graduated from enthusiastic hill walker to fully committed climber and mountaineer. While completing his instructional and leadership qualifications to the highest level, Andy taught at Cheshire Education Authority’s Nelson Centre on Anglesey until 1991. In the thirty years plus since then he has worked as a freelance instructor/trainer and assessor/technical consultant throughout Wales and other areas of the UK.

Andy continues to be an active climber; as happy helping others and passing on his knowledge, as he is delving in uncharted territory searching for new routes. He has enjoyed being involved with guidebook writing, both for rock and winter climbing, and is the Chair of the BMC’s Training, Youth and Walls Committee

and was formerly the Secretary and officer for MLTW (as MTC was known at that time). Andy has also Chaired the BMC’s Committee for Wales and is currently a director of Snowdonia Active.

He is an approved technical legal expert, an inspector for adventure activities licensing and a vastly experienced walking and climbing qualification course director and provider. Andy’s experience of climbing both at home and worldwide has helped to define his attitude to the potential for sustainable adventure activities here in Wales and the need for diversity in the pool of climbing and mountaineering leaders and instructors.

In 2019 Andy was honoured by the BMC with the George Band Award for exceptional voluntary contribution to mountaineering.

Allan Gibbs

Allan has been enthusiastically engaged with the mountains for 50 years. After a career as a head teacher for 20 years Allan left teaching and pursued a freelance outdoor instructor career for the next two decades.

Much of this was abroad in the Alps and Greater Ranges. That, together with nearly 20 years in Mountain Rescue and a much shorter stint as Deputy Head of an Outdoor Centre, filled the time in-between various expeditions. He is based on the Eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons.

Andy Bevan

Andy is a Senior Counter Terrorism and Law Enforcement Consultant and former Detective Chief Superintendent with significant experience of senior leadership & command in the UK and abroad. Andy has also worked on either a voluntary or part time basis as an outdoor instructor since 1996; with experience of guiding, coaching and teaching adults and children in outdoor activities both in the UK and abroad.

He retired from public service in a senior role in Counter Terrorism Policing at New Scotland Yard, London after 33 years in both the Army and Police. He now uses his leadership skills to develop others in the outdoors.

Andy is a Summer & Winter Mountain Leader, Rock Climbing Instructor, Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Assessor and is an International Mountain Leader Aspirant. He is also the holder of the British Cycling Mountain Bike Leader and Ride Leader 1 & 2 qualifications.

As well as experience of walking, climbing and mountaineering in the UK, Alps, Pyrenees and Himalaya, Andy is a keen off piste skier and ski mountaineer with extensive experience of back country skiing in North America and Europe. He is also a keen mountain biker, road and track cyclist.

Bryn Williams

Growing up in the Snowdonia National Park I made good use of the surrounding hills and built up a wealth of experience as a hill walker and climber. As a teenager I made the decision to work towards being a mountaineering instructor and progressed through the Mountain Training qualification structure to eventually reach the top qualifications the Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor and International Mountain Leader.

I have worked full time in the mountaineering sector both privately and freelance since 1998. During this time, I have worked for a huge number of organisations around the country including many Local Education Authority outdoor centres, private mountaineering companies and film & TV safety work.

For nearly 10 years I worked as the Executive Officer for Mountain Training where I was responsible for managing the national qualification system and quality assuring the network of course providers.

Recently I have been appointed as a board member for Mountain Training Cymru as a non-executive director. For a number of years, I worked as an instructor for the National Mountain Centre, Plas Y Brenin in North Wales, delivering a range of mountaineering skills and qualification courses.

The main proportion of the work focusses towards leadership and instructional courses in hill walking, rock climbing and mountaineering. Additionally I work as a Technical Advisor for a number of organisations around the UK delivering advice on matters of safety, training and staff competency.

For the last 20 years I have been a volunteer member of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, the busiest Mountain Rescue team in the UK which responds to over 200 rescues each year on Snowdon.

Rich Jones

Rich has enjoyed exploring mountains all round the world for over forty years. But, being born and raised in the uplands of Bannau Brycheiniog, his heart keeps pulling him back to the mynyddoedd o Gymru.

With a long career in the charity sector in Wales, Rich is especially keen to champion diversity and inclusion in the mountains, helping everyone to safely enjoy our wild, magical spaces.