What the Mountain Leader assessment can be like by Fran Jones

I did my Mountain Leader assessment with Mick and Jenny from Leading Edge in North Wales. It was clear from the start that they wanted to create a comfortable environment for learning over the course of the week, rather than a high intensity, exam stress type of situation. This was great, and it put a lot of the group at better ease (though we were obviously still very keyed up!).

Over the course of the week both assessors created ample opportunity for us to demonstrate our competence, and equally re-demonstrate if we’d been a bit nervous the first time! Equally, they then gave us really constructive feedback or tips on how we could improve and make our work that bit slicker. I think we were also very lucky with the group. Everyone was keen to get involved, with heads full of knowledge and useful information – it made the week that bit more enjoyable and fulfilling. I can definitely say I learnt my fair share of tips and tricks!

On the whole, I would really recommend Leading Edge if you’re looking for someone to do your assessment with (they have some really useful videos on Youtube as well, for a bit of prior revision!). They were great at taking the tension away from the looming assessment and really concentrated on making the week as much about learning as about being assessed. If you are thinking about doing your assessment, just go for it! You’ll never know everything, and you’ll have learned so much afterwards, no matter the result!