I see a real variety of candidates for Mountain Training awards on both Training and Assessment courses. In the last 5 days I've been privileged to work with some of the keenest, most motivated and brightest I've seen a while.
The 12 I had for CWA Training at the weekend were all climbers (a really good start for a climbing award!), well motivated, asked questions, entered into discussions with a will and showed the potential to be great Award holders.
Today I had Jordan and Katrina for CWA Assessment and it was soon obvious that they'd prepared the right way. Their neat logbooks showed they had done 1.5 to 2 times the minimum of required sessions with groups and many times the minimum personal climbs. The minimum numbers laid down by the Boards are just that and I find that those who want to do well at Assessment often have well above the minimum. They'd put the time practising in too. Their understanding of group work, peer belaying strategies, problem avoidance and solution and climbing movement had been developed by working with and getting feedback from a number of experienced Award holders. This is another area that is often weak; people often practise only with peer Trainees/novice mock students and don't find the opportunities to get feedback from those a little more in the know. No problems today and I was very pleased to tell them both they had passed.
A little of the white stuff visible above 1000m this morning and then I almost drowned cycling home this evening!
Not winter yet but its thinking about it
Green jug
2 new CWA Holders
The blobby pink route
Going down