Summer IML Assessment, Switzerland

Aiglon College, Villars-sur-Ollon one of the most expensive boarding schools in Switzerland, educating students from all over the world. This was to be our base for the International Mountain Leader Summer Assessment.  












On the first  morning, meeting the other 10 candidates we were told which area we would be assessed in, sent out to buy maps and make sure our 'mini team' was prepaid with all emergency kit – groups shelter, rope, sling, karabiners, first aid kit, ice axe.


I was lucky enough to be put into an assessment team with Hannah and Sam.  We worked well together, complementing each other with our differing knowledge and experience base.  With each of us taking a different leg of the trip, being leader for that period, we were to navigate, enthuse, interest and entertain our team with our local and general knowledge.

Other tasks involved mini presentations, knowledge of emergency procedures, rope work, language skills, hut etiquette, altitude and general knowledge of leading trip throughout the world.

The three day trip took us through the mountains and over the magnificent Col des Chamois with its steep descent and great exposure.  The Cabane de Plan Névé was very welcoming and the display on the Swiss horn made it an unforgettable experience.  Our thoughts were with the warden who was retiring after spending his entire life running the hut.

The lead assessor, Simon made us feel relaxed and we even enjoyed some of the assessment.  With such a good team, it was unsurprising but a great relief that all three of us everyone passed with flying colours.  We are all looking forward to completing the final part of our IML qualification – the Winter Assessment – as soon as the snow comes.

Congratulations to everyone who passed their Summer IML.

Bring on the winter!

http://www.baiml.org/

Tour des Mouverans, Switzerland

Arriving at Geneva airport, I realised that the journey was only just beginning.  I met John off the plane and we quickly found a train to Aigle, journeying along the beautiful lakeside. A swift change onto a local bus taking us up to the mountain resort of Villars-sur-Ollon.  The next bus took us even further up to Solalex and the final 400 metre of ascent we walked arriving the Refuge Giacomi by the evening. It was a long day of travelling but the views and remote location we had arrived at, in just 12 hours, was well worth it.  What's more, we were sitting on the Tour des Mouverans ready to start the trek early tomorrow morning.

The first day of trekking took us down to Derborence, situated on the impressive Lac de Derborence, site of a tragic avalanche over 250 years ago. Finally, a 1000m ascent takes us up to the Refuge Rambert.  This refuge, situated on the Col has breathtaking views across the mountain range and Chamois living within throwing distance of the hut.  Although the thin walls of the dorm rooms made for quite a disturb night, we were tired enough after our long first day to appreciate anywhere to lay our heads.

The next day we made our way down a perfect glaciated valley identifying alpine flowers and their medicinal uses along the way. Our arrival at lunchtime at the Cabane du Fénestral meant we were able to shelter from the brief rain-shower whilst enjoying a cup of fruit tea and consuming our sandwiches.  Every mouthful eaten was a benefit as it lightened our load.  The logical aim for the day became to eat as much of our lunch food as possible.    

Once the rain had subsided we made our way to the Cabane Demecre, belonging to the Trotteurs running club.  This delightful hut manned entirely by volunteers was extremely welcoming. The smell of fresh bread being taken out of the oven as we arrived from the rain helped no end with this and the friendly chatter of the volunteers made us feel at home.  Once the rain had stopped the sun warmed the air and we wandered out to admire the view, practice some rope work, identify some more flowers and generally make the most of being in the area.

Day 3 took us along the high route over the Col des Martinets and down the Nant valley to Pont de Nant where we were to stay the night.  The valley was very long and the descent harder than any ascent we'd done while we were there.  However the magnificent views along the way and thoughts of a good meal when we arrived made it possible to drag ourselves on to the Refuge.  Once the typical afternoon storm had passed we visited the local botanical gardens where, once some interesting flowers had been identified, we were lucky enough to see a bat, drying itself on the leaves of a plant. 

The final day completed our Tour des Mouverans and brought us back to Solalex via the Col des Essets.  This circular trip of 70km and 4000m ascent is well worth the effort offering magnificent views and incredible diversity as it works its way round the mountain range.  Many thanks to John for accompanying me and testing my local knowledge along the way.  

http://www.tourdesmuverans.ch/carte-geographique.html

IML WInter Training, France

Arriving in at Geneva airport I met up with fellow mountain lovers and we made our way together to the Auberge Nordique in Le Grand Bornand.  We were looking forward to a week of snow shoeing and avalanche training as part of our Winter International Mountain Leader Training.

‘The Union of International Mountain Leader Associations (UIMLA) was created to encourage the development of common standards for professional mountain leaders throughout Europe and worldwide.  It was drawn up in recognition of the growing requirement for tour guides to work in areas where the full alpine climbing and teaching skills of a Mountain Guide are not needed but where skilled mountain leadership is necessary for clients to enjoy journeys through remote mountain areas in safety and confidence.' (www.baiml.org/)

The snow was deep and soft making trail breaking hard work, but the excitement of wandering around the rolling Nordic terrain for a week meant that none of  that mattered.  We learnt to use avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels proficiently, dug snow pits to study the layers of snow, made a shovel up, practiced emergency rope work, talked about the environment and enjoyed the pleasure of being in the mountains.

What a fantastic week!

Course run by Plas y Brenin

http://www.pyb.co.uk/