Author Topic: "Quality Mountain Days"  (Read 3363 times)

richardh1905

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"Quality Mountain Days"
« on: 09:54:00, 05/08/18 »

Whilst reading about Mountain Leadership courses in response to another topic, I came across the term "Quality Mountain Days", which really appealed to me for some reason. 20 Quality Mountain Days need to be logged before people can attend the mountain leadership course. The definition on the www.mountain-training.org website is:

In terms of experience, the quality of a mountain day lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered and the physical and mental challenge. Such days make a positive contribution towards a person’s development and maturity as an all round mountaineer.


Usually some or all of these criteria would be fulfilled:


  •    the individual takes part in the planning and leadership
  •    navigation skills are required away from marked paths
  •    experience must be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in UK and Irish hills
  •    knowledge is increased and skills practised
  •    attention is paid to safety
  •    five hours or more journey time
  •    adverse conditions may be encountered
  •    
       
    Applying the above criteria, I have had pitifully few such days this year (and indeed not many since moving to Orkney). A trip up a snowy Fairfield in February, a good day out on the North Hoy hills, a wild camp in the Western Cairngorms, and that's about it. I'm not sure that I would count joining the hordes on the Ben Nevis staircase as a Quality Mountain Day!
  • « Last Edit: 09:58:42, 05/08/18 by richardh1905 »
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    Ridge

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #1 on: 15:36:29, 05/08/18 »

  •    navigation skills are required away from marked paths[/l]
  • Does it count if you didn't intend to be away from marked paths?

  • BuzyG

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #2 on: 20:38:28, 05/08/18 »
       
  • Does it count if you didn't intend to be away from marked paths?
  • [/l][/l]
  • No, that's called getting lost.


    I enjoy it too. :)
       
    [/list]

    Mel

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #3 on: 20:46:27, 05/08/18 »
    Ahhh, now I would say yes.  Because then you're then practicing one or more of the other skills:


  •    experience must be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in UK and Irish hills
  •    knowledge is increased and skills practised
  •    attention is paid to safety
  •    five hours or more journey time
  •    adverse conditions may be encountered

  • pdstsp

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #4 on: 22:31:44, 05/08/18 »
    For me a QMD always involves a pint at the end.  O0

    tonyk

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #5 on: 10:17:02, 06/08/18 »
      I think "quality mountain days" is the wrong term.It looks like someone is trying to jump onto the "in-term"
    jargon bandwagon to attract a younger and trendier group of punters.A more suitable term would be "challenging mountain days".Had a few of them,but thankfully not too many.
      To me a quality mountain day is one that is enjoyable rather than one where I am fighting my way through tussock grass and battling torrential rain.The latter is a ****** off mountain day.

    richardh1905

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #6 on: 10:36:15, 06/08/18 »
    For me a QMD always involves a pint at the end.  O0



    ..and preferably a steak pie too!
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    richardh1905

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #7 on: 10:43:09, 06/08/18 »
      I think "quality mountain days" is the wrong term.It looks like someone is trying to jump onto the "in-term"
    jargon bandwagon to attract a younger and trendier group of punters.A more suitable term would be "challenging mountain days".Had a few of them,but thankfully not too many.
      To me a quality mountain day is one that is enjoyable rather than one where I am fighting my way through tussock grass and battling torrential rain.The latter is a ****** off mountain day.



    I know what you mean about jargon, but for some reason this particular piece of jargon struck a chord with me.


    In many cases 'challenging' does equate to 'quality'; the days on which I push myself tend to be the ones that I do remember, and cherish, such as the struggle down the trackless Eidart valley that I had recently. At the time I was struggling - I had had a long day, the valley seemed to go on forever, and I was carrying a heavy pack, but my struggles definitely added something positive to the trip as a whole. I was on a high the next day as I walked out down Glen Feshie.
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    Mel

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #8 on: 11:53:11, 06/08/18 »
    I'm not sure that I would count joining the hordes on the Ben Nevis staircase as a Quality Mountain Day!


    Course it would!  For these reasons:


  • the individual takes part in the planning and leadership (you planned to walk up BN and if you was on your own, you led the walk)
  • experience must be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in UK and Irish hills (unless it's moved, BN is in the UK)
  • knowledge is increased and skills practiced (you learned that it's an unforgiving relentless up/downhill slog)
  •    attention is paid to safety (I'm assuming you stopped for a rest as and when needed)
  •    five hours or more journey time (unless you sprinted it of course!)
  •    adverse conditions may be encountered (the weather/temperature at the bottom will most likely have been different to at the top!  OK, maybe that's not adverse but it does catch the unwary out)


  • Maybe the "Q" should stand for Qualifying as the idea of the ML course/qualification is to gain knowledge and learn how to stay safe in the hills/mountains and if you can prove how your day out in the hills matches any one or more of the criteria set then it's fair game. 






  • richardh1905

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #9 on: 12:09:14, 06/08/18 »
    Perhaps I'm being unkind to "The Ben", Mel. A fair bit of effort was needed to do the climb(took us 6.5 hours up and down), and it certainly was a lot colder on top. No doubt people do get lost in the mist on the summit plateau (with serious consequences in winter, with cornices over the gullies). It didn't seem like a Quality Mountain Day amongst the crowds, though; more of a carnival despite the mist!
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    Mel

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #10 on: 12:50:26, 06/08/18 »

    Gaining mountain skills and experience doesn't have to mean picking the toughest gnarliest route and clinging on by the skin of your teeth at midnight in winter!  You spend a day on a mountain.  It qualifies!



    I'd consider my recent adventure up the grassy, unassuming rounded lump of High Tove in the Lake District as a QMD using the criteria in your first post.  My plan was to head up there and on to Ullscarf from Armboth - access was closed "because of dangerous trees" so I had to plan a different route (route planning box ticked).  I was on my own (leadership box ticked  :-\  ).  Because it is a grassy, unassuming, featureless lump, I practiced / fine tuned my pacing (so part ticked the nav skills box).  It's in the UK (so that's the comparable UK terrain box ticked).  As I ascended I realised I was running out of water and there were no streams to refill from - all dried up in the hot weather we're having (so that's the increased knowledge box ticked that hot/good weather needs to be taken into consideration just as much as cold/bad weather).  My plan was to carry on to Ullscarf but I changed my plans due to the relentless heat/lack of shade and my rapidly depleting water (so that's the attention to safety box ticked).  I was most likely out for more than five hours, though a lot of that time will have been spent sitting whenever I found a rock that had a bit of shade from the sun.  I would say that, on that day, it was a 30 degree heat/no breeze (so that's the adverse conditions box ticked).


    So, because I didn't end up on Ullscarf, does that mean everything I learned and practiced that day wouldn't count as a QMD?


    Any day in the mountains ticks one or more box, in my opinion - even if it's an aborted mission because the weather was too nice  ;D




    richardh1905

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #11 on: 13:40:18, 06/08/18 »
    Gaining mountain skills and experience doesn't have to mean picking the toughest gnarliest route and clinging on by the skin of your teeth at midnight in winter! 



    Not saying that it does, Mel; it is all rather subjective. :)
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    ninthace

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #12 on: 15:10:18, 06/08/18 »
    All my days in the hills are quality days. Some good, some bad, some indifferent.
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    Summit

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #13 on: 01:10:59, 08/08/18 »
    The phrase Quality Mountain Days and the requirement for there to be 20 logged before assessment was initially due to the boom in the early nineties to late naughties in applications for ML assessments.


    Fairweather walkers could easily walk 20 days in the hills but can not be a good leader if they haven't experienced heavy rain, low cloud, no visual references etc. The term QMD was brought in purely to make sure people looking to be assessed as mountain leaders were actually experienced enough for the role.


    We have all heard of all the gear but no idea.


    I agree a walk up a grassy slope in the Cotswolds is quality however it won't do you much good on top of the Cairngorm Plateu when you can't see further than your hand in front of you and six other people are relying on you to navigate them safely off the hill. 
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    archaeoroutes

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    Re: "Quality Mountain Days"
    « Reply #14 on: 10:07:27, 09/08/18 »
    Always loved this line from the definition of Winter QMD:
    "Above all the experience should lead to feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction, even if enjoyment may occasionally be questionable!"
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