A week in Wales

Dorset is home to some of the greatest adventure landscapes in the UK – it’s a brilliant location to operate from. We’ve got rolling hills, natural harbours, incredible cliffs and beautiful sandy beaches. However, if you’re seeking towering mountains, white water or vast open lakes, then you’re going to need to leave our sunny shores. At the beginning of March each year we head up to Snowdonia for two weeks of staff training. 

Please note: this trip took place before the national lock-down and all participants were adhering to government & public health guidelines.

We planned to complete Mountain Leader Training & Assessment, Canoe Leader Training & Assessment and Rock Climbing Instructor Assessment. 

We will be heading back to complete the other courses when safe to do so .

Who?

Land and Wave employs brilliant Outdoor Instructors and we invest in their training and development. We want to encourage and support our crew to be the best at what they do; two weeks in North Wales is a great addition to our training framework.

Our full-time team possess lots of great qualifications across many activities; mountaineering, rock climbing, kayaking and canoeing (etc). We think it’s important to create opportunities for our team to use those qualifications and practice their skills.

Our returning seasonal staff are fantastic – we love that they choose to come back to us, especially when they, quite literally, have the whole world to choose from. We reward our returning staff by offering them free training courses in Wales before the summer season begins to help continue their professional development.

Then there’s our newest Outdoor Instructors, the guys that complete our 15 week Outdoor Instructor Training course through the winter. After discovering new activities and adventures, many of them have no intention of slowing down. They’re eager to start focusing on specific activities and adventures – we offer these guys discounts on courses in Wales.

Our team spends loads of time teaching adventure and leading groups; we want our team to be the best they can be, so we can continue to deliver the greatest experience to our clients. We also provide training courses for Instructors from other companies – we offer an industry discount as standard, as well as help with free accommodation and logistics.

Where?

The mountains of North Wales really are a magical place; stark, rugged and grand. Heading to an area with only a few people and limited phone signal is a great way to enjoy new landscapes.

This year the crew stayed at YHA Snowdon Ranger, perfectly situated at the base of Snowdon, surrounded by farmland, wilderness, birds and overlooking Llyn Cwellyn. 

What?

Mountain Leader Training is a 6 day course designed for people who want to lead groups in the mountains of the UK and Ireland.

Being based at YHA Snowdon Ranger meant the Mountain Leader Training course with Mark Garland Mountaineering could make the most of the mountains on their doorstep. On the first day of training the team walked up Snowdon through ice, fog and very high winds.

As the week progressed they ticked off more peaks – Mynydd Drws-y-coed, Tryfan and Y Lliwedd.They scrambled up and down steep terrain, crossed icy rivers and navigated mountains at night.

Who we work with…

We love working with Mark Garland Mountaineering Mark is a knowledgeable and experienced provider of training and assessment courses.

We’ve also developed great relationships with Osprey, Hydroflask & Corrymoor Socks over the past few years – we’ve been able to kit our guys out with some high end backpacks, flasks & cosy socks for mountain days.

Instructor pathways…

There’s no strict path to follow as an Outdoor Instructor – that freedom is what helps make it such an awesome career choice. We have found there are some similarities in the paths our instructors choose to take – many of our seasonal staff complete Outdoor Instructor Training with us, work a summer season, then return to Land & Wave the following year for pre-season training. If you’re tenacious you could easily become a Mountain Leader, Canoe Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor within a year or two

Plan your next adventure

Many people don’t realise just how accessible some British mountains are. There are many walking routes in Snowdonia that, with the right clothing and equipment, are safe for families, kids and even dogs after a little planning and research.

Leave no trace

With this level of accessibility, it’s important we continue to leave no trace of our visits. These incredible locations can so easily be spoilt by careless people leaving the the odd plastic bottle, chocolate bar wrapper or banana and orange peel behind. A great way to make a difference is to pack a spare bag for litter and take a few bits of rubbish away with you, leaving the mountains a little better because of your adventure.

Created by Nathaniel Reeks

25 March 2020 by Owen Senior