MIC Training
This last week I’ve been on my MIC Training in Scotland, run by Plas Y Brenin. The focus of the week is to build on the skills gained through the MIA and WML assessment process, and build on your experience to eventually go for assessment. The Mountain Training website details the awards they oversee, but here is a brief description of the mountain based ones:
ML (Mountain Leader) – to take people summer hillwalking
WML (Winter Mountain Leader) – to take people winter hillwalking (must have done your ML)
MIA (Mountaineering Instructor Award) – to take people multi-pitch climbing and Scrambling, coaching lead climbing or any other mountain climbing related activity, in a Summer environment (must have done your ML)
MIC (Mountaineering Instructor Certificate) – as the MIA, but in the Winter environment, ice and mixed climbing (must have done the WML and MIA)
So, the MIC is the highest British climbing qualification, and the holder of this award is able to take people winter climbing and teach them to do so on their own as well as a plethora of other things! After the MIC Training, you must spend some time consolidating your skills before an assessment. This length of time varies from person to person, but is usually a number of years….
Our week MIC Training up in Scotland with Plas Y Brenin had some awesome weather, and a couple of poor days, but we made the most of it all and got some great mountaineering and climbing in, winterised some summer skills and got lots of top tips from some highly skilled instructors. Cheers for a great week Tim, Al, Ollie and Matt… Now for some hard work and climbing for a couple of years training for the assessment!
Al Halewood telling us about the snow on our MIC Training! Looking at some large faceting and surface hoar in Stob Coire Nan Lochan
Heading up to the Ben, for a days Ice Climbing on our MIC Training.
Short Roping on our MIC Training on Stob Ban.
Ice! On the Ben on the last day of our MIC Training.