Let us know your top tips to get the most out of your QMDs!
@williamcolman52273 жыл бұрын
I'm in the early stages of my ML journey and I've spent my fair share of time worrying if the days I've recorded (and planned) so far would qualify. Reading forums and scouring websites only made it worse. Then, one day, it just clicked that I can record whatever I want (as long as it ticks off a few of the criteria and I've learnt something) and I should focus on having fun and pushing myself. I like to plot out my own routes offline on my OS maps, then do extra research on the OS app to make sure I'm not over doing it. Helps with my visualisation and I'm picking up a lot of knowledge about map features.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Forums and websites can be so useful... but...! Glad it clicked for you :)
@iancollins6762 Жыл бұрын
Passed my ML reassessment last week. Your videos have been invaluable in getting me through it. Thank you.
@JBMountainSkills Жыл бұрын
Nice one, well done! Glad you found them useful :)
@andrewlarigo14233 жыл бұрын
Great advice Jez & a timely reminder of not allowing yourself to get sucked into the box-ticking. I heard from somebody else that I should focus on 'The spirit of the walk'. Once the Covid restrictions lift, I'll be getting out for some easy days for pleasure then begin to consider focussing again.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
All about enjoying it :)
@davethinkingsystems Жыл бұрын
Great video thanks mate. Im on the ML path now. Ive decided to go for some nav skills courses before my ML training. Without a GPS i get well lost at night. I end up carrying a map , compass , phone and twonav out just in case. I love your last tip of remembering we do this becsuse it is fun :)
@JBMountainSkills Жыл бұрын
Enjoy the scheme!
@georgemacdonald68053 жыл бұрын
I looked out some help for weather forecasting, getting to understand the weather maps, patterns and cloud formations helped in the planning phase of assessment. Got really interesting and usually meant it was wet.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing!
@thetommiegods2 жыл бұрын
Really liked the way you put this across for some great tips thank you
@JBMountainSkills2 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@jackoverhill38453 жыл бұрын
I always thought when doing my ML, the weather where I didn't want to be out in aka heavy Rain and Wind sometimes at night was good. I remember doing Micro nav in 60mph wind near Sad Gill at 5am was still dark in wet mountain bog. It was horrendous, I'm glad I never had a group as it was just diabolical! I knew if all were to fail and I lost all hope and at 9am the weather would be very different and nice :O That said if you can nav in the poorest of weather it really shows on assessment, as you just walk around like it's your local park. Which takes so much pressure off as you say. That said it still be a hard assessment and your assessor might just make you follow the whole 3 days exped, think I had like 3-4 legs. Which at the time you start to question your self what's going on constantly in limbo about your nav. As of course your assessor just says "Ok", "hmm" or "fine", it's total mind ****. Getting a friend to go out who's good at Micro Nav and doing some follow and lead and just saying "ok", "hmm", "fine", with a quick review at the end helped me prep.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing :)
@jeremyballard74613 жыл бұрын
Cracker Jez. The review in the DLOG can be seen as a bit of a chore, but I found that it is where I really thought about what I got out of the day. It also reminded me when I had a look at my QMDs just before assessment that I was ready and gave me a confidence boost.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
DLog gets a bit of a slating but there's positives to it for sure!
@stuartbell30122 жыл бұрын
Hi, I would add to point 3 about the weather in that its not only about can you deal with the conditions when they deteriorate and you are in howling wind driving rain and sleet very poor vis and cold. As a Leader you should reflect on how you felt on those days as anyone you are leading will be feeling somewhat miserable and at times frightened so consideration should be given to how your group is feeling. Go out in dire conditions and experience not only dire weather but your own feelings and limitations and you will experience how your group will be feeling. I passed my ML a number of years ago and I deliberately went out in shocking weather to experience not only navigation but how my morale and body feels in those conditions and how I felt mentally and it stood me in good stead.
@drcattyish Жыл бұрын
We had a walk which turned rainy, and a group member wearing spec's couldn't see a thing. It's being aware of each person's discomfort level which adds complexity when with a group sometimes.
@thomasjones19363 жыл бұрын
Hi jb good little video on qmds I live just outside the brecon beacons trying to gain my qmds and also practicing navigation it will be fantastic when restrictions are up and I can go up to north Wales or maybe sneak up to Scotland 😅😉
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it!
@olicowan37143 жыл бұрын
Really helpful video. You will know me from another website under a different name (It's the one for arguing that's also, sometimes, about climbing). This is a great video and. Counting down the days to be let out and have fun logging my QMDs!
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Glad it was helpful! If it was you using the Buy Me a Coffee link then yes I know the name and thanks very much for your support :)
@longhairedguy2963 жыл бұрын
That's a great video cheers, my ML stuff has generally taken a back seat after training as I didn't want to have to tick all the boxes everytime I went out, I wasn't enjoying it as much! Now after watching that I know I don't need every box ticked I can probably log some more. As an assessor do you discount QMDs in the log if you don't think they're good enough? I've heard people say that you shouldn't go to assessment with any less than 60 days as the assessor will likely discount a load of them
@t0mdeakin3 жыл бұрын
I think most assessors look at the basics with QMDs only because they've been on the hills enough to know from the first hour of assessing someone whether they're competent or not. Don't over think it, assessment is all about getting the best out of you on the day and assessors aren't the Spanish Inquisition. It's about you demonstrating you're safe and competent to lead people in the hills (decision making). Only thing I would 100% say is make sure you do some bad weather & night navigation practice and remember (for night nav) to Practice Like The Assessment (wake up early that day, do some physical activity and then get out navigating around 10pm). For me this was VERY important as I practiced nav when I was fresh, and on your real assessment you will have been on your feet for 15 hours.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it! Good question. I think you just need to be sensible when you're counting your days. If a day really isn't a QMD (I'll chat to the candidate to see if there's a reason they think it is), then yes I will discount it as one of the QMDs. Just to be clear though, it's quite rare I'll do that as most people are on point with their QMDs.
@MrAlpi762 жыл бұрын
What can I say? Great and clear video. Precisely what I need and recognise most of you’re topics you mentioned. Specially after such crazy period.
@JBMountainSkills2 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it!
@zacurquhart7943 жыл бұрын
I'm early on in my ML journey. Would you personally consider a 'failed' route as a quality mountain day? Very recently bailed on a scramble route (using a pre-planned bail-out discussed with my group) up The Old Man of Coniston due to wind & rain tipping the risk/reward scale. As a result, we were only out for less than 5 hours and the navigation to the point of bailout was pretty easy to say the least!
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
It depends a bit, but it certainly could! Just think through whether it ticks some of the QMD boxes as per the MT website. In my mind it's fairly unlikely for a day under 5 hours to count though.
@zacurquhart7943 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills thanks for the reply! After watching a few more of your videos I completely agree - I'm going to write it up as a 'mountain day', with a pointer to the experience gained as a result of a failure. Lessons to be learned everywhere! Just for the record, your videos are spot on and extremely informative. Straight to the point with no frills, which is becoming pretty rare as everyone over-commercialises their channels! Cheers.
@markdonaldson97236 ай бұрын
Hi JB. I came across your channel whilst researching the ML award. My question is in relation to logging overseas hikes on the DLog. I’m currently abroad and plan to be for the next 12 or so months. I’d like to understand if an assessor would consider a like for like overseas hike as a QMD? For example I’ve just completed 5 days on the Dientes de Navarino trek in Patagonia and was required to do my own navigation and route finding in conditions not too disimilar from UK mountains (wet, wind, not waymarked). Although I didn’t summit a peak I did cross a number of high passes with challenging steepness and terrain. Is this something valuable to record or should I really wait until I return to the UK to concentrate on home mountains? Much appreciated 😊
@welshgingerhobo3 жыл бұрын
Hi mate, I've recently come across your channel due to researching the mountain leader course. I live in the Conwy Valley so not too far from you by the sounds of it 🙂 Can I ask a quick question about the QMD's: Can you D-log hikes done in the past or only hikes that you've done since registering for the course? Cheers 👍🏽
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Log any past stuff too, it all counts 💪
@welshgingerhobo3 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills ok so just to be clear, a past hike would count as as 1 QMD if good enough?
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
@@welshgingerhobo yep
@welshgingerhobo3 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills great thanks! If you have any spaces available when I'm ready to do the course I'll hit you up 👍🏽🙂
@illoyd2 жыл бұрын
South Wales valley's here so most of my days will be done in the Beacons. Would I be able to do some QMD's in the valleys where mountains are usually 300-400m high?
@mikeroberts83023 жыл бұрын
Hi, have you got any videos on calculating slope angle and using the mountain training Roma card please?
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Afraid not, sorry.
@secretchief700 Жыл бұрын
If I put a 4-day backpacking trip in my DLOG as a QMD, does that amount to 4 QMDs?
@JBMountainSkills Жыл бұрын
If each day meets most of the requirements, yes definitely :)
@GuidoRowe Жыл бұрын
Great video thank you. Just a question regarding DLOG. How does one use the expedition feature/ should i use it. For example, I did a 5 day self supported through hike camping in Brecon a while back and don't know whether to log each day separately (I have all the GPX files separate etc) or whether to log it as one expedition.
@JBMountainSkills Жыл бұрын
Personally when I'm looking at DLOGS I prefer each day to be logged separately. However you do it though, your assessor will work it out :)
@kylewilliamson95152 жыл бұрын
Hi Jez, thanks for the video. Do you get many RCI's coming through treating the ML as just the nessicary stepping stone to the summer MCI?
@JBMountainSkills2 жыл бұрын
My pleasure. Yes, some for sure.
@markmars15878 ай бұрын
Is there an age limit to starting a ML course?
@trytheoutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Brilliant. As I get in more qmds for my MLT, I want to include more wild camping experience which brings me onto the subject of tents. I am tempted to go for the vango helium f10. The 1 man is just over 1kg and the 2 man is 1.4 approx. The 1 man is lighter and requires less pitch space but the 2 man (for a bit of extra weight) gives more living space- great if confined to tent through bad weather...although it may be less wind resistant due to larger size. For the M.L, would you recommend a 1 man or a 2 man? Have you found the ideal ML tent yet? I know you have been searching. Rgds Imran
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it! I still haven't found the ideal tent...! There's pros and cons to 1 person v 2 person. 2 person will allow for a lot more comfort, especially useful when the weather is not so good, but it's much nicer walking around with a nice lightweight pack and a 1 person tent can make a big difference. This last year, I've started picking up the 2 person tent more and more.
@trytheoutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Thank you. I am hoping to do a refresher MLT soon in prep for my ML and I'm hunting for that elusive tent. I have a lanshan trekking pole tent but I'm sure it won't survive winds and rain above the tree line. Am looking at the Vango helium f10 ul2 which at 1.42kg is only 220g heavier than the ul 1. (It all adds up tho, doesn't it?). I have just come across the pretents lightrock which is 1250 g but could be better off to withstand the elements as it resembles a hilleberg in some ways. Any thoughts? kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jNGCYKVosK-ZdIU.html
@trytheoutdoors3 жыл бұрын
The Pretents lightrock kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jNGCYKVosK-ZdIU.html. Does that look a good ML option, sir?
@trytheoutdoors3 жыл бұрын
Also, the Dan Durston tent looks exciting. I have ordered this. Will let you know. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i5-mgq-klpivgXk.html
@Robertvwoods2 жыл бұрын
What do you do with your dog if you are doing an ML assessment? Aren't you away for a min of 3 days?
@JBMountainSkills2 жыл бұрын
He comes camping, loves it
@Robertvwoods2 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills Excellent, thank you
@bespokeguardiansltd3 жыл бұрын
Being ex mil, we use Mils not degrees, do I need to change for the ML course?
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
Personally on our ML courses, you can use what you want!
@ThrottleTherapyyy2 жыл бұрын
Just a question for you, I come from a ultra running background and a lot of my runs/training runs are in the mountains and ranging from 4-10 hours depending on distance. Could these be crossed over as QMD's as well?
@JBMountainSkills2 жыл бұрын
Hi Sam, yes they can 😊
@ThrottleTherapyyy2 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills quality! thanks for the info great stuff!
@ontheadventuretrails-scotl93893 жыл бұрын
How much detail is enough for your DLOG.. Trying not to write a book. Also, pre planned rough routes plotted on OS Maps. May not have micro detail of the actual route you take, is it still worth putting that on your DLOG. Thanks mate.
@JBMountainSkills3 жыл бұрын
I'll write an example in just a second... Re. uploading maps, chances are your assessor won't look, but it could be useful for your own records so don't be shy about uploading stuff like that for your own benefit. "Snowdon Horseshoe. From PyP, 6hrs, dry and good vis with 25mph winds, slippery underfoot on Crib Goch from overnight rain. Quiet day with not many people around." Absolutely feel free to write more and add an extra line if anything notable happened "helped a nervous walker across Crib Goch" for example. Again if you want to write more for your own benefit and records then feel free! Hope that helps!
@ontheadventuretrails-scotl93893 жыл бұрын
@@JBMountainSkills that’s extremely helpful. Thank you very much. 😊🙏