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A post from a fellow instructor got me thinking the other day. They’d received some harsh feedback about their instructing practices and the types of courses they deliver. This isn’t the first time this has happened to them, not because they’re a poor instructor, no not that at all. It usually from anonymous sources or random social media profiles who have an issue with people from the underrepresented communities that she directs her courses towards. Her response. She was very open and honest about it. About how it makes her feel. About how she has grown and learned to deal with it. About the realities of progress and embracing change. It reminded me of advice that I got from a friend years ago about having the confidence to back yourself. Back yourself to know you’re the right person for the job. Back yourself to win. Back yourself to have the knowledge. Back yourself to know you’re doing the right thing. This attitude is what she has in spades and she is making it work for her. Coming from a sporting background, I know the power this mindset can have. Standing on the pitchside, convincing yourself that you belong and that you have the skills and talents needed to have a positive influence, you’re already one step ahead. Inversely you’re one step behind when you don’t. This also happened in my climbing in Pabbay last year. An uninhabited island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Tall sea cliffs and potentially wild conditions make for real adventure climbing. The consequences of an accident need not be dwelled upon. By backing myself to know I had the skills to operate smoothly and safely in an environment like that meant I had the trip of my life and subsequently broke through a few plateaus along the way too. It’s not an easy thing, it will come and go, and it can be a fine balance before falling in to the trap of arrogance. But by reminding yourself of the skills you have inherited on your journey you’ve been on through life, as well as understanding the gaps you can still fill and the goals you need to pursue, you can start laying the foundation of confidence. You can start backing yourself.  The only person you can truly affect is yourself. Starting up a path and continuing on it is daunting and often fraught with challenges, whatever it may be, but by backing yourself eventual success and enjoyment will be guaranteed to come with it. How can you back yourself in a part of your life?

Recently DDJ Mountaineering got approval to be able to run all of Mountain Training’s Rock Skills courses on their behalf. We’re thrilled to get this approval to work with Mountain Training for this purpose and we’re excited about what the future of our course delivery can evolve in to in close collaboration with associations such as this. After this introduction though you may be left wondering, what is Mountain Training? and what are Rock Skills? Mountain Training Mountain Training are the National Governing Body in the UK for all professional instructors and coaches in both outdoor and indoor climbing and hillwalking related activities. They develop and deliver all the training and assessment awards for outdoor mountain professionals. Every staff member at DDJ has one or more Mountain Training Qualifications in walking, outdoor climbing, indoor climbing, coaching and/or mountaineering. Although only operating in the UK for their award schemes, they are highly regarded and their qualifications are recognised in many countries internationally. Rock Skills The skills schemes are Mountain Training awards. There are 4 levels of skills scheme in rock climbing (Introduction, Intermediate, Learn to Lead Trad and Learn to Lead Sport) and 2 levels in hillwalking (named Hill skills and Mountain skills). However one key difference between the qualifications mentioned in the paragraph above and the skills schemes are that the skills schemes are not leadership awards. The skills schemes are purely for personal development and aim to give people the necessary knowledge and abilities to be competent outdoor enthusiasts in mountains and crag environments. They do not qualify you to take others out for work or payment. How can I sign up for a Rock Skills course? The Rock Skills courses are advertised on Mountain Trainings website here , and on most of the private websites of the providers that deliver them on Mountain Trainings behalf including DDJ here . There are many providers spread around the country delivering the courses. All have been audited and are monitored by Mountain Training both at the application stage and throughout delivery of the courses at a regular stage, so you can guarantee every skills scheme provider will be of high standard and professionalism. To attend a course firstly requires registration from each candidate for the skills scheme as a whole (free of charge) and also, depending which level you enter at, a small log of your previous experience in climbing to make sure that you are at the right level to get the most out of the course. This can be done by your provider who will then send you your account information and registration details or if you prefer you can do this yourself. There are guides on this both in the Handbook and in videos on the Mountain Training YouTube site, all of which are linked at the bottom of this post. Where can I do a Rock Skills course with DDJ? Most of the courses offered by DDJ take place on the dramatic gritstone edges of the Peak District, such as Stanage, Froggatt, Millstone and Burbage. However if you would like the course to take place somewhere else then this can also be arranged on a private basis. Feel free to get in touch by email or phone if this is something that you would like to do. When can I do a Rock Skills course with DDJ? All public DDJ Rock Skills courses are advertised under the Rock Skills tab at the top of the page with the dates available. These dates change depending on the availability of staff per season so keep checking in to see if something comes available. They can also be found on the ‘Find a Course’ link on Mountain Trainings website and booked through there. If the dates you require aren’t listed or if you have a group of people interested that would like to do a course privately then please do feel free to make an enquiry and we will endeavour to arrange a course to suit your needs. What do I get from a Rock Skills course? Registration to do any Rock Skills course also carries its own perks such as, access to all four of the Rock Skills courses, a 15% discount off anything at Costwold Outdoor and Snow and Rock, a copy of New Rock Climbers book to be handed out at the beginning of the course, a certificate of attendance and completion to be handed out at the end of the course and lifetime access to a Digital Logbook on the Mountain Training Website of all the climbs you have done. Plus as already mentioned above, by the end of a Rock Skills course you should have all the necessary skills to start you on your journey to becoming a competent and independent lead climber, ready to take on your own adventures on rock. If you have any more questions then please do feel free to send either me or Mountain Training an enquiry email and we will be happy to answer you. Happy climbing, Dan Handbook How to register video How to use DLOG video

Greek Climbing Paradise

El Chorro has been a climbing mecca for many people for many years