South African Mountaineering Development & Training Trust

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Policy Regarding the Qualifications of Leaders or Guides Leading Groups on Foot in Mountainous Terrain

Motivation:

Mountains are one of the world’s most important environments and recreational / tourist destinations. The beautiful peaks and landscapes are becoming increasingly attractive as a place of escape in a stressful world.

Experience has shown that mountain recreation / tourism has a huge potential to help development, but care needs to be taken to avoid damaging impacts on mountainous terrain including the prevention of accidents. By following good practice it is possible to protect the fragile mountain ecosystems and the qualities that make these environments so alluring, as well as ensuring the safety of groups entering these environments. Mountains are among the worlds most important repositories of biodiversity, yet construction, pollution, uneducated users, poor leadership of groups and noise all threaten this precious asset.

 Policy:

Given the nature of and potential dangers in mountain areas, it is imperative that professional or occupational leaders and/or guides leading groups on foot into mountainous environments are properly qualified to do so. It is further strongly recommended that non-professional/recreational leaders of groups (e.g. schools/clubs/church groups) where the trip is sanctioned by an organisation be properly qualified to lead such trips.

 The insistence on relevant, specifically focused qualifications for such leaders and/or guides provides a safeguard, ensuring that such leaders or guides have the overall competency required for leading groups engaged with mountain-walking, scrambling, rock climbing , or   canyoneering/kloofing/gorge walking.

This competency must include the ability to effectively deal with the type of obstacles/ challenges or dangers normally encountered in the mountains: e.g. steep terrain, water hazards, extreme weather conditions, group management, and survival skills.

The MDT maintains that proficiency in specifically activity focused mountain skills should be evaluated in all leaders/guides of groups and that this proficiency can only be maintained if constant practice is undertaken.  Therefore it is recommended that leaders or guides should be members of recognised industry associations/ bodies that can effectively re-evaluate them against up-to-date industry standards at regular intervals

 11 November 2004

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Last modified: 18 March 2010