What is a Quality Day?

A ‘Quality Lowland Day’ for the Lowland Leader should take place in lowland terrain in the UK or Ireland.

The quality element lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. The experience of a quality day should contribute to knowledge, personal development and associated skill acquisition.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
• An unfamiliar locality is explored.
• Navigation skills are required.
• Knowledge is increased and relevant skills practised.
• Judgement and decision making is required.
• Four hours or more journey time.

These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, a member of a group practising skills, or days spent repeating familiar routes are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a quality day.

A ‘Quality Hill Day’ for the Hill and Moorland Leader should take place in hill and moorland terrain in the UK or Ireland.

The quality element lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. The experience of a quality day should contribute to knowledge, personal development and associated skill acquisition.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
• An unfamiliar locality is explored.
• Navigation skills are required.
• Knowledge is increased and relevant skills practised.
• Judgement and decision making is required.
• Four hours or more journey time.

These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, a member of a group practising skills, or days spent repeating familiar routes are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a quality day.

A ‘Quality Mountain Day’ for the Mountain Leader should take place in mountainous terrain in the UK or Ireland.

The quality element lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. The experience of a quality day should contribute to knowledge, personal development and associated skill acquisition.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
• An unfamiliar locality is explored.
• A mountain is ascended.
• Navigation skills are required.
• Knowledge is increased and relevant skills practised.
• Judgement and decision making is required.
• Five hours or more journey time.

These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, a member of a group practising skills, or days spent repeating familiar routes are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a quality day.

As with ‘summer’ quality mountain days, the quality of a winter QMD lies in such things as the conditions experienced both overhead and underfoot, the exploration of new areas, the terrain covered, the skills deployed and the physical and mental challenge. They are more demanding than a ‘summer’ QMD as candidates continue to develop their experience, fitness, technical competence and decision-making skills while simultaneously dealing with winter weather and conditions.

The Scottish Highlands in winter conditions present a wide variety of hazards that need to be managed and the physical effort required to complete a winter quality mountain day is substantial. Other areas such as North Wales, the Lakes and Ireland have winter conditions, but you are often never that far from a road or habitation offering a fast and comparatively easy escape from the mountains. That is not always the case in the Scottish Highlands which is why at assessment, 50% of the minimum required number of winter QMDs must be in Scotland.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning and leadership.
• Navigation skills are required away from marked/well used paths.
• Experience must be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in UK and Irish mountainous terrain.
• Knowledge is increased and skills practised.
• Attention is paid to safety.
• The journey is five hours or more.
• Conditions encountered should be in terrain and weather comparable to that found in the UK and Ireland in true winter conditions.
• Ascent of a substantial peak would normally be included in the day.
• An ice axe and crampons are likely to be required.

These criteria mean that days as a course member under instruction, practising winter skills, or summer days in Alpine areas are very unlikely to meet the requirements of a Winter Quality Mountain Day. However, these days can be recorded in the appropriate place in your logbook even though they are not suitable for registration purposes.

A quality international summer mountain day should be a mountain day outside of the UK and Ireland.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning
• Six hours or more journey time
• In an environment below 3000 metres, the day should include a height gain of approximately 1000 metres
• In an environment above 3000 metres the day should include a height gain of approximately 300 metres
• Navigational skills are required including the use of a map, compass, altimeter or GPS
• Route choice, judgement and decision making is required.
• Increasing one’s environmental knowledge

If any of the criteria above are not met it would be expected that the day should also include:

• Ascending and/or descending steep broken ground
• Negotiating sections of fixed equipment and/or small sections of snow as part of the normal mountain journey

A quality international winter mountain day should be a mountain day outside of the UK and Ireland.

All the following criteria should be fulfilled:

• The individual takes part in the planning
• Movement and travel on snow
• Six hours or more journey time
• The journey includes ascent and/or descent
• Planning involving the use of weather and avalanche forecasts
• Navigational skills are required, including the use of a map, compass, altimeter or GPS
• Route choice, decision-making and judgement is required
• Evaluating the snowpack and avalanche hazard throughout the day and making ongoing decisions based on these
  Increasing one’s environmental knowledge

Summer Alpine conditions on snowy terrain will not normally qualify as fulfilling enough of these criteria, apart from in exceptionally bad weather conditions.