Mountain Training Scotland bursary funding case studies

Nina - Mountain Leader training

For me, the hills are the only place in the world where I can fully decompress, connect with myself and experience a proper sense of freedom. Being out in challenging conditions forces me to ‘lock in’ and focus completely on the present. It puts me into a flow state where I am focused on what is immediately in front of me, which helps me feel grounded and present. This is a huge part of why working towards my Mountain Leader qualification has been so rewarding. It is giving me the skills, knowledge and confidence to enjoy the outdoors in all kinds of conditions, while also learning how to manage the safety and wellbeing of others.

Once I qualify as a Mountain Leader, I hope to use my qualification to work therapeutically with people in the outdoors. As a care leaver and social work student, looking after my own wellbeing is something I have to prioritise daily. It’s so important  for people to find something that helps them feel grounded and connected, as life can be hard and complicated for everyone.

The outdoors has played a huge role in supporting my own wellbeing, and I have seen how much it has helped other people too. However, I know that for some people, accessing the outdoors safely can feel completely out of reach and can therefore feel scary. It makes me sad that there are people out there who could benefit from the outdoors the same way I do, but don’t feel they have the resources or skills to do so. I firmly believe in sharing skills and improving access, which is why I would like to use my qualification not only to work therapeutically outdoors, but also to teach people the skills and confidence they need to enjoy hillwalking safely for themselves.

Ultimately, I would like to combine my social work experience with my passion for the outdoors, using the hills as a space where people from all walks of life can experience the therapeutic benefits of being outdoors, develop practical skills and improve their overall wellbeing.

I am really grateful to be supported by this bursary, and I can’t wait to give back to the outdoor community by helping other people experience the same sense of freedom and wellbeing that I have found in the hills.

Iain Sword – Mountain Leader assessment and Winter Mountain Leader training

I am a self-employed instructor (Celtic Guiding), currently working with my Mountain Leader and Rock Climbing Instructor qualifications. My aim is to support people with disabilities, like myself, to explore the outdoors and develop their skills in the mountain environment. I also do some freelance DofE work and act as a skills instructor for a Sea Cadet unit. The rest of the time, I also work as a manufacturing engineer, specialising in welding technology.

One of the biggest challenges has been separating personal practice for mountaineering, hill walking and climbing from decisions I would make as a mountain professional. A good perspective on this that my Winter Mountain Leader trainer shared is that we should aspire to treat personal practice the same as work practice. That way, one would build muscle memory in addition to becoming safer and more efficient.

Currently it’s the back half of winter 2025 as I write this, my aim is to consolidate Winter Mountain Leader over the rest of this season and next, then complete my assessment in January 2027. Meanwhile, I’ve been building up a list of contracts and clients for walking and climbing over spring and summer. In addition, I’m slowly developing my logbook to the point where I can attend Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor training in the coming years. While managing my disability and in the process of a career shift, I’ve been incredibly grateful for the Mountain Training Scotland bursary for supporting my ML assessment and WML training. I hope many others can see progress in the outdoor field thanks to this bursary.

Kirsty Adam - Winter Mountain Leader training

Winter is the time of year in the mountains I have the greatest respect for, so I was a little apprehensive to do my Winter Mountain Leader training, even with the minimum days which was required. However, I had the best week of learning and being out in the hills. The week began by meeting the group for the course, a mix of people from different backgrounds but all shared a common love for winter in the hills so were easy to get along with. Each day focused on some theory and practical elements, but every day was a learning day with an emphasis on leadership and journey skills. I have also never been so fascinated with snow and amazed by what you can do with it! Now I am looking forward to getting some more winter QMDs and grade 1 gullies logged, and continuing on this Winter Mountain Leader journey which would not have been possible without help from the Mountain Training Scotland bursary.

Luke Taylor - Mountain Leader training

I got into mountain running at a young age, which is where my love for the hills grew from. I enjoy heading out on my own for long days in the hills, and wild adventures across the Highlands.

At Àban I work with our Gold DofE candidates to help develop their skills and confidence in the mountains. The group is open to everyone in the Inverness area, which means I get the opportunity to work with young folk that might not otherwise get the chance to be involved in the outdoors. As a recent graduate only working part-time, the financial outlay needed to participate in training was a barrier to me. The MTS bursary was a massive help in providing me with the necessary training to become a DofE leader with Àban. I absolutely loved the Mountain Leader training course, and as well as learning tonnes of new skills I also made some really great friends. It was an exceptionally supportive environment, and I’m very grateful to MTS for providing me with the opportunity to begin my training and development as a Mountain Leader.