Navigation Techniques with Tim Mosedale
Navigation skills courses
Not everyone’s cup of Earl Grey but you do actually use your navigation skills far more than you probably realise – usually when you are going to a new crag, meeting a group of friends at the pub, giving directions to people so they can come to your housewarming party etc etc.
So why does map reading and navigation all become so difficult when you get out on to the mountains?? Firstly because you probably don’t practice and secondly when you come to use your map reading skills you learnt some time back you don’t have a strategy.
Navigation is relatively easy if approached in a simple and methodical way. You may, or may not, have read an excellent series on navigation in On The Edge magazine (copies 105-111) – well now is your chance to get your map signed by the author and put in to practice the skills that could make the difference between last orders and an uncomfortable night on the mountain.
These courses are aimed at everyone who uses the mountains.
Starters
A chance for you to get acquainted with the scales and maps used in the UK.
I start out by building up a strategy for you to use in the future and develop a methodical approach to get you from A to B.
Basically we get out there and do some map reading. Don’t worry if you get lost – now is the time to practice and deal with situations as they arise.
Main Course
A chance to get out on to some more complicated and difficult terrain with lots of ‘games’ and teaching aids for us to use.
A chance to look at some basic compass skills such as how to determine your direction of travel in bad vis, walking on a bearing and, of course, an opportunity to increase accuracy.
A La Carte
Advanced poor weather strategies and night navigation.
This is for people who really want to fine tune their micro nav skills and to make sure that they can deal with any situation. There’s a chance to look at your pacing and timing skills and combining them with extensive use of the compass.
A good course if you are ever in charge of groups of people in the hills, are working towards your Mountain Leader awards or just out and about in all weathers and conditions.
For further information please don’t hesitate to read the articles I had published in ‘On The Edge’ magazine. They are not teaching you how to use a map and compass but are a series of articles aimed at giving you a strategy and a process to work through for each time you have to navigate. Enjoy!