Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Personal, December 16 2008.

I spent last week attending a two-day first aid course at Lochore Meadows in Fife. It was a BASP (British Association of Ski Patrollers) course, but it was of quite a general nature and most of the course syllabus was applicable to everyday situations.

I did the course as part of the training for the Summer Mountain Leader qualification. Although the course was well worth doing (and perhaps everyone who can afford £100 and a weekend should do it regardless of their job or interests), I couldn’t help feeling that providing adequate first aid in a remote setting with a group of inexperienced walkers in the mountains might need more specialist training, with practice scenarios actually in mountainous areas rather than a classroom (it is amazing the differences in the way you can react when confronted with rain, cold and darkness).

Having said that, I do feel more able after the course to cope with emergency situations that might arise in the mountains.

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