Page 115 - Mind, Body & Spirit Number 104 2020/21

Well, it has been an unusual year for us all. I’m sure there are plenty of contributors to this year’s MBS who are struggling for something positive and exciting to write about, especially something that hasn’t been affected by the COVID pandemic. In the world of AT, the biggest challenge is finding ways to do our work in a COVID safe manner. It is not an easy task when each student comes from somewhere different in the UK and only has five days with us on course, where forming a bubble is impossible. And then there’s the impact on students learning to factor in, another difficulty in itself. It’s been a challenge for sure, and, as unfortunate as it may be for the passionate instructors of JSMTC and the students who come through our doors, the right call was made to ultimately close wings and cancel courses.
The second challenge in the AT world is personal. For myself, I started 2020 in JSMTW Llanrwst, North Wales. From the first lockdown to now (Feb 2021), I’ve had the joy of the birth of my daughter, Molly, in June 2020, although this brought the challenge of not seeing family and friends through this experience with North Yorkshire being home. My fiancé and I have had to postpone our wedding. Twice! We spent our year turning 30 locked inside during the first lockdown, received a posting to JSMTW Ballachulish and moved from North Wales to Fort William, Scotland, with a 4-month-old and one very angry cat. ATI assignments place us in locations that are usually remote and very far from our family homes but often are considered some of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes. Scotland is an ATIs paradise, of course; apart from the midge which is just hell!
With challenge comes opportunity. As a result of the second national lockdown, all of my scheduled Mission Critical Training (MCT) was cancelled, putting me a full year behind on my personal development as a JSMTC instructor. This I initially saw as a negative; however, a quick change of mindset allowed me to see the positives. Having the mountains literally on your doorstep (I can see Ben Nevis from mine) and bags of time presented the opportunity for out of work development. Making the most of the local surroundings, the incredible level of skill and knowledge held here within the instructors at JSMTW Ballachulish and taking full advantage of one of the best winters Scotland has seen
Sgt (SI) Davison-Webb. Top of the Inglis Clark Ridge, Buachaille Etive Mòr in the background.
since probably 2010, I managed to turn what could have been a potentially depressing few months into a fantastic foray of personal challenge and growth. Whilst remaining compliant with Scottish restrictions throughout, there was Winter Climbing, Skiing, Winter Mountaineering, and even getting some routes done in alpine style; climbing with skis on our packs and skiing back down to the car; a real rarity for Scotland! So, the second lockdown continues to persist for now. All of our lives have been heavily affected by this pandemic, but with vaccinations being rolled out at an impressive rate, hopefully, the end is soon in sight. An expected return to work may still be far ahead in the future, but a return to even a fraction of normal would be very welcome for us all.
I look forward to seeing you all either on future courses or during our regular RAPTC gatherings. Stay Safe.
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JOINT SERVICE MOUNTAIN TRAINING WING BALLACHULISH
Sgt (SI) S Davison-Webb RAPTC
JOINT SERVICE MOUNTAIN TRAINING WING (BAVARIA)
WO2 (QMSI) G Charlton RAPTC
2020 has been a testing year consisting of improvisation, adaptability and uncertainty. This was due to the global pandemic that would affect military personnel worldwide. As
a result of this, the centre was forced to close just weeks before the end of the ski season. Although initially Covid-19 had little effect on our output, this would all change and the coming months would bring challenges none of the staff could have anticipated.
What followed was the first official Bavarian lockdown, a situation that no-one had experienced before. In order for our staff to continue working, we would adapt our routine and become familiar with split shifts. Of course, for the instructional staff in particular this would be difficult for a team whose office is seen as the outdoors. However, this would be an ideal time for language training, online courses and spending time with loved ones. Inevitably, achieving the above wouldn’t be straight forward, as staff would now have to juggle working remotely with home life. For many of the staff this would involve looking after children, home-schooling, walking the dog and attending regular zoom meetings.
There was a glimpse of hope as the German lockdown started to ease, and work started to resume in a way that we were more familiar with. We prepared to welcome UK based troops back to the centre and eventually we were able to carry on with delivering our summer courses. This was still a challenging time as the UK was still in lock down at this point and would remain so for several weeks after our students arrived. However, the students would go on to support Op TOSCA and other UK based Adventurous Training.
So, how did we go about qualifying students
in multi disciplines during a pandemic?
From the offset we established a number of phases to ensure that all staff returned back to work in an environment where we can train safely. Implementing PPE, Social Distancing (SD) and other control measures to ensure the safety of both the staff and students. Every department within the organisation worked extremely hard to achieve this outcome. As British troops operating in Germany, we were mandated to follow both the UK and the Bavarian guidelines, whilst also adhering to the direction of the German Army; a difficult balance!