Page 40 - The Wish Stream Year of 2021 (Crest)

Exercise FROSTY CADET
OCdt Boulter
Ex FROSTY CADET took six OCdts to the highlands of Scotland to conduct Winter Mountain Foundation training. This course
builds the skills from Summer Mountain Founda- tion and tests them in more arduous and techni- cal conditions.
The team consisted of OCdts: Boulter (IC), Stringer (2IC), Tomsett, Smith, Ritchie and Huxtable.
Throughout the trip, we were pushed and instructed by LCpl Tomkins, who had a pleth- ora of experience and conducted himself with relaxed professionalism which put the team at ease when battling the high winds of the Mun- ros. At the start of the week, we found our best weather, where we conducted ice axe arrest and got to grips with our crampons. We soon found that administration and careful packing of kit was a key skill that was easily transferable from our encounters in Brecon earlier in the term, able it with a drying room at the end of the day and thus making it slightly easier.
Throughout the trip we were often placed in scenarios outside of our usual comfort zones,
whether that be performing ice axes arrests or ascending up steep snowy peaks. Signifi- cantly, on day three upon reaching the peak of the mountain, we had to make a difficult leader- ship decision. We decided to head back as the conditions and climbing grade were out of our skill level. This is akin to a Platoon commander making a decision in the best interests of safety rather than carry on with the mission even if it was untenable. However, we were rewarded the next day with some of the most exciting yet chal- lenging mountaineering of the whole expedition. We left that day with a warm fuzzy feeling about what we had just achieved.
All in all, the team had developed from a fair competence in hill walking to a good proficiency in winter mountaineering. Looking forward, members are looking to increase their ‘Qual- ity mountain days’ (QMDs) to enable them to become Summer Mountain Leaders and deliver training to their prospective units.
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