Page 39 - 2019 AMA Summer

• Gain experience in preparation for higher JSAT and NGB qualifications
If you have never attended a meet, you can be forgiven for conjuring up an image of a strictly controlled weekend. One where there is no choice in activity, pace and difficulty. I am glad to say that the weekends are a far cry from this image that some may have. Yes, we do take the safety of our members very seriously and follow the rules for good reason. At the same time, we work hard to ensure that the weekends deliver exactly what our members want and need.
All meets are conducted ‘On-Duty’ and in accordance with JSP 419. It’s important that all instructors stay within the remit of their qualification. No plan survives contact with the enemy, I have never had a spreadsheet yet that hasn’t had ink all over it, crossing names off or adding a last-minute arrival. For this reason, I don’t allocate students to instructors until first thing on the Saturday morning. There is nothing very scientific about it; it’s a bit like picking football teams in school, with the instructors lined up on one side and the students on the other. Students are allocated to instructors depending on what they would like to do.
From a personal perspective, I have been involved with many people on the various meets that I have run. Some have wanted to learn to navigate, others to
lead climb under instruction, some want to try multi-pitch climbing for the first time. Others have no idea what they want to do, but after a quick chat and a few suggestions a plan is usually made for the day. On the other end of the scale, some of the more experienced members have wanted to learn more complex skills and techniques. The basic principle is, if we can make it happen, we will! The only thing we can’t do is award qualifications, that is the role of JSMTC, what we can do though is help you on your way!
The meets are also very relaxed. Yes, we are all in the Army in some capacity, but everyone that attends do so because of their shared love of the mountains and all they have to offer. The meets are not rank conscious in any way whatsoever. This is something that is very important to me as I originally joined the AMA in 1999 and left about three years later. Why did I leave? It was all to do with my perception of the
AMA at the time. I also thought that the AMA would be very ‘clicky’ and hard to break into. I left without ever choosing to find out the reality. I didn’t re-join until 2012, when I discovered that I loved climbing. I also realised when I re-joined that I had missed out on over 12 years of mountaineering opportunities all because I let perception get in the way of reality. So, just to be clear, it doesn’t matter what rank you are or which cap badge you wear. That is all left behind when you turn up for the weekend. What I can say is, we will do our best to ensure you receive the best possible training and have a good social evening thrown in. Not bad for £20 considering the same experience would cost a civilian in the region of £200.
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 39