Mountain Guiding Legalities.....?

[andyfitz]

Id be more likely to headbutt the lawyer, than sue someone!

It was you who posed the question. You asked for legal advice. Advice was provided by several including at least 2 lawyers. The law is not made by lawyers - but ignore the advice and resort to this sort of stupid comment if you must. Of course you run the risk of coming a poor second if you resort to that tactic. Also, your spelling is very poor.

[peter tindal]

Oh how I laughed

"It was a long time ago, but I was trained by the Army (all be it the army cadets) to read maps, and give grid references etc.

"

You have got to admire your spirt but (keeping the army thing going) you are about to walk into a minefield. Many many people who take legal action do so because they have lost earnings and small things like thier house is at risk. They are not really taking money from the individual but the individuals insurance company. If you have no formal qualifications then no insurance company will insure you to lead a group without a massive payment from you.

I am a ML, I am lucky that the company I work for paid for it as it is expensive. But it is more than a bit of paper to say you can lead. It gives an instructor a chance to look at the skills you have built up over the years. In my case, 23 years in the REAL army, six years hill walking, WGL training and assessment before doing ML training and assessment. The learning and training never stops.

My advice is the moment you take money, even for a charity, from someone you are asking for trouble mate

Pete

[Ibex]

I know that the Army cadet line would bring a few laughs.
I did go to join the Territorial Army and went along to a load of lessons, which included a few lessons on map reading. Seemed to be fine with that.
I shall now await the jibes about the TA.

Its smegging hard to raise money for this charity. I am looking for any way I can to make more money for it. All of this is done with the best of intentions.
After the first few posts and the email from my lawyer friend, I had pretty much decided not to do this. However this thread seemed to be turning into an interesting discusion, so it was good to keep it going.

Luckily I have a lot more ideas for raising money, without falling foul of the legal system.

All of this has made me feel sorry for ML's. Thank God i'm a misserable git and like walking alone!

[Caberfeidh]

Luckily I have a lot more ideas for raising money

You can get five grand for a kidney.

[DonnyW]

Perhaps you should just consider doing something like getting a few walkers together and everyone asking friends to sponsor them if you really want to raise money for charity ?

You dont need to be a mountail leader to do that .. and I doubt if you will be sued by anyone.. thousands of people do it every year ...here is a link to an example where 7 women at my work raised over 2000 quid for breast cancer awareness.

At the time I posed..the total was £1500 but they got more when they started collecting the sponsor money.

http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25804


There is no need to climb Kiliminjaro or be a mountain guide ..if you really want to raise money you can do by keeping things simple...good luck with raising your donation

[Ibex]

Luckily I have a lot more ideas for raising money

You can get five grand for a kidney.

Quite attached to my kidneys.
Someone elses on the other hand.......

Donny - I am already signed up for a trek of Kilimanjaro, with the NSPCC.
Put in more money recently to secure my place. Its now probably costing me more than it would to go on my own self funded expedition through a company..............oh well its for a good cause.

I should be doing a bag pack, with a load of friends and family, in at least one supermarket. Hopefully another as well.
Hoping to get together some places to do pub quizes at as well.

I was supposed to climb Snowdon yesterday, which I hoped would provide some cool photo's, of snow capped mountains and might get me some more online donations. Instead I ended up playing rugby for my local team, as they were desperate for players.
The opposition didn't have enough players, so I was asked to play for them. Had to play scrum half, which is out of possition for me. The forwards were pretty poor, so I was on the back foot all game. Got smashed at every scrum and every lineout. More than a bit sore today!

[DonnyW]

Sounds good to me Ibex.

I tend to think that the best way to raise charity money is to just be yourself and not say you are something you are not.. example being a mountain leader... that is when you can get sued

Why not get you mates that trample you to death on the rugby field to give you a donation for doing some rugby challenges..or arrange a rugby match to raise some money..I would think that could be more in your line that taking folks up mountains ?

just a thought

[Ibex]

I never claimed to be a mountain leader or guide in any way Donny. Just a guy that is looking for ways to make money for charity.

That was a rough game of rugby for me. Must have been smashed at least twenty times, by the guy I usually flank with. I got my head stood on, after making a tackle in the first fifteen minutes of the game too. Got a nice black eye developing at the moment.

[DonnyW]

Hmm..I forgot that I had to post ..if I got it right..anyhoo on with the quiz

Here is one from Saturdays walk..its should be easy enough..what summit


Opppps posted in the wrong thread..apologies

[brpro26]

Luckily I have a lot more ideas for raising money, without falling foul of the legal system.

How about a sponsored Silence....just a suggestion

[ballarat]

ibex its a great idea sadly a recipie for tears


DONT TOUCH IT WITH A BARGE POLE(OR A WALKING POLE IN THIS CASE)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[islayhawk]

Interesting topic - if a persons wanted to become a Mountain guide then what courses or qualification would they need. Is there any recognised qualification.

islayhawk

[gaffr]

I would think that the only folks who could trade as a Mountain Guide would be those holding the International Mountain Guide qualification....that would be the ability to take folks on mountains anywhere on the globe....and would have the Insurance to to cover problems which could occur.
There is an International Mountain Leader ticket which is used mainly? with trekking parties and anything involving glacier travel and alpine techniques wouldn't be covered by this qualification.?
There are several UK qualifications which most practitioners would use mainly for instructing in the hills and mountains in this country for walking summer award ML and for winter walking WML. When it comes to moving on rock with multi pitched routes then the qualification would be MIA and when working under winter conditions MIC.
There are now Single pitch climbing qualifications for work on usually outcrop crags and awards to enable instruction to take place on indoor and outdoor walls with in place protection.
For moorland and lower level walking there is a Walking Groupleader award.
I would guess that many of the UK guides would have the UK qualifications for the instructional work having maybe progressed through the UK awarding bodies before reaching the IMG standard?
When money changes hands for guiding or instructional work I don't think that anyone working with any of the awards would do so without having a good insurance policy.