The perfect day and a perfect professional weekend is not about relaxing; it’s about deep, purposeful immersion in the pursuit of excellence. My ideal two days began with the high-stakes, high-reward environment of coaching five fantastic candidates through their Mountain Instructor Award Scheme (MIAS) assessment. From the crisp Saturday morning until the fading light of Sunday evening, the focus was absolute, dedicated to transforming five keen enthusiasts into competent, confident, and, above all, safe mountain bike leaders
On Sunday the focus entirely to leadership, risk management, and decision-making under stress. We started early with an unforgiving micro-navigation exercise across featureless, fog-shrouded moorland. The challenge was not just finding the points, but leading the group with clarity and confidence, even when visibility dropped to mere meters. The afternoon was devoted to the high-pressure emergency simulations. This involved managing a mock casualty requiring swift first aid, establishing effective communications, and planning a safe, efficient evacuation.
The true reward arrived as the sun dipped below the distant peaks. Seeing their five faces light up as they collectively realized they had successfully navigated two days of intense scrutiny and pressure was profound. The satisfaction was not just in handing over the final sign-off sheets, but in the certainty that these five fantastic people had earned the right to lead others safely into the wild. The weekend concluded with the deep, intrinsic professional satisfaction of having anchored the future of mountain safety. This was not a physically exhausting undertaking, but one of complete mental and professional fulfillment.
Finishing up the weekend with a smile i headed to a shaded spot i know of, a few hours of quiet reflection, after a weekend of my focus being on others, it was relaxing to clear my head bouldering.
