Become a Leader

This document explains how you can become qualified to run trips through MUMC.

If interested, email your experience to the relevant sports officer (even if you don't have much).

General Leader Requirements

It is important to recognise that there is more to being a good leader than being skilled in a particular sport. General leadership skills are arguably more important than the sports skills, they can be harder to learn and harder to assess. It is important that leaders are not approved just because they are highly skilled in the sport. A leader is taking a duty of care for the dependent participants on a trip. Therefore, risk assessment, management, and safety approaches are critical competencies when approving leaders.

Leader must:

  • Hold current level 2/HLTAID011 first aid as a minimum
  • Have an ability to identify and manage risks
  • Have outdoor and group management skills
  • Be safety conscious
  • Have good communication skills
  • Be approachable yet assertive
  • Have an ability to say no
  • Be able to teach and instruct
  • To be able to encourage participants while ensuring safety
  • Be motivated and flexible
  • Have problem solving skills
  • Demonstrate and communicate the necessary safety briefing to all participants before proceeding with the trip


Social

To run social trips you don't need to be an official leader in the club, just submit a trip via the "Run a Trip" link in the nav bar! Social trips don't fall under the category of any of the official sports, are generally safe, and are in locations that have mobile reception.

Examples of social trips include:

  • Casual meetups
  • Conservation trips
  • Indoor climbing sessions
  • Group running meetups
  • Board games
  • Slacklining
  • Pie & Slide
  • Anniversary Dinners
  • Many more!


Bushwalking

Walking Sports Officers 2024-2025: Ella Edwards & Eleanor March -  

Leader Guideline - Bushwalking

To run bushwalking trips, you must be a leader that is qualified for the type of trip you want to run. Follow the step-by-step process below to become a bushwalking leader.

Qualifications

  • Day trip leader
  • Overnight Leader (Beginner - Intermediate)
  • Overnight Leader (Advanced)

Process

  1. Have an up to date first aid certificate. Level 2/HLTAID011 or higher. Must have been completed within the last 3 years.
  2. Attend a leader training session. See trips page on website, if none are available send an email or have a chat with the bushwalking officer(s).
  3. Shadow a leader on a trip. This can be done by emailing the Bushwalking Officer(s) to arrange a trip to shadow.
  4. Organise a trip entirely on your own with a leader to supervise you and assess your skills. This must be an overnight trip if you want to be an overnight leader.


Rock Climbing

Rope Sports Officer 2024-2025: Riley Clarke -

Leader Guideline - Rock Climbing

Leader Guideline - Bouldering

You must at least be an ILC to run climbing trips

Participation Requirements

Top Roping Trips: No experience is needed to attend top roping trips. Just sign up!

Sport Climbing Trips: You must be at least a SLC to attend sport climbing trips.

Trad Climbing Trips: You must be at least an ILC to attend Trad Climbing trips.

Bouldering Trips: No experience is required to attend bouldering trips.

Qualifications

Sport Lead Climber (SLC): If you have a lead climbing pass from an indoor climbing gym and can clean a sport climbing anchor (follow a YouTube video with the anchors on the bouldering wall in the clubrooms to learn) you will most likely be able to become a SLC. Contact the Rope Sports Officer to get your skills verified.

Independent Lead Climber (ILC): If you have completed a significant amount of traditional climbing outdoors (“trad climbing”) and are familiar with rescue skills, you will most likely be able to become an ILC. If you don’t have this experience, you can instead attend a Melbourne Climbing School (or equivalent) trad climbing course. Email your logbook to the Rope Sports Officer to get checked off. If you use TheCrag as your logbook, go to Dashboard -> Action -> Export logbook as XLS.

MUMC Climbing Instructor (MCI): It’s complicated. Speak to the Rope Sports Officer.


Skiing

Snow Sports Officer 2024-2025: Jacob Fuller-

Leader Guideline - Snow Sports (Incomplete)

There is currently no formal leadership pathway to become a Skiing leader. Generally if you are a bushwalking leader you will be able to run skiing trips. Email or have a chat with the Snow Sports Officer if you’re interested in becoming a skiing leader.

There are two types of skiing trips at MUMC:

  • Backcountry Skiing
  • Cross-Country Skiing


Paddling

Paddling Sports Officer 2024-2025: Vacant -

Leader Guidelines - Sea Kayaking

Leader Guidelines - Whitewater Rafting

Leader Guidelines - Whitewater Kayaking

Speak to the Paddling Sports Officer to discuss becoming a paddling leader.

There are four types of paddling trips at MUMC:

  • Whitewater kayaking
  • Sea/touring kayaking
  • Rafting
  • Canoe Polo

To attend paddling trips participants must be able to do the following:

  • Safely exit a flipped kayak (perform a wet exit)
  • Properly handle and paddle a kayak including basic strokes and techniques
  • Recover others via an assisted rescue (T-Rescue)


Canyoning

Canyoning Deputy 2024-2025: Sam Thompson & Luke Spencer -  or

Leader Guidelines - Canyoning

You must be at least a Canyon Leader to run canyoning trips.

Participation Requirements

You must at least be a Canyon Beginner to participate in canyoning trips up to v4a3.

Qualifications

Canyon Beginner: Can participate in MUMC canyoning trips up to and including v4a3. To become a Canyon Beginner you must either demonstrate all skills in the MUMC Canyon Beginner Approval Process Matrix or complete an ICOPro Level 1 Canyoner Course.

Canyon Leader: Can supervise skill demonstration for the MUMC Canyon Leader Approval Process. To become a Canyon Leader you must either demonstrate all skills in the MUMC Canyon Leader Approval Process Matrix or complete an ICOPro Level 3 Canyoner Course.

Canyon Instructor: Can ratify skill progression in the MUMC Canyon Leader Approval Process. To become a Canyon Instructor you must be appointed by the Ropes Technical Committee, a subcommittee within MUMC.


Mountaineering

Mountaineering Officer 2024-2025: Dáire Kelly -

Mountaineering Framework

You must be certified as an Independent Mountaineer to run and attend mountaineering trips with MUMC.

Mountaineering is a dangerous sport and all participants are responsible for their own wellbeing. Send an email to the Mountaineering Officer to discuss your experience to participate in mountaineering trips.


Bikepacking

Bikepacking Deputies 2024-2025: Molly Fleming & Bernhard Andersson -  

Leader Guidelines - Bikepacking

The process to become a Bikepacking leader is the same as Bushwalking (see above).


Rogaining

Rogaining Deputy 2024-2025: Nikita Bulach -

There’s no such thing as a rogaining leader.

MUMC doesn’t usually run internal rogaines, but instead, the Rogaining Deputy(s) will organise teams to compete in external rogaines organised by the Victorian Rogaining Association. However, in the past, we have held MUMC ‘pubgaines’.


Caving

Rope Sports Officer 2024-2025: Riley Clarke -

Leader Guidelines - Caving

As of June 2024, caving is dormant at MUMC and needs participant and leader framework redeveloped. If you’re an avid caver and interested in reigniting it, contact the Rope Sports Officer.


This document is intended to make the process of becoming a leader in each sport as simple and clear as possible. For this reason, some information has been left out. Let me know how it can be improved.

Collated by James Vinnicombe 

Edits by Jess Vinnicombe

Last updated by Dáire Kelly 06/10/2024