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Guide clients on trips in high alpine environments
Level
6
Credits
10
Purpose
People credited with this unit standard are able to: select routes; demonstrate
technical skills; practise risk management when guiding parties on trips in
high alpine environments; and evaluate the guided trips.
Subfield
Outdoor Recreation
Domain
Mountain Craft
Status
Registered
Status date
27 June 1996
Date version published
23 February 2007
Planned review date
31 December 2008
Entry information
Open.
Accreditation
Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA and
industry.
Standard setting body (SSB)
Sport, Fitness and Recreation Industry Training
Organisation Limited
Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP) reference
0102
This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.
Special notes
1
All activities must comply with accepted professional codes of practice and legislation
guidelines.
2
High alpine environment is made up of rock, snow, ice and mixed ground. It does
not, for the purposes of this unit standard, include seriously glaciated terrain. Note:
glacier travel is covered in Unit 6488, Guide clients on trips in glaciated terrain.
3
The New Zealand Mountain Guides Association (NZMGA) holds curriculum
information and standards for performance criterion 2.1.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016
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4
All activities must comply with any relevant environmental, legislative and/or
regulatory requirements set out in the New Zealand Environmental Care Code,
Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, Injury Prevention, Rehabilitation, and
Compensation Act 2001, and their subsequent amendments. The New Zealand
Environmental Care Code is available from the Department of Conservation, Head
Office, PO Box 10420, Wellington, http://www.doc.govt.nz.
5
There are minimum assessor requirements for assessment against this unit standard.
The details of these requirements are available on the Sfrito website
http://www.sfrito.org.nz.
Elements and performance criteria
Element 1
Select route on guided trips in high alpine environments.
Performance criteria
1.1
Initial route selection matches client fitness, stamina, ability and objectives;
party safety, comfortable travel, time and weather conditions.
1.2
Terrain and weather evaluation determine route selection decisions made
during the trip.
1.3
Interpretation of objective hazards determines route selection decisions.
1.4
Time and distance calculations determine route selection decisions.
1.5
Monitoring of physical and mental state of clients determines route selection
decisions.
Element 2
Demonstrate technical skills required in high alpine environments.
Performance criteria
2.1
Knowledge of guiding methods and theory is demonstrated to NZMGA
standards.
2.2
Supervision of unroped clients matches terrain and client ability.
2.3
Secure footing for clients is maintained at all times and in all terrains.
2.4
Supervision of roped clients matches terrain and client ability.
Range
belaying full and short pitches, moving together with protection,
short roping, lowering, abseiling.
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2.5
Belay selection matches terrain and client ability.
Range
direct and indirect belay, mechanical devices, Italian hitch, body
belay, glove belay and alpine belay.
Element 3
Practise risk management on guided trips in high alpine environments.
Performance criteria
3.1
All communication with clients matches terrain requirements and client situation.
3.2
Guide’s behaviour does not jeopardise the safety of clients or anyone else.
3.3
Inappropriate behaviour in others is dealt with by means of constructive
feedback.
3.4
Monitoring of the environment, weather, and client conditions identifies potential
hazards and allows precautions to be taken in the avoidance of hazards.
3.5
Priorities are rationalised and communicated clearly in emergency situations.
Element 4
Evaluate the trips.
Performance criteria
4.1
The evaluation methods selected meet the characteristics of the client group,
the purpose of the evaluation, and the nature of information sought.
Range
the evaluation includes clients, guiding personnel.
4.2
Outcomes of the trips are evaluated against the stated objectives.
4.3
Areas for improvement are identified, and recommendations are made based on
evaluation results.
Please note
Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority, or an inter-institutional body
with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from
assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority before
they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards
must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
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Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this
standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The
AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations
wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for
tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
Comments on this unit standard
Please contact the Sport, Fitness and Recreation Industry Training Organisation Limited
info@sfrito.org.nz if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.
 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016