Are you thinking of joining ABW but put off by the idea of having to qualify? Well, join the club! That’s exactly how I felt when I first looked at becoming a member. 

I was a fit, experienced, multi-day walker and, to be honest, the thought of having to go on trial grated a little. Nobody likes tests.

Looking back, I now see a lot of good reasons why qualifying exists. And I also see that it didn’t make any difference to my experiences in the club.

What Is Qualifying?

Briefly, qualifying is completing three eligible overnight, pack-carrying hikes in a 12 month period. You can identify them in the walks calendar by the ‘Q’ in their grading.

So What Is The Point Of Qualifying?

Qualifying is all about the balance between making sure that everyone has the best experience, while still being open to newcomers. You can think of it as a way to safeguard your walking experience from someone else’s overconfidence or poor preparation while making sure that they have the best start too.

So although this will be obvious already, being ready for advanced walking can be broken down into several areas.

Fitness

Hiking is an odd sport. Nobody thinks they can go from the couch to running even 5k without training, but walking is different. It seems so natural that it’s an easy mistake to forget training.

‘Trail fitness’ isn’t just cardiovascular either. It involves the gradual strengthening of muscles, joints and even bones under load until your body becomes tougher and more resilient. A regular weekend walk is a great habit, but it doesn’t replicate carrying a pack for 20km over rough terrain for multiple days. 

Of course, most people get this right intuitively. With a well-chosen group and the right preparation only good things happen. 

Equipment

Getting equipment right is a big part of having an enjoyable walk. And there’s nothing club members like to talk about more that the best pack, or rain jacket or stove. Not that we always agree of course, but we know our local conditions and what works best.

This is one of the great benefits of club New Member Weekends. Rather than wasting your money on purchases that you’ll regret in a few months, you can get good advice and try it out.

To get it wrong on a walk means some or all of these things:

• Carrying too much weight
• Missing something essential 
• Blisters or pack sores
• Being cold or wet

I’ll also include food here, which is another topic we love to talk about. What works and what doesn’t isn’t always intuitive and will depend on where you are going and for how long. Most of us have favourite recipes for meals and trail snacks that we’re only too happy to share.

Social Factors

This boils down to just one thing: are you a team player? If you are, you’ll love the club and its members. Qualifying walks will give plenty of opportunity to show that you do things like:

• Staying on trail and respecting private property
• Obeying fire bans
• Packing out your litter
• Being organised and ready at planned start times
• Being respectful to other walkers
• Being realistic about your abilities

Walk leaders aren’t tour guides and rely on each member to do their bit. They also rely on everyone looking at the route beforehand and making sure they are ready and able to do it. 

Of course, it’s perfectly OK to email the leader to discuss the walk in more detail. Usually a quick discussion will settle the question. 

 Why Qualifying Doesn’t Affect You Anyway

Remember when I said that qualifying isn’t really a big deal? Since it really is just to make sure you end up having the best and safest walks, it’s exactly how all your walks should be anyway. 

When you look at the walks program you’ll see that most walks are open to new members. Some will instead say ‘experienced walkers only’. Even for these, if you believe you have the necessary competence, there’s nothing stopping you from contacting the walk leader directly. 

Of course, since overnight hikes range from one-nighters on gentle terrain to ascents of Federation Peak, you will still need to take the advice of the leader.

Being a Prospective member or a Full member makes no difference to your club fees or how other members relate to you. It’s more of a personal thing.

And I’ll let you in on a little secret: when I joined, I intended to qualify as quickly as possible. But then life got in the way. Now, here I am as a committee member and my profile still says “Prospective”. 

What matters much, much more are the great people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve shared with them. It’s a club, after all.

Qualifying? I’ll get around to it but I’m not losing any sleep over it.