Nikolas Calippe

I’ve always been an outdoorsy person. I moved to Skye from Canada, where I started sailing and then got into climbing. I’d seen an advert for the Outdoor Adventure course online, and had also been recommended the course while on trips with Outward Bound, so I decided to go for it.

What attracted me to the course was how much time we would spend outside. I prefer to be outside rather than in the classroom, and I wanted to do something practical where I could spend a lot of time outdoors.

The highlight of the course for me was the opportunity to take part in practical activities. I loved taking part in the climbing activities and really got to develop my skills.

I didn’t need much support during the course, but it was good to know that the support was there if I needed it. Lara is great, and the Broadford centre is a close-knit community, which makes it a really supportive environment.

I had the opportunity to do work experience at Raasay House during the course. I spent one week there during term time and then a further three weeks during the summer. It was a great experience, with good people, and I got to shadow instructors and meet people working in the industry.

I’ve now progressed onto the Level 6 Outdoor Leadership course in Fort William. Level 5 set me up well for progressing onto the next course and helped me build up personal skills. I also gained my canoeing and kayaking qualifications during Level 5, which has been really beneficial as I progress through my studies.

I think Level 6 is about refining the skills you’ve learnt during Level 5. Because of that, it hasn’t been a hard transition from one course to the other.

I would recommend the course because it’s a great onboarding course if you’re starting from zero and want to take the leap into instructing. It gives you a good foundation and helps you build up the skills and confidence you need to progress.

The best thing about living and studying in the Highlands and Islands is the sheer amount of access to the outdoors. You’ve got the water and the mountains right on your doorstep, which makes it a great place to learn and develop your outdoor skills.