Congratulations to our prize draw winner of the 2012 season, Chris Kay, who wins a £25 activity voucher to use against a future visit. Chris visited with a stag group on 31st March to do archery & clay pigeon shooting.

His was the feedback form that was picked from the proverbial hat from a total of 73 forms submitted across March & April. Chris' comments on the day were: "Very well organised & an excellent time had by all!" Chris rated the group's archery experience a 9-out-of-10, & gave the full 10-out-of-10 for the clay pigeon shooting.

We're very pleased to say that this level of customer satisfaction is about par for the course at Craggan Outdoors, with the average of rating from those 73 feedback forms being 9.33 out of a maximum 10. A great start to the season for the 2012 instructor team, & a high standard to set & maintain through the coming months. We'll update on a monthly basis with the prior month's result & the name of the latest prize draw winner.

Craggan Outdoors is pleased to announce a new relationship with Scotland Outdoors, Scotland's premier magazine for lovers of the great outdoors & all that you can do in it! Craggan Outdoors is now an official distribution partner for Scotland Outdoors, and as part of this agreement we have the benefit of a stock of each quarter's magazine to enable us to give a FREE copy to the organiser of each group that visits the centre.

So now not only do you get fantastic, great value outdoor activity experiences for your group at the TripAdvisor top-rated outdoor activity centre in Scotland, but you also get a free copy of Scotland Outdoors - Adventure, Inspiration, Conservation - for your troubles. It's a fantastic read, & at Craggan Outdoors we're proud to be partnered with such a great publication. We're also sure that once you've sampled one copy, you'll be sending off the form for your very own subscription.

Take Your First Step as an Outdoor Instructor

Entry Level Training for Aspiring Outdoor Activity Instructors

Six weeks duration: Monday 22^nd October to Sunday 2^nd December 2012

Price: £1,995 including alltraining, NGB registrations & course fees, & self-catering accommodation

Looking for a start in the outdoor activities industry but don't know where to begin? Applied for positions & heard nothing back? Been on selection weekends & been unsuccessful? Looking to change direction from another sector / career? If you recognise any of these situations, then Craggan
Outdoors' introductory outdoor instructor training course is for you!

Craggan Outdoors, situated in beautiful Speyside in the Cairngorms National Park at the heart of the Scottish Highlands, is a small centre that offers exceptional outdoor activity-based experiences to visitors from a wide range of markets. The exceptional quality of the service delivered is reflected in the fact that Craggan Outdoors has been TripAdvisor's top-rated outdoor centre in Scotland since 2009.

Each year we recruit a number of passionate outdoors people through our Volunteer Trainee Instructor programme, & across the spring-to-autumn season play a significant part in developing them into high quality junior level outdoor instructors. We are deluged with applications, with many coming from those that do not yet have the appropriate prior experience, & / or entry level NGBs, & / or proof of prior people-facing customer service environments in order to be considered for invitation to our selection weekend.

Accordingly, & having researched other instructor training courses already out there, we recognised a gap in the market for good value intensive training that will equip would-be instructors to take that next step in developing a career in this most competitive of industries.

Across an intensive 6-week period the course will cover the following:

      

• Standard Operating Procedures & Risk Assessments....the bedrock of outdoor instruction        
• 16-hour First Aid....a must for all instructors      
• GNAS Archery Leader....archery is many centres' number 1 activity by participant numbers        
• Kayak & canoe paddle skills to 1, 2 or 3 star Level*        
• Trail Cycle Leader training*        
• Training & experience on common / popular non-NGB activities such as high ropes & zip wire        
• Climbing log days towards SPA
• Team problem solvinG
• 'Soft' skills....coaching styles & techniques, verbal & non-verbal communication        
• Two free days per week to get out & 'play' in our fantastic environment!

* subject to individual participants' prior experience, & skills developed during the course

Learning & experience will be gained in a range of different ways, including instructor-led, peer group learning & delivery, & 'real life' experience with client groups booked at the centre during the period of the course. Many courses concentrate on the 'hard' technical skills & work purely towards NGBs, often at considerable financial cost to the participant, but completely overlook the fact that what sets apart a really strong candidate / instructor is their people skills. Can you inspire, motivate, instil confidence, reassure? Are you able to use different coaching & communication techniques with different individuals
& group types? It's not all 'one size fits all', & the best instructors recognise & deliver this, even early in their careers. These are the instructors that will make their mark at interview & selection weekends, & be in demand by centres.

That's how this course is different from many others on the market, & we know from experience that any participant that completes it successfully sets themselves up for an entry level position in the industry for the following season. Two participants from the 2011 course were offered positions at Craggan Outdoors for the 2012 season, & we know that others secured positions elsewhere.

Feedback from 2011 participants included:

"Great variety of activity experiences, & great that the soft skills had such priority as I honestly hadn't realised the importance of this."

"What great staff! They've really helped me grow in my abilities in both hard & soft skills. Thanks!"

"This 6 weeks has been fantastic! I have learned so much & am now 100% sure that this is the industry for me."

"Instructors were very knowledgeable, & mixed strong technical ability with good communication & a flexible teaching approach that really helped individuals to overcome their own personal challenges."

"Constant learning & constant fun....what a great combination!"

So why not get yourself a headstart & book a place now. Contact Craggan Outdoors' owner Keith Ballam – 01479 873283 or info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk
– now with any queries & / or to book your place. A non-refundable deposit of £665 is required to secure a booking. We look forward to hearing from you.

Needing to get your GNAS Archery Leader archery qualification? Then you've come to the right place! Craggan Outdoors, Scotland's TripAdvisor.com top-rated outdoor activity centre, will be running a GNAS Archery Leader course from Tuesday 17th April to Friday 20th April 2012.

Cost for this comprehensive 4-day residential course is £329, with this including four nights (Monday 16th to Thursday 19th April inclusive) self-catering accommodation in Craggan Outdoors' Bunkhouse (the base for the course), GNAS registration, course fee, all learning materials & equipment, all tuition & final assessment, as well as lunch on each of the four days. Our courses always secure excellent feedback from participants.

Craggan Outdoors is located at Grantown-on-Spey in the central Highlands, 15 minutes from Aviemore, & is easily accessible from anywhere in the UK. We are minutes off the main north-south A9, 3 hours from Glasgow & Edinburgh, & 30 minutes from Inverness, as well as being on the main road from Aberdeen across the Highlands. Mainline rail services come to nearby Aviemore, & Inverness Airport - offering services to many UK airports - is just 45 minutes away.

Interested? Then don't delay as these courses always book up quickly & not many are run in Scotland each year. Call 01479 873283 or email info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk to find out more &/or to book your place. A 50% deposit (non refundable) will secure a place, with the 50% balance then due by Friday 16th March 2012. 

Looking for a Christmas present with a difference? Want that "wow!" factor when they open it? Stuck for what to get that 'problem' family member or friend? Then look no further! Craggan Outdoors, the TripAdvisor top-rated outdoor centre in Scotland, can provide you with the perfect gift with one of our activity vouchers. With over 20 activities ranging from archery to zip wire, & pricing from £12 to £95, we've something to suit all tastes and budgets.

You can purchase a voucher that is for a specific amount of money, & the lucky recipient can then choose what they wish to spend it on from our wide range; or if you know that they've always fancied gorge walking, then give a voucher for that (or any other) specific activity. Or if you're feeling really nice, then how about a voucher for a multi-activity day, &/or include a night or two's accommodation at our cosy Bothy. Minimum spend is £25, & the biggest voucher that we've ever sold was for over £400 for a family multi-activity day, so plenty of room to choose what suits you, your budget & most importantly, the lucky recipient(s).

Sound like what you're looking for? Then just drop us an email to info@cragganoutdoors.co.uk, or call 01479 873283 to enquire or purchase.