Winter Skills participant declaration and privacy notice

The Winter Skills Course involves physically demanding outdoor activities in remote upland and mountain environments during winter conditions. Participants may be exposed to: 

• Severe weather, including snow, ice, strong winds and low temperatures; 

• Difficult and uneven terrain; 

• Prolonged periods of walking while carrying equipment; 

• Technical skills of snowcraft needed for safe winter walking, including using ice axes and wearing crampons 

• Limited access to immediate medical assistance due to the remote nature of Helvellyn. 

Participants should have a good level of physical fitness and be capable of undertaking strenuous outdoor activity in challenging conditions. 

When you submit the booking form to secure a place on one of our Winter Skills courses, you confirm that: 

1. You have read and understood the description of the Winter Skills Course and the nature of the activities involved. 
2. You understand that participation requires a suitable level of physical fitness and mobility and may involve strenuous physical exertion in harsh weather conditions. 
3. To the best of your knowledge, you are medically fit and able to participate safely in the activities associated with the Winter Skills Course. 
4. You have disclosed on the booking form any medical condition, disability, injury, allergy, medication, mental health condition or other health issue that may affect: 
   • your ability to participate safely; 
   • the safety of others; 
   • the treatment you may require in an emergency. 
5. You will notify the Course Provider as soon as reasonably practicable if your health, fitness, medication, injury status or other relevant circumstances change prior to the course. 
6. You understand that failure to disclose relevant information may increase risks to your health and safety and may affect the Course Provider’s ability to make appropriate arrangements or respond effectively in an emergency. 
7. You understand that your condition and ability to participate may change during the course. You agree to inform a course leader immediately if you become injured, unwell, excessively fatigued, or otherwise believe that continuing participation may present a risk to yourself or others. 

When you submit the booking form to secure a place on one of our Winter Skills courses, you acknowledge and accept that: 

1. Outdoor activities in winter mountain environments involve inherent risks that cannot be entirely eliminated, even when reasonable care is taken. 
2. Such risks may include slips, trips, falls, adverse weather conditions, cold-related injuries, physical exhaustion, injury or illness. 
3. The Course Provider will take reasonable steps to manage risks and provide instruction, supervision and appropriate safety arrangements. 
4. You agree to follow all reasonable instructions given by course leaders and instructors and to use equipment responsibly. 
5. The Course Provider may refuse, suspend or terminate my participation if it reasonably believes that my health, fitness or conduct presents a risk to me or others 

When you submit the booking form to secure a place on one of our Winter Skills courses, you confirm that: 

1. The information you have provided is complete and accurate to the best of your knowledge. 
2. You understand that the Course Provider will rely on the information you provide when assessing your suitability for participation, undertaking risk assessments and making appropriate safety arrangements. 
3. You acknowledge that the Course Provider cannot take account of medical conditions, limitations or risks of which it has not been informed. 

When you submit the booking form to secure a place on one of our Winter Skills courses, you confirm that: 

1. You give your consent to our use of your health information and emergency contact information for the purposes described in this privacy notice. 

5.1 Changes to this privacy notice

This privacy notice for Winter Skills participants was last updated on 24 September 2026. 

We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time.

5.2 The Lake District National Park Authority’s general privacy notice

See the Lake District National Park Authority’s General privacy notice.

In the general privacy notice, you will find general information on how the LDNPA uses personal data. 

Please note that your legal rights under the UK GDPR are explained in detail in the General privacy notice, along with contact information for any questions, complaints, or exercise of rights related to your personal data. 

The rest of this document is a specific privacy notice for participants on our Winter Skills courses and supplements the General privacy notice referred to above.

5.3 The data we collect about you

We may collect, use, store, and transfer the following categories of personal data about you: 

• Identity data, such as name.
• Contact data, such as addresses, telephone numbers, personal email addresses, and emergency contact details of a named individual.
• Financial data, such as bank account details.

5.3.1 Particularly sensitive personal information

When you sign up for a course, we ask about certain health information and emergency contact information for the purposes described below. 

Your replies to health information questions will be treated as special categories of personal information under the UK GDPR Article 9. 

We cannot process this information without your explicit consent, which is considered given when you submit the Winter Skills Course booking form. 

5.4 How your personal data is collected

Your personal data is collected directly from you when you use the sign-up form for our Winter Skills courses. 

In some cases, we may collect additional information through direct interaction if one of our Fell Top Assessors or Officers contacts you to clarify information you have submitted. 

5.5 How we use your personal data 

5.5.1 Delivering a service to you 

Purpose/activity

• Assessing suitability for participation. 

• Making reasonable adjustments where appropriate. 

• Protecting the health, safety and welfare of participants. 

• Responding effectively in the event of an emergency. 

• Administering the delivery of a Winter Skills course to you and other participants. 

Type of data

• Identity 

• Contact 

• Financial 

• Special categories of personal data 

Lawful basis for processing

• Contractual obligation 

• Your consent 

5.5.2 Administering and protecting our business 

Purpose/activity

• Business management and planning, including accounting and auditing. 

• Administering insurance, incident reporting and legal claims where necessary. 

Type of data

• Identity 

• Financial 

• Special categories of personal data 

Lawful basis for processing

• Legal obligation 

• Legitimate interests 

• Your consent 

5.5.3 The use of Legitimate interests as lawful basis for processing 

We have found that we have legitimate interests in using your personal data for the following purposes: 

• Business management and planning, including accounting and auditing. 

• Administering insurance, incident reporting and legal claims where necessary. 

In each instance, we have considered that the processing is necessary, that there isn’t a less intrusive alternative, and that your interests, rights, and freedoms do not outweigh our legitimate interests. 

5.6 If you fail to provide personal information 

If you fail to provide certain information when requested, we may be unable to offer you a place in our Winter Skills courses. 

The following needs to be added regarding the use of your personal data as a Winter Skills participant:

5.7 Disclosures of your personal data 

Please see 7 Disclosures of your personal data in our General privacy notice, as this section supplements the general text. 

5.7.1 Why might we share your personal data with third parties? 

We may share your personal information with third parties  

• where required by law,  

• where it is necessary to administer the services we deliver to you, or  

• where we have another legitimate interest in doing so. 

We will not share your health information with anyone except the LDNPA officers who need it for operational, safety, or legal purposes. 

5.7.2 Third-party service providers 

The sign-up form you use to book a place in your Winter Skills courses is hosted by an external service provider. 

The service provider is a data processor under the UK GDPR and must maintain the security of your personal data and process it in accordance with our policies and the law. 

We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes, and we permit them to process it only for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

5.8 For how long will we use your personal data? 

Please see 10 Data retention in our General privacy notice, as this section supplements the general text. 

The following needs to be added regarding the use of your personal data as a Winter Skills participant: 

Health and emergency contact information will normally be retained for three years following completion of the course, after which it will be securely deleted unless a longer retention period is required 

• due to an ongoing incident investigation; 

• in connection with an insurance claim; 

• because of actual or anticipated legal proceedings; or 

• where required by law.