Icicle: about us and our standards

Celebrating 22 years!

About us - the background and history of Icicle...


		Background and history Established in 2000, we are a UK based company, and though our trips are for english speakers, our client base is worldwide. In its first years Icicle won several new business awards but these are as nothing compared to the pride we have in our guiding team. Now the company has operated for over two decades, Icicle has firmly established itself as one of the leading mountain guiding operators. We are proud to still be a small specialist company who has a very personal approach. It allows us to really support each of our clients.

		Our aims and mission Our Mission... To have the best safety and peak summiting records of any mountain and ski guiding company in the whole world. Our Aim... To exceed the expectations of each client, to realise their ambitions, and to provide the best quality experiences possible. Our Environment... We aim to minimise our environmental impact, and to preserve, improve & promote the responsible use of the mountains. Our Ethos... Every single client has individual needs, strengths, aims, weaknesses, ambitions, and goals. We care about each one.

		What differentiates us We have a highly personalised, flexible and friendly, approach to our courses.The flexibility is essential to maximise your achievements. We offer you great value without sacrificing standards. We keep all our overheads low, such as our office being paid for by being a shop too. We don't spend lots of (your) money shouting about how good we are, and haven't got the flashiest website or glossiest brochure. We focus on instructional courses, and our local knowledge is second to none. Our contacts and staff always aim to 'make it happen' for you.

		Standards and ethos All of our Alpine courses are all led by professional guides (IFMGA / UIMLA), as our priority is your safety and quality guiding. Our attention to detail, local support team, and work ethic sets us apart. That is nothing to be embarassed about - we are proud of it. When you contact us, calls and queries are answered by fellow climbers / trekkers / skiers / runners, so you always get direct access to good advice. The aim of Icicle is the same as it always has been; to offer you great and innovative trips that we would dream of going on ourselves.

		What about you? Before looking at the courses ask yourself the following questions... 1) Do you wish to learn skills as well as doing the activity? 2) Do you enjoy listening and sharing experiences with others? 3) Do you care which routes you do? If you answered “Yes” to all the questions, we believe you will enjoy a course with us, as we are a team that is passionate about the mountains. If you answered "No" to any questions, we probably aren't the kind of company that would suit you. We'd prefer to be honest from the outset.

Icicle climb | trek | ski | run course location finder worldwide map
Explore the map below, and click on any of the blue markers to discover which of our courses are run there. There is a link to each trip itinerary from the map, that will open in a new window for you.

View Icicle courses map in a larger map

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Icicle is a small yet perfectly formed company for anyone interested in mountaineering in the Alps. They offer a wide number of courses to suit everyone from beginners to experts. Bloody good at what they do, and a terrific laugh too.

Guardian Travel Supplement, Oct

Just a quick note to say thanks for an absolute blinder of a long weekend! Your hospitality was exceptional to say the least, and I am really looking forward to coming back some time soon to do some more.

R. Davies, Ice Weekend, Feb

Thanks to everyone involved in making this happen for us; the guides, Chamonix team, and the UK office for putting up with my endless queries before

Jos T , Haute Route Ski

Lake District - chat with our Windermere based trip advisors over a coffee

A key part of choosing a company is being able to come and talk about your plans with an experienced course advisor face to face. In an increasingly virtual world, we know our clients value speaking to real people, getting open and honest advice. The vast majority of our clients are British, and our office and outdoor store is based in Windermere in the English Lake District.

Get in contact to arrange a meeting, and come in for a coffee to discuss your course in person with a trip advisor. Many people opt for this service, and it is an integral part of what we offer, as we are keen to ensure that you are prepared as possible, and that you select a course that is suitable for you. It makes it easier and more enjoyable for you and us, if you are on the right trip.

As well as talking though your course, most clients have queries about the kit they will require, so as to avoid expensive mistakes, and we can show you some examples of that to consider. Others have training queries, about how to best prepare for your trip, and we will be able to steer you in the right direction. No question is too silly, and we'll have heard them all before, so don't worry!

By now you'll have got the idea that an integral part of booking, is the ability to get good knowledgable advice, and a highly personal service. Some people do just book online, but we are there every step of the way to walk you from the initial enquiry, right through to your course, if you need. Unlike some companies that are only exist virtually in cyberspace, we are staffed by real people, in a real office, who offer real honest advice. Because we are tangible, we are accountable, and we take great pride in that and the service that we offer you. Anyway, time to put the coffee mugs out. Get in touch to come in for a chat soon.

Icicle logo, brand and trademark

As you'll see from our logo, our tag line is "inspirational mountain adventure holidays". We operate courses in four distinct categories; climb, trek, ski, and run, all under the Icicle brand. This makes a nice mixture of clients each week.

The background of our logo is the famous silhouette of the Langdale Pikes, which we can see from our Windermere office and shop. The Lake District national park is our logistics base, and whilst we operate trips in mountains around the world, it's our home and often the crucible where so many of our clients discovered a love of the mountains.

Icicle is a registered trademark, and is used on our website, promotional material and clothing.

Course logistics basecamp!

Our shop and office in Windermere, in the English Lake District, is also our logistics and organisational 'basecamp' hub. It's here that we process all the bookings, organise guides and mountain huts. The logistical framework behind our holidays, is complex and well organised. If you have any queries that you'd like to ask face to face, please book in ahead, so we can ensure that we have a suitably qualified member of our team in that day, who can answer all your queries.

The office also is the storage for hire kit, when it's not being used abroad, and it is available for use on our UK courses too. All our equipment is rigourously checked before and after use, to ensure that we only provide top quality hire kit for use on our courses.

All our Lake District based courses use the office as a meeting point with their instructors and guides, and there are facilities for slide shows and illustrated talks. Each month we usually hold an open evening about a different trip, so check out the course pages for details. Popular open evenings include; Mont Blanc climbs, Haute Route ski tours, and Chamonix trail running. Get in touch for details...