Learn
how to use your crampons and ice axe, and
how to arrest a fall. You focus on route choice,
snow anchors, footwork with crampons, navigation
in winter conditions, and steep ground. These
weekends are great training for those planning
a first trip to the Alps, to build crampon experience.
Our
Scottish winter courses are all based in the
mountains of Ben Nevis and Glencoe, as these
provide some of the most reliable snow and
winter climbing conditions of anywhere in
the UK. The mountains here also offer a wide
range of route options at all grades, so are
a perfect training ground for these courses.
The
course accommodation is in a Fort William B&B, from the Friday afternoon /
evening when you arrive through to the check
out on the Sunday, as the course ends on Sunday
afternoon, so you can travel home. Evening
meals are available locally in a variety of
pubs, and packed lunches can be purchased.
When
you book, you are sent a detailed course dossier,
which provides full detailed equipment lists
and details of the course meeting points,
and how to get there. We also detail what
hire equipment hire items we can provide,
and what can be sourced locally, so you can
pre-order any items you require.
In
terms of the previous experience required,
we suggest a good level of fitness, allied
with good capability in inclement and cold
weather, as well as being good with exposure.
Any previous winter walking / scrambling / mountaineering experience
is a bonus, but is not essential.
Dates: these
are listed in the column on the right, and
they show the live availability from our secure
online booking system. When you book online,
you receive immediate confirmation, your Course
Information Booklet, course specific kit list
and invoice.
Instructors
& skills
The
majority of instructors leading these courses are
either IFMGA guides, MIC mountain instructors, or
WML mountain leaders. All of our Scottish guiding
team are highly qualified, and the guiding ratios
are 1:6 for the 2 days, and this is the condensed
or introductory version of the Scottish
Winter Climbing week.
As
you will doubtless be aware, any Scottish mountaineering
is very weather dependant, so our itineraries
are intentionally flexible, to allow the instructor(s)
to adapt plans to ensure that you achieve the
maximum in the weekend. Safety always is a priority
in reaction to the conditions, group skills, and
avalanche forecast.
The
past few winters have been comparatively mild, but
our scheduled dates are in the key season, so we
are confident of sufficient snow and conditions
for the whole period. However, if the windspeeds
are dangerous, or the avalanche risk is too high,
we have lower level contingency options.
This
weekend has a real focus on developing your skills
on progressively steeper ground, and you will
also be able to progress to learn some key Scottish
Winter Skills techniques. The terrain
you will encounter on this course is up to grade
I gullies and ridges. The technical content
is;
How to use ice axe and crampons
Avalanche awareness and avoidance
Winter ropework and snow belays
Equipment selection for Scottish winter
Ice axe arrest emergency skills
Winter navigation and route planning
Course
accommodation in Fort William
Being
well rested, dry and fed in the mornings is key
to enjoying a Scottish Winter trip. You stay in
a B&B / hotel in Fort William on a B&B basis. We use a selection of accommodation providers.
You
are booked into twin rooms as standard, and a
cooked English breakfast in included each morning.
The rooms all have ensuite bath / shower rooms.
You can pay to have evening meals locally.
If
you would like to arrange your own accommodation
for this course, let us know at the time
of your booking, and subject to numbers, a discount
is applied to your invoice of £40 per
night. For those wanting an upgrade to single accommodation, this can be arranged at £50 per night extra, subject to availability.
The
accommodation we use all has free WiFi throughout.
There is parking for those travelling by car, and it is close to the Train and Bus stations,
for those arriving by public transport.
Full
details of the accommodation are provided in the
course dossier, once you have booked, and if you'd
like to upgrade to single rooms or book extra
nights, this can be arranged too.
Brief
Course Itinerary
Fri
The
B&B check in is from 16:00 and onwards on the
Friday. At 18:00, there is a scheduled course briefing (in person or via Zoom), so you have the opportunity to ask
any questions, before the activities the next day.
For those of you arriving late, don't worry, as this briefing can be repeated
the next morning.
Sat
Day
1 of 2 guiding (1:6 ratio). After breakfast, you
will meet your instructor for the weekend, who will
brief you on conditions and check your equipment.
If you have hired any equipment locally, ensure you have collected it the evening before, to be ready. The instructor
will design the itinerary to cater for your previous
experience and aspirations, in conjunction with
the weather and avalanche forecasts. Generally on
the first day you focus on skills for moving safely
on snowy terrain, kicking steps, ascent and descent
techniques, and you practice ice axe arrest skills
in event of a slip. You typically spend some time
today learning avalanche awareness skills and techniques
for assessing the stability of the snowpack. Night
in B&B.
Sun
Day
2 of 2 guiding (1:6 ratio). The aim of today is
to get onto steeper graded ground, to develop your
skills further. During the day you are taught the
use of the rope for Scottish winter routes for protection,
and you will learn about the wide range of snow
anchors that can be used for direct or indirect
belays. These include bucket-seat belays, buried
axe belays, stomper belays, and direct belays using
Italian hitches. The skills you practice today are
the key staple skills for any winter climbs in Scotland
or the UK mountains. All
the guiding is scheduled to finish by 17:00, so
you can return any hire kit, and then depart to
travel home. If you do not wish to return immediately,
it may be possible to book another night in the
B&B.
ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant,
so occasionaly we are forced to alter the plans.
If this is the case, suitable alternatives are offered.
Please use this outline itinerary as a guide to
the types of route / activity that you will attempt.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
2 full days guiding, 1:6 instructor ratio
3 days holiday in total, Friday-Sunday
£525
Live
availability
Click
on the planner logo to the right to
see the real time live course availability
Exclusions:
1) Travel to and from Fort William, Scotland, 2) Cable
Cars on Aonach Mor or White Corries (c £15
total for weekend) or Ice Factor, 3) Rental equipment,
4) Personal laundry, telephone calls, lunches, evening
meals, & any purchases on the mountain / hotels /
restaurants, 5) Activities insurance,
excess baggage, etc.
Notes
1)
Group sizes for this trip are 2 (min) - 4 (max) people.
A booking of 2 people guarantees the date.
2) Upgrade to include the Sunday night accommodation for £50pp (based on 2 people sharing).
3) If you prefer private guiding for 2 people, the course can be run just for you, on any dates for £675pp.
4) Rental kit this can either be hired from our shop
in Windermere (click
for details), or in Fort William.
5)
The instructor may occasionally suggest that avalanche
safety kit (transceiver, shovel, probe) is required, and this can be hired locally if required.
Current
course availability
Course Dates Scottish Winter Skills
[ 4 ] 3 - 5 Jan 2025
[ 4 ] 24 - 26 Jan 2025
[ 4 ] 31 Jan - 2 Feb 2025
[ 4 ] 7 - 9 Feb 2025
[ 4 ] 14 - 16 Feb 2025
[ 4 ] 14 - 19 Feb 2025
[ 4 ] 21 - 23 Feb 2025
[ 4 ] 28 Feb - 2 Mar 2025
[ 4 ] 7 - 9 Mar 2025
[ 4 ] 21 - 23 Mar 2025
[ 4 ] 28 - 30 Mar 2025
[ 4 ] 18 - 20 Apr 2025
Spaces
are indicated by the
number in square brackets
before each course date.
Private Course. To book this course, but on a private basis, for 2 people who book together, the price rises to £649 each.
Private Guiding. Get in contact to arrange any bespoke Scottish winter guiding. This costs from £250 a day for 1:1, or from £260 a day for 1:2 booking together. Higher grade technical level routes cost more in guiding fees.
What
an action packed weekend, and a great
couple of days on the hill Brian
K , Winter Skills
Thank
you all so much for organising this
weekend. I must say I was totally knackered
when I got in to work on the Monday
morning, but who cares! Mimi
K
, Winter
Skills
A
brilliant group, and I learnt lots more
than I thought was possible in a weekend.
Great mixture of routes and instruction.
Thanks again Neil
G
, Winter
Skills
Testimonials
Press
& media
Films
& videos
Photo
gallery
Location
data for this trip
The
trips all meet in a B&B close to Fort William, which
is easily accessed by train from Glasgow, or by car if
you are driving. The B&B has car parking.
View
full course equipment list,
with examples of kit, click
here
Outline
equipment list
Note
that upon booking, a detailed list is supplied with the
course dossier.
Mountain
boots B3
12
point crampons
Safety
helmet
Mountaineering
ice axe
Waterproof
jacket & trousers
Insulation
jacket and layers
Plenty
of hats and gloves
Rucksack
(c.40 - 50 litres)
Head
torch & batteries
Trekking
poles
Survival
bag / Blizzard bag
First
aid kit
Compass,
whistle & map case
OS
Landranger map 41, Ben Nevis & Glencoe, 1:50,000
scale
Why
choose our trips?
See
our course blog, by clicking on the Word-press logo
to the right.
Itinerary
flexibility to allow you to take full advantage
of the weather windows on any day, to maximise your
summit chances.
Our
UK Scottish courses are all led by top instructors,
with a mix of IFMGA guides, MIC's, and WML's.
There
is a choice of routes to opt for, depending on the
weather, conditions, and your experience.
Any
further questions?
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.
