Spend
a full week in the mountains of Scotland,
climbing at a 1:2 ratio throughout, to tackle
a mixture of multi-pitch routes on snow, ice
or mixed climbs. There are hundreds of routes to choose from on Ben Nevis and in Glencoe,
so this week is for winter climbers to sample
the best of Scottish Winter climbing.
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 Sunday afternoon /
evening when you arrive through to the check
out on the Friday, as the course ends on Friday
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 can be hired, and our clients get discounts for equipment purchases from our Windermere shop.
In
terms of the previous experience required,
we suggest a very good level of fitness, and
winter climbing and crampon experience on
to grade II/III routes and terrain. This week
is to develop your techncial grades further,
and is a perfect choice for two people booking
together, as the objectives are tailored to
you.
Dates: This
course is operated on demand for two people
booking together, so as soon as you book,
it is guaranteed to run, and you can make
travel arrangements immediately after your
booking is confirmed. If the scheduled dates
don't suit, and there are two of you, we can
operate an bespoke course just for you on
any date at the same course price. Get in
contact with your prefered dates.
Instructors
& skills
The
majority of instructors leading these courses are
either IFMGA guides or WMCI mountain instructors.
All of our Scottish guiding team are highly qualified,
and amongst the most experienced in the UK. The
guiding ratio for this week is 1:2 throughout, so
you can achieve the most, and climb multi-pitch
routes.
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 week. Safety always is a priority
in reaction to the conditions, group skills, and
avalanche forecast.
This
week has a focus on developing your skills
on progressively steeper and technical routes. You will ascend classic
Scottish winter routes using multi-pitch roped climbing techniques.
The routes attempted in this course are typically
grade III & IV gullies and routes. The technical
content is;
Advanced use of technical axes
Avalanche awareness and avoidance
Winter ropework and ice belays
Ice & mixed climbing techniques
Anchors and multi-pitch ropework
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
Sun
The
B&B check in is from 16:00 and onwards on the
Sunday. 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.
Mon
Day
1 of 5 guiding (1:2 ratio). After breakfast, you
will meet your instructor for the week, 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 refreshing skills for
moving safely on more technical terrain, ropework
and climbing techniques, and you practice ice axe
arrest skills in event of a slip. Night in B&B.
Tue
to
Thu
Days
2 to 4 guiding (1:2 ratio). The course is very flexible,
to tailor the routes ascended to your previous experience,
and the conditions. The grades of route typically
ascended vary from classic grade III routes such
as Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis, right up to technical
grade V routes* such as Indicator Wall on Ben Nevis.
Here is a list of other frequently ascended routes
on this course for all grades; Grade
III: Tower Ridge (Ben Nevis), SC Gully (Stob
Coire Nan Lochan) Grade
III/IV: Comb Gully (Ben Nevis) Grade
IV: Twisting Gully (Stob Coire Nan Lochan),
Cascade / Green Gully (Coire na Ciste) Grade
V: Smith's Route (Ben Nevis), Thompson's Route
(Coire na Ciste), The Curtain (Carn Dearg)
Each
day you will develop your skills and experience
on technical routes, and will learn about winter
ice protection and anchor systems, advanced ropework
for multi-pitch routes, and abseil skills. After
each day of climbing, you return to Fort William
for the night. Nights in B&B.
Fri
Day
5 of 5 guiding (1:2 ratio). Run on a similar basis
as the previous days at a 1:2 ratio, today is your
last climb, and so you will ascend a more technical
gully, ice climb, or buttress. All
the guiding is scheduled to finish by 17:00, so
you can return any hire kit, and then travel home. Extra nights accommodation can be arranged, if you wish to stay in Fort William for extra time.
ITINERARY
NOTES: Where possible we follow itineraries. Mountain
adventures are weather and conditions dependant,
so occasionally 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.
Note*; for grade V routes, an instructor will typically only venture onto this terrain if they have climbed with you before, or you are exceptionally competant.
Course
Prices
Standard
course
5
full days guiding, 1:2 ratio throughout
7 days holiday in total, Sunday-Saturday
£1325
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 (approx £30
total for week) 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 & max) people.
A booking of 2 people guarantees the date.
2) Rental kit this can either be hired from our shop
in Windermere (click
for details), or in Fort William.
3)
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 Climbing
[ 0 ] 5 - 10 Jan 2025
[ 2 ] 12 - 17 Jan 2025
[ 2 ] 26 - 31 Jan 2025
[ 2 ] 2 - 8 Feb 2025
[ 2 ] 16 - 21 Feb 2025
[ 2 ] 23 - 28 Feb 2025
[ 2 ] 2 - 7 Mar 2025
[ 2 ] 9 - 14 Mar 2025
[ 2 ] 23 - 28 Mar 2025
[ 2 ] 20 - 25 Apr 2025
Spaces
are indicated by the
number in square brackets
before each course date.
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.
The
photos I've attached say it all really.
We were so fortunate with the ice conditions,
and climbed a great clutch of routes
in the week Steve
F , Winter Climbing
Lovely
hotel was great as a base, and it was
nice to have a comfortable place after
some tough days on the hill Anna
S , Winter Climbing
I'm
a total convert to the endless possibilities
of routes on the Ben. Will see you next
year for more Tim
M , Winter Climbing
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 / tech crampons
Safety
helmet
Climbing
harness
Technical
ice axes (pair)
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.
