Winter Mountaineering Introduction
Winter mountaineering skills for walking in the hills. Five days of great company, top class instruction and amazing experiences.
Over the five days, you will learn about the equipment and techniques you require to be safe walking the hills in winter. You will examine some of the unique hazards that winter mountaineering brings and through the course of several mountain journeys develop your judgement, skills and confidence as you progress.
The Introduction to Winter Mountaineering / winter skills course can also be a great primer if you are heading abroad and going above the snowline. Learning how to use an ice axe and crampons whilst you are struggling with altitude is not a great plan!
Who is it for ?
This five day Introduction to Winter Mountaineering / winter skills course is for summer hillwalkers who want to learn how to move safely over hills in winter conditions. No prior knowledge of winter walking / mountaineering is required.
Intro Winter Mountaineering Week – Course Format
The exact course itinerary will be flexible to cope with weather conditions. During the Introduction to Winter Mountaineering course, you will cover the whole breadth of skills that are required for you to move safely on the hills in winter. We also undertake several mountain journeys and may get an opportunity to climb a simple gulley or traverse a ridge:
- How to choose suitable clothing and equipment;
- Use of ice axe including how to ice axe arrest;
- Use of crampons on different terrain;
- Avalanche forecasts, interpreting them on the hill and avalanche avoidance;
- Winter navigation;
- Planning a day and route choice whilst underway;
- Use of the rope to safeguard ascents and descents;
- Emergency snow shelters.
We meet each morning at our comfortable base and discuss the all important weather and avalanche forecast over a cuppa. In the afternoon we debrief (or just warm up!) with coffee & cake. With our Intro to Winter Mountaineering courses, you don’t have to budget for meeting each day in a cafe unlike many other course providers.
Folk often ask  what we cover in five days as opposed to our long weekend courses – The extra days of the five day course allow us to put the skills into context and fully explore the winter hills. It also allows us to look at some basic rope work so we know how to be safe on steeper terrain both in ascent and descent. Because we learn about using the rope for safety, we call this an Introduction to Winter Mountaineering course.
Our Winter Mountaineering course takes these skills further on ridges and easy climbs. Â Our Winter Climbing course is the next step in steepness beyond Winter Mountaineering.
Course Details
- Location: Aviemore or Glencoe
- Cost: £495 per person
- Duration: 5 days
- Ratio: 1:6
- Level: Introduction
More Information
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Course Dates
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Bespoke Dates and Locations
If there are a group of you that want the challenge and exhilaration of winter mountaineering, but there are no suitable dates, or you would like to do some winter mountaineering in a different area, please contact the office and we will arrange some dates to suit your diary.
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Meeting Point
For our Winter mountaineering week, we meet at 8:30 am on the first day. Â For Aveimore courses this is in our course house in Aviemore and in Glencoe our base near to the Glencoe massacre monument.
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Equipment Required
A detailed equipment list is contained in the Introduction to Winter Mountaineering joining instructions. Essentially, you need to be self sufficient for a day in the mountains, in winter.
We can provide an ice axe, crampons, harness and helmet if needed free of charge. Boots can be hired locally if required.
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Fitness Level
You certainly don’t have to be super fit to enjoy a Winter Mountaineering course, and average fitness is quite sufficient. winter mountain days tend to be longer than in summer and experience of summer hillwalking is essential.
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Accommodation Options
The Winter Mountaineering course is non-residential to allow you to select between thermarest or 5 star hotel as you require.
There are hundreds of accommodation options in and around Aviemore, Glencoe and Fort William from luxurious Castles to campsites and everything in between.If you want a hand booking something or want something special, contact the office and we will endeavour to assist.
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FAQs
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How do I start Winter Mountaineering?
The easiest answer is to say come on this course! Winter Mountaineering is great fun (despite the weather!) and our courses offer expert tuition in a group setting so you laugh as you learn.
Winter Mountaineering is a catch all name for climbing, scrambling and walking in winter. Â For reasons lost in the depths of a Scottish whiteout, winter walking, scrambling and climbing are generally lumped together under the more general term – winter mountaineering. In summer we seem to split walking, scrambling and climbing into more discrete elements.
Probably part of this is that a winter walking day will often incorporate elements of walking and easy scrambling and a rope may make an appearance whereas in summer on the same/similar terrain a rope may be unnecessary. Many summer rock climbs or scrambles can be approached in a few minutes from the car and few if any navigation or wider mountain skills are needed.  This is seldom the case in winter in Scotland. Just to approach a climb you will need weather and avalanche knowledge coupled with good navigation skills. The technical skills to go up with ice axes and crampons may be broadly similar, but shorter daylight hours may also require navigating off in the dark.
Overall, most winter mountain activities are a much more serious undertaking requiring a whole suite of winter mountaineering skills rather than than just being a good walker / climber.  If you don’t want to come on this course😢 we recommend that you make sure your navigation and general hill craft skills are slick and efficient in summer first before heading out for your first winter experience. Navigation and Scrambling courses would be useful primers.
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How do I book Winter Mountaineering Introduction?
The best way to book your Winter Mountaineering course is via this webpage. Choose the date from the options on the above and then submit your booking. You only need to pay the deposit if your course is more than six weeks away.
For bespoke events get in touch first so we can check diaries and if required give you a quote. Get in touch by either calling the office on 01142 631 155 or emailing us.
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Does the course include accommodation ?
Not usually! We prefer to let you choose where you will be most comfortable. This may be in a tent or in a luxury hotel.
A range of accommodation options can be found on our accommodation page.
For bespoke Winter Mountaineering courses and other events we can arrange whatever you desire, from a night in a snow hole  to a spa hotel.
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Children, Parking, Dogs, COVID and everything else...
You will find all of the most frequently asked questions and their answers on our FAQ webpage.
