WINTER

WALKING & MOUNTAINEERING

Skills Training 

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Everyone who intends walking in Winter on the Scottish Hills should have at least the BASIC SKILLS to plan their journey and travel safely on snow and ice covered terrain. These courses are designed to provide you with the essential technical skills to make independent journeys on the UK's mountains and hills in Winter conditions. 

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Winter Walking Skills and Guided Summit - Read more guided walking events here

Northern Cairngorms / £150 per person (minimum of 2)

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Our two-day Winter Walking Skills courses are designed to provide you with the skills necessary for winter hillwalking and give you a guided experience onto higher ground where you can put these skills to use whilst we accompany and coach you.

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Winter Mountaineering - Bookings here.

Northern Cairngorms / £180 per person (minimum of 2)

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Our Winter Mountaineering events will introduce you to graded ground where the use of a rope and technical equipment will be essential

 

These courses tailor-made to suit you and they are run exclusively by Professional Mountaineering Instructor, Andy Cloquet - WCMI (formerly MIC) 

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The Course Venue is The Northern Cairngorms, near Aviemore.

We will use the most suitable and favourable locations for the course, weather dependent, which may include Dalwhinnie peaks, Monaliaths or Aonach Mor, near Fort William.

Please note that your event fee does not include the extra cost of travel and gondola ticket.

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Winter Walking Skills - Bookings here.

Day 1 - Introduce and practice essential skills

Day 2 - A mountain journey using and refining our skills set

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Our courses aim to cover the following knowledge and skills dependent on your experience:

>Planning & preparing for your trip (you will receive notes to guide your preparation)

>Clothing and kit choice

>Observing and recognising weather and snow conditions

>Selecting and using an appropriate, general purpose mountaineering ice axe

>Choosing, fitting and using crampons for travel up, down and across snow/ice and broken ground

>Movement across, up and down snow/ice covered steep and broken ground

>Snow and avalanche awareness and avoidance

>Managing unexpected incidents

>Travel on high mountains (weather dependent) which may include graded ground where a rope and some technical equipment may be used

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Winter Mountaineering Skills -- Bookings here.

You will be hill-fit, already have assured winter walking skills and now wish to take your adventures onto more technical terrain.

This skills course will develop your mountaineering skills on ground up to and including Grade 1/2.

You will have the opportunity to learn how to create snow anchors, belay with the use of a rope and select/use appropriate technical equipment inc. using two axes.

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Here's a superb series of short videos created by Heather Morning from Mountaineering Scotland and Mountain Motion's Richard Bentley.

 

The films are produced exclusively for BMC TV in association with the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI), Lowe Alpine and DMM.

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Even if you choose another provider or company, please make sure you ONLY use Instructors who are holders of the certificate of WCMI (formerly MIC) (or the Guides' Carnet IFAMG). These badges are your assurance of quality.

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How to Book:

Please read the 'Conditions and Terms' and 'Safety Statement' at the end of this page.

Note: your email to reserve your place is your confirmation that you have read and understood the Safety Statement and the 'Conditions and Terms' for your booking.

Then, use the email link to reserve your place stating your name agreed date.

When you receive your provisional confirmation, please pay the stated Deposit by Direct Bank Transfer (BACS)

We will email your confirmation and receipt.

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Conditions and Terms of Booking - HERE

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Safety Statement: what you need to know about these courses

Courses and trips led by qualified & experienced Mountaineering Instructors (MIC) and International Guides (BMG / IFMAG) are your way of being led and taught by the best in the industry. Your learning, enjoyment and safety throughout the course is underpinned by their care, attention and professional standards achieved over many years of intense personal practice, training and assessment; this includes providing you with accurate information to help you prepare for your course.

However, taking part in winter hill activities requires you to be aware of your own safety as well.

Whilst slips, scrapes, scratches and bumps are normal for any adventurous activities, you need to accept that any hill travel in the winter months is accompanied by the risk of injury: in very rare cases such injuries can lead to death.

We will make all reasonable efforts to ensure you are not exposed to unnecessary risk and we will make clear everyone in the group's shared responsibilities for looking after everyone's personal safety. By booking on a winter mountaineering skills course you are accepting and agreeing to this statement.