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  

Private Bookings here.

£250-1 person or £280-2 people / Group bookings on request, please.

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

 

>Introduce and practice essential skills

>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

>An ascent of a peak if appropriate

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The Course Venue is usually The Northern Cairngorms, near Aviemore.

However, we will use the most suitable and favourable locations for the course, weather dependent, which may include Dalwhinnie peaks, The 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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Read more guided walking events here

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Winter Mountaineering 

Bookings here.

£280-1 person or £300-2 people

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

 

>Consolidate prior experience & introduce the use of a rope for movement on steep ground

In addition to consolidating your use of winter walking skills, you will be introduced to;

>Tying into a rope with and without a harness

>Making & using snow anchors

>Finding and using appropriate rock anchors>Route choice and anticipating hazards

>Moving with a partner whilst roped together

>Managing cornices

>Using a Stomper belay & New Zealand foot brake

>Ascent of Graded ground may be possible, too.

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The Course Venue is usually The Northern Cairngorms, near Aviemore.

We will use the most suitable and favourable locations for the course, weather dependent, which may include Dalwhinnie peaks, The 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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Some superb short videos created by Heather Morning formally of 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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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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NOTE: 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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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.