Winter mountain skills courses in the UK

Course description

This course is designed as an introduction to the skills required to venture onto the UK’s winter mountains and is suited to those with some previous mountain walking or climbing experience. Courses are run in Snowdonia / Eryri, the Cairngorms and Ben Nevis areas, and are based on practical sessions in a mountain setting – covering winter navigation, the assessment of conditions, avalanche awareness, crampon and ice axe skills, along with route choice and the decision making process.

A typical course starts with an introduction, issue of equipment and safety briefing, and goes through the preparation process for a winter route, including a look at the weather and conditions, equipment and clothing, etc. The hard skills are then looked at progressively during a mountain day – map and compass, avalanche awareness, ice axe and crampon skills, rope work etc. – making the most of the weather / conditions and short daylight hours.

The final day of these courses would further consolidate the skills learnt and explore the decision making process during the completion of a “named” route.

This course is run at a maximum ratio of 1:4, all technical equipment, including winter boots can be supplied.

What you need:

Waterproof Jacket – full weight breathable model preferred
Base Layer
Light fleece top + warm fleece jacket or softshell or insulated jacket
Trousers and waterproof overtrousers or salopettes
Hat or Balaclava – must fit under a helmet
Warm Ski Gloves – Spare pair just in case one gets wet and / or:
Spare Mittens – especially if you suffer from cold hands.
Socks
Gaiters
Ski goggles ( can be supplied )
Sunglasses
Suncream
Rucsac 30-35 litres
Waterbottle and / or thermos flask
Headtorch
Personal medications + blister kit
Camera
Packed lunch for the mountain days.
Technical equipment ( can be supplied at no extra cost )
Winter Mountaineering “B2 /B3” Boots – crampon compatible
Harness
Climbing Helmet
C2 / C3 Crampons (preferably with anti-balling plates)
Ice Axe / axes
Long sling + locking karabiner

What is supplied:

Technical equipment – harness, helmet, ice axes, crampons.
I have a selection of other equipment available – Please let me know if you need anything else e.g rucsac etc. – especially if you are intending to buy any equipment for the course.
Boot hire is also available from :
http://www.mountainspirit.co.uk ( Aviemore )
http://www.ellis-brigham.com/fort-william.htm

The winter mountains of the UK have an international reputation as an area of unique mountain environments , with their own challenges and rewards to the mountaineer, these trips will hopefully give you an insight into the skills required and the inspiration to climb independently in these beautiful mountains.

Book Now

or to book using a booking form and cheque / bank transfer, please contact me on :- alec@guidedmountain.co.uk

terms and conditions

If you already have any personal equipment, bring it along – this will help with familiarity with your gear and give us the opportunity to discuss the pro’s and con’s of different equipment.

Although I have Public Liability insurance to the value of £ 5M, you may wish to purchase personal accident, and travel insurance as you think necessary ! Packages which include insurance for climbing and other mountain activities are available from: www.thebmc.co.uk

Course Information

This course is designed as an introduction to winter walking and mountaineering. The hard skills are covered, e.g – ice axe and crampon technique, winter navigation, simple rope work and anchors etc, as well as the decision making process with route choice, assessment of conditions, avalanche awareness etc.

Venues:

Courses are based in Snowdonia / Eryri, North Wales or Scotland – Aviemore, with easy access to the Cairngorms mountains, or in Fort William, within easy reach of Ben Nevis and Lochaber, Glencoe and Creag Mheagaidh. A flexible approach is required in winter to make the most of the weather and snow conditions and so transport to the different venues from either Aviemore or Fort William is included in the course fee. See below for transport options.

Course Itinerary:

It is preferable to meet informally on the evening before the start of the course if possible, to discuss past experience, aspirations, equipment, plan for next day etc., this maximises our time out in the mountains and allows a relaxed preparation for the days objectives. All time spent in preparation will pay dividends and the planning process will be more formally discussed on the morning of the first day, starting at 08.45 hrs.

Mountain days : will focus on a gradual progression of the necessary skills, and with low ratios, this can be closely tailored to individual requirements.

Typical itineraries start with: Weather and conditions evaluation,
route choice, equipment and a safety briefing.

Moving onto: Navigation, practical assessment of conditions ( and avalanche awareness ) ice axe and crampons skills, practical route choice, security on steep ground, introduction to mountaineering rope techniques including creating anchors and placing protection.

We should be off the mountains by 16.30 hrs on most days, with further time to review the day’s topics during informal evening sessions, time will be allocated for this on the afternoon of the last day, with courses finishing at 16.00 hrs.

Transport links:

For North Wales ( Betws-y-Coed ):
http://www.directrail.com/train_tickets.aspx
and coach services via : http://www.nationalexpress.com

For Scotland ( Aviemore and Fort William ):
http://www.directrail.com/trains_to_aviemore.html
http://www.directrail.com/trains_to_fort_william.html
and coach services via :
http://www.nationalexpress.com http://www.citylink.co.uk/index.php

Accommodation:

As popular tourist destinations, the venues have many options for accommodation to suit all tastes and pockets including good campsites, chalets, bunkhouses, Youth Hostels, B&B’s, self catering cottages and hotels – please note, winter camping can be hard ! – all to be found on :
http://www.visitscotland.com/guide/where-to-stay/
http://www.visitwales.co.uk/holiday-accommodation-in-wales