Winter climbing course
This course is designed to familiarise you with the skills and techniques of
winter climbing, as well as covering the hard skills of crampon and ice axe
technique, placing runners, creating belays and rope management, the
decision making process is also looked at - evaluation of conditions, route
choice, assessment of risk and the psychology of leading ( a very big part of
winter climbing ! )
Most winter climbing courses are either based in North Wales or Scotland.
A typical course starts with an introduction, issue of equipment and safety
briefing, and goes through the preparation process for a winter route - route
choice, conditions, equipment etc. The hard skills are then covered
progressively in practical sessions during the day - map and compass, evaluating
conditions, ice axe and crampon skills, ropework, placing runners and creating
belays etc. - making the most of the weather / conditions and 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 usually run at a ratio of 1:2 and is tailored to meet your needs
with respect to the difficulty of routes and your aspirations.
Book a course
Scottish winter climbing
course information
This course is designed as an introduction to
winter climbing. The hard skills are covered,
e.g - ice axe and crampon technique, rope work
and anchors etc, as well as the decision making
process with route choice, assessment of
conditions, avalanche awareness etc.
Venues:
Most courses are based in 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
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 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 to Aviemore and Fort William:
Both Aviemore and Fort William have good rail
links:
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
and
http://www.citylink.co.uk/index.php
Accommodation:
As popular tourist destinations, both Aviemore
and Fort William 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/
You will need !
Clothing
Waterproof Jacket - full weight breathable model
preferred
Base Layer
Light fleece jackets + heavy fleece jacket or
warm softshell jacket or insulated jacket
Trousers and waterproof overtrousers or
salopettes - with 3/4 or full length side zips
Hat or Balaclava - must fit under a helmet
Warm Ski Type Gloves – Spare pair just in case
one gets wet and / or:
Spare Mittens - especially if you suffer from
cold hands.
Footwear
Socks – a few pairs of warm socks – calf length,
loop stitched with high wool content.
Gaiters
Winter Mountaineering “B2 /B3” Boots – crampon
compatible
Technical Equipment ( can be supplied ! )
Harness
Climbing Helmet
C2 / C3 Crampons (preferably with anti-balling
plates)
Ice Axe / axes
Long sling + locking karabiner
Miscellaneous
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.
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
or
www.adrenalinetravelinsurance.co.uk
What is included !
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 available from :
http://www.mountainspirit.co.uk ( Aviemore ) or
http://www.ellis-brigham.com/fort-william.htm
Course aims
You will gain the most from the course by being
comfortable, relaxed and receptive to the
training and experience , an open mind and open,
questioning approach to your training will help
achieve this.
The ‘Scottish Winter Mountains’ have an
international reputation as an area of unique
mountain environments , with their own
challenges and rewards to the mountaineer, this
course will hopefully give you an insight into
the skills required and the inspiration to
climb independently in these beautiful mountains.
Further Information
There a great many sources of information for
the topics covered on the course, I would
recommend the following:
Scotlands Winter Mountains – Martin Moran – ISBN
0715307940
Winterskills – Andy Cunnignham / Allen Fyffe –
ISBN 0954151135
Chance in a million – Bob Barton / Blyth Wright
– ISBN 0907521592
Winter climbing + by Neil Gresham / Ian Parnell
– ISBN 9781873341964
Online sources include :
http://www.ukclimbing.com