Intro to Winter Climbing

Course

Intro to Winter Climbing 

Scotland provides a unique environment for winter mountaineering. The rapidly changing conditions and weather provide challenges all of its own and provide unique routes and an overall experience quite different from elsewhere in the world. Add to this a strong mountaineering tradition and history and that unbeatable satisfaction when everything combines to give those days of Highland winter perfection - all on our doorstep.

Course Summary

This course will aim to go out and do some of the easier classic winter climbs in Scotland and cover the skills and techniques to give you the confidence to venture out by yourself.

Course Content

During the Intro to Winter Climbing Course we will look at the essential skills of winter climbing –

• Ice axe and crampon work
• Rope work
• Winter anchors and belaying

We will also cover

• Winter navigation
• Hazard awareness
• Avalanche evaluation and safe travel as we go along. This is also a good foundation for those wishing to progress on to alpine mountaineering.

The first few days will be spent practising and gaining confidence in these skills and we will then put them into practice on some of the great classic mountain routes in this: routes such as Curved Ridge on the Buachaille - a superb alpine style day out in the Glencoe valley enjoyed by generations since its first ascent in 1898. Other possibilities include Sron na Lairig on Stob Coire Sgreamhach, Ledge Route on Ben Nevis.

Experience / Fitness / Ability

This is an Intro to Winter Climbing in Scotland for clients who want to progress from Winter Mountaineering to graded Winter Climbs.  No previous climbing experience is necessary though Winter Walking would be an advantage, the course will be tailored to your experience.  Climbing routes of grade 1 to grade 3.

Course Location 

The Intro to Winter Climbing Course can be based either on the West Coast – Glencoe, Ben Nevis or over on the East in the Cairngorms.  It really depends on the conditions, we tend to go where the conditions are better.