Winter Skills Courses

This course is essential for any climber, hill walker or skier going out in to the winter mountains. It is a practical two-day or weekend course looking at avalanche avoidance and safer travel, rather than snow science. This course aims to give you a greater knowledge and appreciation of how and why avalanches occur and covers what to do if you witness some someone being avalanched and variety of search techniques. We also look at a simulated scenario, with the use of transceivers, on the second day of the course to search areas and look for buried survivors.

• 1 day or 2 days
• Cost 1 day at £60 per person / 2 days at £120 per person
• 1:6
• Upgrade to a residential option available

Please check our course calendar for dates.

Pushed for time and want to cover the basics with an experienced instructor?

The introduction to winter skills course will cover over a weekend all the skills needed to safely venture out in to the UK hills in full winter conditions. Again, we teach these skills as we journey in the mountains to keep the learning practical and try to gain as much ground and valuable experience as possible.

We cover use of the ice axe for walking, step cutting and how to arrest a fall, the use of crampons and techniques for ascent/descent and emergency shelters. We will also cover navigation, route choice and keep the course content fairly open to account for the needs of the group and your own objectives. An optional evening talk on Avalanche Awareness is also included as part of the course.

• 2 days
• £165.00
• Residential option

Please check our course calendar for dates.

Are you ready to take on the added challenge of winter navigation? Would you like to have a few more strategies, just in case the weather gets nasty?

This weekend covers all the skills needed to develop your summer navigation to overcome the challenges of winter conditions. We cover planning routes, timing and pacing, and contour interpretation. By the end of the weekend, you will have gained much needed confidence in your own navigational ability to cope with the problems in winter, such as poor visibility and what to do in a white out.

• 2 days
• £165.00
• Residential option

Please ring us on +44 (0) 845 505 1221 for booking information and details.

Want to combine a full week of guided winter walks and skills instruction? Want to extend the basic winter course and join us for a winter holiday break? This is the complete package - skills and adventure...look no further.

This five-day course concentrates on journeying in the mountains and exploring off the beaten track, once the basic skills and techniques are embedded. Over the five days we have more time to concentrate on the technical aspects of the course and taking it at a pace that suits everyone, by looking at each topic in turn and returning to themes over the course of the week.

During the five days we will give you an overview of:

• Winter navigation, strategies and route choice
• Ice axe and use of crampons
• Avalanche and weather awareness
• Equipment selection and advice
• Emergency procedures
• Use of GPS in winter
• Number of optional evening lectures
  

Course information:

• 5 days in duration
• £485.00
• Ratio 1:6
• Fully catered all inclusive option only.

Ever wanted to experience sleeping in the snow and building your very own snow palace? This course is a multi-day mountain journey in the Scottish Highlands in full winter conditions. We will take you on a two-day mountain journey, which will include an overnight stay in a snow hole or mountain bothy, dependent upon conditions. This course can be combined with the Introduction to Winter Skills course.

Course information:

• 2 days
• £195.00
• Ratio 1:4
• Fully catered expedition all inclusive option only