Winter Climbing Classics

Five days of beautiful classic winter climbs in Torridon

The Torridon Mountains are a world class winter climbing venue. The routes here are of exceptional quality and variety. With a mixture of ice climbing, gully climbs, mixed routes, buttresses, ridges and aretes, Torridon really does have it all. During this 5 day course we will guide you on some of the most inspirational and classic winter climbs in Scotland. Our itinerary will be flexible to allow for the best routes for the snow and weather conditions, however potential classics include The East Buttress Beinn Eighe, The Northern Pinnacles of Liathach and A Winter Traverse of An Teallach.

Who is this course for?

During this five day winter climbing course we will be climbing a variety of grade 2-4 routes. Therefore a reasonable amount of fitness and stamina will be required. You will need to be a competent climber in summer conditions, therefore be able to tie in, belay safely, and have experience of removing trad climbing gear in summer. You also need to be an able winter walker, having familiarity with walking in crampons and using ice axes.

Inspiring location

Our Torridon Winter Climbing Classics course takes place in the North West Highlands of Scotland. Not only does the Torridon area have some of the best winter climbing routes in the whole of the UK, it’s a winter climbers paradise. Complete with inspirational and beautiful mountain scenery and a wealth of mountaineering history. Despite being such an exceptional venue, Torridon remains blissfully quiet. These dramatic and exquisite climbs are free from crowds and can often be enjoyed in complete solitude. There are a few villages in the area you can base yourself in. We recommend Gairloch as it is the largest (although still a small village), therefore comes with more facilities. Gairloch has few, small village shops, a petrol station, electric car charging point, B&Bs, hotels, self catering cottages, doctor surgery and pharmacy. Other nearby villages you may consider include Torridon, Kinlochewe and Poolewe.

Open and Private Courses

We offer both open courses and private courses. On an open course you sign up to a date we’re offering and will meet with other people who book that same course. For private courses you will book a course specifically for you and can choose a date that suits.

Itinerary

For this course we have no fixed itinerary. Winter weather and snow conditions can be extremely variable and so to get the most out of the course a completely flexible itinerary is best.

However, over the 5 days we aim to tick off some of the best winter climbs in the North West of Scotland. Just a few examples of these include:

• George (IV) – Liathach
• Fuselage Gully (II) – Beinn Eighe
• Black Carls (II) – Beinn Eighe
• A’Chioch ridge (II) – Beinn Bhan
• The Northern Pinnacles (III) – Liathach
• East and/or West Buttress (both IV) – Beinn Eighe
• Traverse of An Teallach (III) and or Liathach (II)
• West Coast Boomer (IV) – Beinn Alligin

Day one will begin with a thorough kit check before we head out on the mountain. While we enjoy one of the fantastic climbs in the area we can also use this day to refresh and refamiliarise skills along the way. As we head through the rest of the week we will be looking to progress through more technical routes as confidence grows and ability improves.