Traversing a ridge line in winter
Cutting steps in neve (snow ice)
Digging a snow shelter
Our Winter Mountains Skills Courses are designed to develop the essential skills to help keep you safe and give you confidence in a winter mountain environment.
Our three day courses focus on preventing slips (using various techniques), safe route choice, navigation, avalanche awareness and the winter environment. You will also learn about winter clothing and equipment (such as ice axes and crampons).
All courses are delivered out on the hill. Therefore, you will have lots of opportunity to practice the skills you learn and refine your techniques each day.
Our Winter Mountain Skills courses are designed for anyone looking to become a safe and confident walker in the mountains in winter. Many of our clients are familiar with walking in the mountains in summer and are looking to turn this into a year round activity. A reasonable level of fitness is required as we will be out in the hills for around 6 – 8 hours each day. No prior experience of winter walking is needed. Roped mountaineering or climbing is not included in this course.
Our Winter Mountain Skills Course is delivered over three full days. This gives you the time needed to learn the skills necessary to undertake your own adventures. It ensures you have the opportunity to refine yours techniques, setting you up perfectly to enjoy winter mountains independently.
Find out more on our itinerary page
Our Winter Skills Courses take place in and around the Torridon Mountains. This really is a fantastic location, perfect for developing your skills in a winter mountain environment. Torridon is home to a great variety of mountain terrain, on both gentler and steeper ground. This allows us to really get out and practice the techniques needed in a varied and realistic environment. The largest village in the area is Gairloch, with excellent local facilities and amenities, including B&Bs, self catering, hotels, shops, pubs and takeaways.
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.
See our date & pricing for more information
Our three day courses give you an excellent starting point for your own journey in learning to keep safe in winter. You will learn the essential skills and techniques needed for preventing slips, navigation and understanding the winter environment. With this foundation of knowledge you will be able to practice and refine your techniques with the assistance of your instructor.
Today we look at being well prepared for the winter mountain environment. We will be discussing clothing, equipment, weather forecasts and avalanche forecasts. Having a good understanding of what you need to do before you even step foot outside can greatly increase your enjoyment and safety in the mountains. Once on the hill we will be learning safe and efficient movement. Focusing on good footwork and the use of crampons, ice axes and self arrest.
Today we will continue to progress and refine our movement skills. Taking a more in-depth look at negotiating awkward and steep terrain. We will also learn and practice navigation techniques using a map and compass, such as identifying features, taking bearings, timings and pacing. Avalanche awareness will be an ongoing topic and we may even look at snowpack to help increase your understanding.
This is the last day of the course and we will put everything we have learnt so far into practice. With your instructor carefully watching and able to provide any advice or assistance, you will get the opportunity to plan and lead a mountain journey. We will review as we go, looking at what we have done well or could do better. But the goal of the day is to allow you to undertake a journey safely and confidently, with your instructor on hand as needed.
We offer courses with and without accommodation. For courses where we offer it with accommodation you will see this in our pricing table on our dates and price tab.
The accommodation included with this course is on a self catering, twin sharing basis in Kinlochewe at Kinlochewe Mountain Chalets situated at the head of Glen Torridon. This location provides the perfect base for our winter skills courses, being close to the hills and in a beautiful little hamlet that resides next to the Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve.
The accommodation includes shared cooking facilities and lounge for you to relax in after your hill days. There is also a private carpark onsite so travel is simple.
In order to provide the highest level of learning and safety we maintain low ratios for our courses. For our Winter Skills courses we never go beyond a ratio of 1 guide to 6 clients. These small numbers allow us to make sure you get the tuition you need and the course is tailored around your aspirations whether you’re booked onto an open or private course.
Open course are where you can book onto a date and join other like minded people. These are great for individuals looking to share an experience with others and make new friends and climbing partners. Our open courses are run to a maximum of six individual spaces (with one instructor) on each open course to give the perfect balance between a social experience and effective learning in the mountains.
Our three day open course are perfect for those looking to learn the skills and techniques needed to become safe and efficient on the mountains.
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 13 Jan 2025 to 15 Jan 2025 | £330 |
| 17 Feb 2025 to 19 Feb 2025 | £330 |
| 10 Mar 2025 to 12 Mar 2025 | £330 |
Prices shown are all per person.
Private courses are totally flexible and tailored directly to your needs. These can be run on any dates during the season and will only have yourself or those you have booked with on the course. This works well for those where they need specific dates or where they would rather not be on a course with someone they don’t know. We have a maximum ratio of 1 guide to 6 clients for winter skills courses to ensure your safety.
| Ratio | Price |
|---|---|
| 1:1 | £800 |
| 1:2 | £400 per person |
| 1:3 | £300 per person |
| 1:4 | £250 per person |
| 1:5 | £200 per person |
| 1:6 | £180 per person |
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 13 Jan 2025 to 15 Jan 2025 | £330 |
| 17 Feb 2025 to 19 Feb 2025 | £330 |
| 10 Mar 2025 to 12 Mar 2025 | £330 |
Prices shown are all per person.
Ice axe, crampon and helmet hire are all included in the course fee.