What new skills will I learn?
Many of the skills that we all use in the summer are directly transferable but perhaps need honing to avoid accidents in the harsher conditions we experience in winter. 80% of all accidents in winter are attributable to poor navigation so obviously this plays an important part of the syllabus. 

On top of this walkers will, perhaps for the first time, be heading our into the hills with specialist equipment to ensure their safety. It is no point having all the gear and no idea of how to use it! Here is a quick run down of the skills that you can expect to cover over a 5 day course:

Winter Weather
Even more than summer you need to plan your day according to the weather when heading our in winter. You need to know a past history of wind speed and direction to assess avalanche danger, understand the difference between valley and summit temperatures, comprehend the impact of wind chill on exposed skin, know the effect of the wind on exposed ridges and have an understanding of the influences on mountain weather that we experience in the UK. We also look at cold injuries including frostbite and hypothermia and how to avoid them. 

Avalanche Awareness and Avoidance
People are killed and seriously hurt every year in Scotland due to avalanches. They are common in Scotland and you need to know how to avoid them if you intend to go out in winter. There are various contributing factors to avalanche including snowfall, angle of slope, differing layers of snow type, sunshine and rising temperatures. They also come in many forms including Loose snow avalanches, Full Depth, Unconfined, Airborne Powder, Slab Avalanche, Surface Avalanche, channeled and flowing avalanches. We will look at the various causes, how to avoid them and what to do if you witness or get caught in an avalanche. 

Movement on Snow and Ice
Its far better to learn how to move efficiently on snow and ice, so as to avoid a slip or a fall, than to be an expert on ice axe self-arrest. Who would you rather be tied to, the mountaineer that never falls or the falling expert! We spend time looking at movement skills and the effect of the snow type on movement as well as the use of the axe and crampons to avoid slips and trips. We may also look at emergency use of the rope.

The Ice Axe
This is the basic tool of the winter mountaineer and its use should be considered a craft worth investing some time into. We will provide advice on a suitable axe on the first day of the course but here are some tips. 

1. Forget the old adage that an ice axe should be long enough to reach your ankle when held with a straight arm down by your side. This is generally too long and will be a nuisance when performing self arrest. 
   Hold the pick at shoulder height with the shaft running across your body. The spike should be no lower than waist height and your spare hand should be able to cover the spike whilst being in against your hip. 
2. A removable leash is a good thing. Sometimes they are useful for cutting steps, most of the time though they are just a nuisance. 
3. Make sure you are using a mountaineering axe and not an ice climbing tool. A mountaineering axe will generally have a straight shaft and gently curved pick. 

We will teach you how to carry the axe when you are unlikely to need it and when travelling across ground where it might be useful. We will also look at step cutting, glissading, self belay, and ice axe braking in its various guises. 

Crampons
Knowing when to put crampons on and then take them off again is a valuable skill that can save a great deal of time, discomfort and possibly avoid nasty accidents. We will show you how to put them on, walking and climbing techniques and progress to cramponing up steeper snow slopes. 
It is generally important to keep the feet flat on the snow/ice surface when wearing crampons, to enable all of the points to grip. This can often feel alien, being the opposite of the edging technique we would use without crampons, but is a valuable skill to learn. We will also look at the American technique, front pointing and the French technique. 

Equipment & Clothing
The Scottish winter environment is unique and places high demands on our clothing and equipment as mountaineers. 
The traditional layering system is still the best as far as I am concerned. On a normal day I wear Merino Wool thermals, a fleece jumper and gillet, Mammut softshell trousers and then either Goretex, Event or Paramo outer shell jacket and trousers. I carry 3 pairs of gloves (Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves) and 2 hats and a balaclava, as well as a pair of mittens for really cold days. 
Goggles are essential, as are a quality pair of sunglasses and some sun cream - just in case!

Snow Shelters
In a Scottish Winter environment tents are just not up to the job when it comes to overnight trips in the mountains. Snow shelters are warmer, more wind and weather resistant and won't blow down!
We will teach you how to build emergency 1 man shelters for unplanned bivvys and full shelters for planned overnight stops. The type depends on the snow conditions but could include a shovel-up, igloo, snow cave or snow coffin. We will look at the importance of good ventilation, kit organisation and insulation.