Scottish Winter Skills 5 day Course. An introduction to the skills we use to walk in the mountains in winter. Ideal for people that want to be self sufficient winter walkers and for preparation for trips to the greater rangesVenue: West Highlands of Scotland

Price: £300 per person Ratio: 1:5 Length: 5 days

Learn all the skills necessary to travel safely through UK mountains in winter, focusing on giving you the confidence to venture out independently and avoid being another avalanche statistic! The ideal course for beginners and those keen to brush up on winter skills for hill walking and graded winter climbs. The normal 1:5 ratio allows us to give each client proper personal attention and allow you achieve far more during the week.

Sample Programme
Sunday Night: We will meet and have a pre-course chat and a beer, get settled in and check out the weather and conditions for the week ahead.

Day One: Kit check & discussion 
Using weather and avalanche reports to make route plans
We will head out into the mountains to look at weather, snow and avalanche awareness. Moving on snow, use of the axe, simple snow analysis, stability/shear tests and use of crampons if appropriate. 

Day Two: Using weather and avalanche reports to make route plans
We will head out into the mountains to look at weather, snow and avalanche awareness. Safe travel and route choices. Using crampons, cutting steps and how to approach an edge. 

Day Three: Using weather and avalanche reports to make route plans
We will head out into the mountains to look at weather, snow and avalanche awareness. Navigation for the winter mountaineer, emergency avalanche procedure ie how to cross a suspect slope, what to do if you see someone get caught & what to do if you get caught. 

Days Four & Five: Using weather and avalanche reports to make route plans
We will head out into the mountains to look at weather, snow and avalanche awareness and choose an appropriate location to build emergency and planned snow shelters. We will also take in some of the fine summits that the West Highlands have to offer dependant upon group fitness, options include Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor and many more in Glen Coe.

What new skills will I learn? <Read More

Previous Experience & Fitness
This is not a winter climbing course, you do not need any climbing experience and we will not be entering into steep ground that would require the use of a rope. These courses are strenuous and you need to be physically fit to get the most from them. A little bit of training in the form of cycling, running or swimming beforehand will pay dividends!

Accommodation
Accommodation is not provided as this allows us to keep the course cost low and you can then arrange accommodation to suit your budget.
For low cost accommodation we recommend the YHA at Glen Nevis which costs approx. £16 per night - <follow this link

If you prefer something a bit more luxurious the Lime Tree in Fort William is lovely and is just down the road from the cottage that I rent for the season. Rates start at £45 per person per night for B & B and it is a truly stylish pad! <follow this link

If neither of these suit you then have a look at this site for a wider choice and online booking with price comparison. <follow this link

Travel
There is a mainline rail station at Fort William and we can collect you at the start of the course and deposit you back there at the end. You can also fly to Glasgow and there is a link at the top of this page for our travel options page which gives details of airports, coach and train companies and road links.

Dates: Spaces remaining on 27th Jan to 1st Feb 2008 only
We run our courses from the beginning of January to the end of March because this is the most reliable season for conditions. In the unlikely event that we have to cancel the course due to lack of snow we will give you a full refund of your course fee.

Bookings

Length	Location	Price
5 day non residential	Scotland - Fort William	£300 pp	Add to