Scottish Winter Skills, Mountaineering & Climbing Courses

Unlocking the Winter Mountains of Scotland and Norway

Experience the full majesty and challenge of the mountains with our expert-led winter courses. Whether you are taking your first steps into the snow-covered Scottish Highlands or aiming for advanced ice climbing in Norway, safe and confident progression starts here. Our training covers essential skills—from winter navigation and avalanche awareness to mastering the ice axe arrest technique—all under the guidance of WMCI-qualified instructors. Choose from our foundational Winter Skills courses, enjoy the iconic summits around Glencoe and Fort William with our Winter Mountaineering programs, or expand your expertise to the continent. Your adventure into the winter environment begins now.

Winter Skills Courses

Perfect for beginners looking to build confidence in snowy terrain. These courses teach you how to enjoy the mountains safely in winter. They look at key skills such as the use of ice axe and crampons, route planning, avalanche avoidance and winter navigation. These courses are designed for walkers – hikers in modern parlance.

Winter Mountaineering & Climbing

For those with winter skills and summer scrambling or climbing experience. These courses take you out on graded winter routes where we use ropes, helmets and harnesses. They build on your winter skills and summer scrambling or climbing skills.

🇳🇴 Norway Adventures

Winter Skills Courses, Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Courses FAQs

What equipment do I need?
We provide the technical equipment that you need. On winter skills courses this includes free ice axe and crampon hire. On our climbing courses we provide the rack, ropes etc. We have an in depth video on our YouTube channel that goes through all of the kit that you will need.

Where are the courses based?
We head up to Scotland for the winter months as the conditions are more reliable than in our home mountains of Snowdonia. We base ourselves in Fort William as this gives access to Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor, Glen Coe, Creag Meghaidh and the Cairngorms. We have been running these courses since 2004 and so we know the mountains well and how to maximise the conditions.

What happens if the weather is bad?
It is normal to get bad weather on our winter courses. We teach you how to make the most of what we get and we will always find something to do somewhere. Sometimes it is safer to stay low and we may go climbing or look at navigation skills in the valley. There will still be plenty of learning and when the weather and conditions come good we will make the most of them.

Why Choose Us?

Courses led by WMCI-qualified instructors
Free kit hire included
Over 20 years of winter training experience

Scottish winter skills weekend reviews

What a fantastic weekend! Use of crampons and ice axe, movement up snowy and icy slopes, self-arrest techniques, assessment and management of avalanche risk were all covered with the bonus of summiting two munros. We also had amazing views and the most sunshine anywhere in the UK! Many thanks to Huw for running such a fun course – your patience, humour and photos were much appreciated. By Olivia M on Feb 12, 2025

Amazing weekend ,well delivered by skilled instructors. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to up their game.

By Malcom S for Scottish Winter Skills Weekend on Feb 06, 2024

Scottish winter skills course reviews:

An absolutely fantastic week in the Scottish mountains, great training and guiding from Rusty. Will definitely do this next year By Noel B on Feb 18, 2025

As always, a fantastic mountaineering trip to the Highlands with more summer than winter conditions given the recent thaw in mid-January. However, despite the lack of snow and ice on the Lochaber ridges, Rob, Huw and Rusty were on hand to host a great week of Scottish mountaineering. Knowledgeable and personable (with one of the best mountain CVs in the business), Rusty provided a diverse range of routes over the week with practical tutorials on crampons, ice axe use and avalanche awareness. As with any Expedition Guide course, you are in safe hands! By Alastair M on Jan 26, 2025

We had a great week up in the Scottish mountains. We had all sorts of weather which ment we could learn all different winter skills. Our instructors were all very knowledgeable and shared there experience. I learnt lot about winter skills and I feel more confident in my own abilities. Thank you Rob and his team, I will definitely be back.

By Bryn J for Scottish Winter Skills Week on Feb 19, 2024

Rob’s winter skills week was a perfect introduction to learning the skills needed to operate safely in alpine style environments. Scotland presented every type of winter weather possible over the five days which enabled me to develop a strong foundation of skills including self arrest using an ice axe, using crampons, avalanche risk assessment, rope work and navigating in near white out conditions. Our instructor guided us professionally and safely through some magnificent terrain whilst encouraging us to develop our own skills so that we became more confident in this type of environment. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would not hesitate to recommend to those interested in developing their mountaineering skills.

By Steven J for Scottish Winter Skills Week on Feb 25, 2024

I recently had the privilege of attending a Scottish Winter Climbing Course near Fort William, and it was an absolutely incredible experience that exceeded all expectations. The location itself is breathtaking, with the stunning Scottish Highlands serving as a majestic backdrop. The instructor was not only a skilled mountaineer, but also passionate about sharing his expertise. His knowledge of the terrain, weather conditions, and safety protocols instilled confidence in every participant. The instructor was meticulous in teaching proper gear usage, avalanche awareness, and emergency procedures. I felt well-prepared and secure throughout the entire course. I will definitely be coming back for the winter climbing course!

By Zeb V for Scottish Winter Skills Week on Jan 28, 2024

Scottish Winter Mountaineering Course Reviews

I had a fantastic 3 days in the Scottish mountains with Rob and Hew. I learned plenty of new skills and techniques required for winter mountaineering/climbing. It was not my first course with the guys , as I’ve been instructed by them both before in Snowdonia on Scrambling courses. A truly epic experience was had with great people in stunning locations. Garry Bramble By garry b on Apr 07, 2025

We had a fantastic time with Rob, as always. We have been on various trips with Rob over the last 15 years (!) and love his teaching style (we always learn loads), ability to adapt and tailor to suit needs/ability and general great company and sense of humour. We were blessed with amazing weather as well, which helped! Highly recommend Rob and his courses By Tracy S on Mar 25, 2025

Scottish winter climbing & mountaineering course reviews

Great week in the Scottish Highlands doing a variety of routes and learning many useful skills on the mountains, which can be applied both in winter and summer. The instructors are highly experienced and patient to teach students with diverse backgrounds and levels of experience and skills. Highly recommended to anyone looking to learn new skills or as a refresher to those with some experience. By Fabio C on Mar 31, 2025

It’s always a great time out with Rob and this was no different. Though conditions were challenging at the start of the week we got some great routes done and as conditions improved we made the most of it. A brilliant week and already looking forward to next year! By Thomas M on Jan 26, 2025

“Having been inspired by Rob for over a decade to experience some of the best scrambles and climbs in Wales, it was fantastic to finally spend a week with him in Scotland developing skills that I had previously not had the opportunity to get to grips with. His relaxed and friendly style soon banished any nerves and his calm efficiency and risk management gave me a new way of looking at my own performance and how to improve on any areas I wasn’t so confident in. Rob’s route choices were brilliant and the days were paced really well and packed with useful information. Ledge Route on Ben Nevis was the highlight of a great week but what will stay with me the most is the privilege of having shared some of the pleasure and enthusiasm that Rob and Huw clearly have for what they do. My mate Mozz and I were really well looked after but also encouraged to think for ourselves. Best course I’ve ever been on by a long way and one that will still be making me smile for years to come. Thanks guys!”
By Mark D on Feb 18, 2024
Scottish Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Week

I had a great experience winter climbing with Huw and feel like I learned a whole lot. Thank you Huw for all your help and encouragement. It was an epic week that I greatly enjoyed. Look forward to climbing with you again! Many thanks!

By Ewa P for Scottish Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Week on Mar 31, 2024

Winter Courses

Scottish Winter Skills, Mountaineering & Climbing Courses

Unlocking the Winter Mountains of Scotland and Norway

Winter Skills Courses

Weekend Course

Five Day Course

Welsh 3000 Winter

Winter Mountaineering & Climbing

3 Day Mountaineering Course

5-Day Mountaineering & Climbing Week