Scottish Winter Skills course notes
Welcome to your course notes for your winter skills course.
The arrival of snow and ice transforms the mountains into a magical winter playground. Its a time of year that I look forward to and enjoy every minute of.
These course notes set out the program for the week, the kit that you need to bring with you and a few other points about safety insurance and transport. I hope you find them useful and see you soon.
Rob
Where is the course held?
We run the course in the Highlands of Scotland from our winter base in Fort William. We are very handy for Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor and Glen Coe and will often make the most of the ski centre chairlifts on the first day to maximise the time spent on the snow.
What about 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. I stay in Fort William and if you stay anywhere in the town you will be in walking distance of where we meet each day. Visit this page for accommodation options.
Transport
We do not provide transport as part of the course but Huw and I are happy to give people a lift from the meeting point each day if they need it. On our winter skills courses we have more clients than seats in cars so if you need a lift please email us in advance of the course to check that there are enough spaces in the car. We also occasionally use public transport so a small amount of cash might be useful. When booking your accommodation make sure that you can get to and from the meeting point each day.
Who Runs the Course
Huw and I are joined by another good friend and fellow instructor for our winter program so that there are 3 of us delivering courses. We only work with super experienced people who hold the MCI/WML/WMCI qualifications and share the same outlook as us. Each week we run a variety of courses and we take in turns to rotate through the different options so you could be out with any one of us. Either Huw or I will always be in the cafe on the first morning for introductions.
pre-course preparation
These courses are very physical and you will need to do some training in advance. We will walk about 15km a day with over 1000m of height gain. This is made more physical when walking in snow and colder temperatures and your rucksack will be much heavier than in summer. The only way to be fit enough to enjoy the whole course is to have days out in the mountains that build up to this level of output. In the weeks building upto the course you will need to get out and get some big mountain days in your legs, carrying a heavy pack.
Here are some stats from an average week:
- Average of 1000m per day height gain
- Average days out of 8 hours walking
- Covering 40 miles per week
- 220 flights of stairs per day in iPhone speak
- You need to be able to walk at a steady speed of 300m height gain per hour
- Your rucksack will weigh at least 3kg more in winter than summer
Whats Included?
The course fee includes instruction and use of specialist equipment such as helmets, axe and crampons.
Scottish Winter Conditions
The Scottish winter mountain environment is unique, beautiful and harsh in equal measures. The reason the winter mountains are accessible to us on foot is as a result of a continual process of freeze/thaw cycles. Throughout the winter we see snowfall followed by thaw, followed by a freeze with more snowfall and so the cycle goes on. This means our mountains don’t require skis or snowshoes to access them in winter – giving considerably better access than the Alps or North America for example. It also creates incredible walking and climbing on neve – refrozen snow created as a result of this cycle.
These conditions are by their nature ephemeral and always have been. We visit Scotland and run our courses between January and March because this is the most reliable winter season. In twenty years we have always given clients a good time and many come back year after year. We can’t guarantee what conditions you will get but we do guarantee to work hard to put you in the right place at the right time, to make the very best of the conditions that we do get, to increase your knowledge and skillset and to give you a good time – even if there is a lack of snow! We will teach you how to make the most of what is on offer in the hope that you fall in love with the Scottish winter mountains in the same way we have.
Kit List:
Please treat this kit list as a part of your course. I have prepared it and modified it over many years and there is nothing on here that you can make do without. If we are very lucky and have perfect weather there are things that you might not end up using but more likely you will be very glad to have them! There will probably be things on here that seem odd but bear with me – all will become clear on your course!
The extremes of winter conditions in Scotland should not be under estimated. Everything on the kit list will be required so please read it carefully and bring it all with you to save time shopping on the first day! Shell garments in particular need to be of high quality, as do boots, gloves and other warm clothing.
Waterproof Jacket – full weight breathable model preferred.
Overtrousers – with 3/4 or full length side zips.
Rucsac 30-40l capacity – A range of dry bags to keep your kit dry are essential.
Socks 2 pairs.
Gaiters made from breathable material. (Goretex ideal)
Wicking thermal top not cotton please!
Merino wool is very good as it does not smell or itch.
2 Warm fleeces or equivalent.
I use Patagonia R2 fleece as it is a fibre pile fleece which gives great warmth for weight. I prefer a warm fleece to a windproof one for Scotland.
Thermal leggings or warm mountain trousers.
Thin Inner Glove
Warm Ski/MountainType Gloves – 3 pairs
Hat or Balaclava must fit under a helmet.
Spare Mittens especially if you suffer from cold hands.
Spare Fleece
Blizzard Survival Jacket (Emergency kit)
Water Container approx 1l, or .75l flask.
Headtorch + batteries
Map, Compass + Whistle
(1:50,000 map of Fort William & Glen Coe)
Personal medications + blister kit
Ski Goggles + sun glasses
Winter Boots. They need to be crampon compatible and rated either B1 or B2 for winter walking. You can also use B3 boots if you intend having one set of boots for walking and climbing. In Scotland I love my Scarpa Mont Blancs (B3) but these can be too rigid for some people, especially if you are not used to stiff boots. Scarpa Mantas are a good B2 boot for most winter walking and will also serve well if you want to venture into mountaineering.
#Climbing Helmet
#Crampons with antiball plates
#Ice Axe
# We can lend you these free of charge but you are welcome to bring your own.
Buying Axe & Crampons
If you are going to buy your own axe and crampons in advance of the course then have a read of this article first: Choosing Axe & Crampons
KIT VIDEO
In this video I go through the kit that is on the kit list, why we have it, how we use it, what to wear and when. It is 30 minutes long but consider it the first half an hour of your course:
Recommended Reading
The instructors tips pages on our website have articles that I have written on how to choose an ice axe and crampons and how to fit your crampons to your boots. I also recommend the book Winter Skills by Andy Cunnigham and Allen Fyffe, published by Mountain Leader Training UK.
Insurance: We do not include insurance within our course fees. For all overseas trips you will require an E111 and specialist mountaineering insurance and we will require a copy of the policy. We also recommend insurance for our UK courses. Our approved insurance contractors are:
BMC: 0870 0104878 or The Foundry: 0114 2755806
BMC Article on Risk & Safety in climbing & mountaineering.
The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is the representative body in the UK for hill walkers, climbers and mountaineers. It has produced a Participation Statement for anyone involved in walking, climbing or mountaineering to say that:
The BMC recognises that climbing and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.
If you join one of our courses you acknowledge and accept these risks and so we thought a few facts and figures might be useful in explaining what you are accepting.
Injuries
Injuries are possible in climbing, hill walking and mountaineering, as in all sporting activities, as a result of over-training, inappropriate training regimes, or poor technique as well as those that might be sustained during a slip or fall, or if something or someone falls on a person.
Risk
Risks need to be put in context. There are currently about 5 million climbing wall user visits annually and it has bee estimated that between the 1960s and 2005 there were approximately 50 million climbing wall user visits in the UK alone. During that period there was only one fatality at a wall in England and Wales. There are 13 million young people in this country. Of the approximately 700 fatal accidents that occur every year, there is approximately one child death per year in organised adventurous activities in comparison with 457 land transportation accidents (National Statistics).
Risk is an integral part of the activity and can play a vital role in helping young people to acquire these extremely important life skills. Minimising the risk boils down to having the right level of skill and experience relative to the difficulty of the activity. Our courses will help you
to understand and assess these risks for yourself. Accidents can happen due to circumstances over which the climber has no control, such as a rockfall, and in these events first aid training can make all the difference.
Accident rates
Because experienced climbers strive very hard to know their own limitations, the sport enjoys remarkably low accident rates. Incidents that make news headlines often involve individuals operating in environments for which they were ill-prepared, and this can give a somewhat skewed impression of the dangers involved in the sport. Many of the ‘climbers’ reported in the media as having been involved in accidents, died or got lost in mountainous areas are not dedicated climbers. Often they are tourists who have gone out walking or people who don’t have much experience in the mountains. Therefore some of the tragedies that hit the headlines may reflect poorly on dedicated mountaineers who are more likely to be better prepared and not as likely to require mountain rescue.
Even on a course there is a need for personal responsibility and self reliance in all mountaineering activities. We will have contingency plans in the event of an emergency and are first aid trained but you should also carry basic first aid equipment as detailed in your course notes. All of our courses aim to teach you to assess the risks for yourself, to make you an independent climber/mountaineer or hillwalker but there are some risks that we cannot completely remove.
If you feel uncomfortable at any time you should say so and don’t be afraid to ask why we are doing what we are doing. There is no pressure whatsoever for you to take part in any activity that you do not want to take part in.
The BMC has produced an introductory booklet for parents of young people who participate in climbing-related activities.
