Winter Skills Three Day Course in Scotland

Rob Johnson
Mountaineering Instructor (MIC)
& International Mountain Leader

Scottish Winter Skills Three Day Course

What have previous clients said?

Rob,
Thanks for 3 great days. I really enjoyed the way you managed to get a great balance between breadth and depth in what we covered. Yesterday was an absolute belter and I loved the session we did on the ice and snow. My quads feel like they have been attacked with a hammer from all of the crampon work and I will need a good run tonight to get them working again! I will definitely be doing some more with you next year so please keep me on your mailing list.

Thanks Craig - Winter Skills 3 day Jan 09

Rob hi, Sam and I received the CD with the pictures of the winter skills weekend
this morning and I just wanted to write to let you know what a wonderful
time we had. The instruction was first class, the setting was amazing
and we had a great time and had our aspirations totally met and
exceeded. I'm still assimilating the information passed on by yourself
and have found a new confidence to be able to look up at the winter
hills and not feel like its beyond us now. I also felt that we came
away having gained not just the skills but some new friends which is
always a huge bonus. In addition to all this we'd like to undertake the intro to scrambling
course with yourself. Thanks once more. Nik and Sam Winter Skills 2008

"I just wanted to drop you a quick line to say thanks very much for a great 5 days on your Scottish Winter Skills Course. I learnt a great deal and was impressed you even organised the weather". TP Dec 05

"Just wanted to say thank you for a great winter skills week! I felt I learnt a great deal about the skills required to place myself in a winter environment in the mountains. This course was a perfect introduction before completing my first mountaineering trip to the Alpsthis summer. I would strongly recommend this course to anybody in a similar situation. The course was tailored to compensate for the members current knowledge, fitness and experience so the week was always geared to be learning new skills. A big thanks, keep in touch and look forward to completing a course with you soon. Ice climbing I think!
P.S I'm still not convinced that the pasta water should be used for hot chocolate! All the best Rob. Ben Potts- Winter Skills February 2007".

"Rob,I just wanted to say thinks for your time during the Winter Skills course that recently we took with you. It went about as perfectly as we could have wished. I particularly liked the way that you took us through a range of learning in a very practical way, everything from diet through to a gradual and progressive development of technical skills, often without us actually realising how much we had learned until we practised again the following day. And of course, it was fun as well.We are now thinking about next steps and of course, how we engage you further.Thanks again and all the very best" Graham winter skills Feb 07

Thank you for the winter skills week it was absolutely fantastic. Once again thankyou and I will see you in April - Jason - Winter Skills 2008



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Scottish Winter Skills Three Day - Course Content

Location: Scotland - Fort William
Price: £250 per person
Ratio: 1:6
Length: 3 days

Who is the course suitable for?
This course is designed for people who have some summer hillwalking experience and want to learn the skills necessary to be a self sufficient walker in winter conditions.
The same skills are an ideal base for a first Alpine climbing trip or trekking peak in the Himalayas or as a step onto the ladder for winter climbing techniques.

What does the course cover?
The course follows the same syllabus as our winter skills weekend but the additional day is spent on a mountain journey where we can put into practice the skills learnt over the first two days, look at mountain navigation in winter and bag a summit or two. If the weather does not allow for a summit day then we will spend the day building planned and emergency snow shelters. The normal 1:6 ratio allows us to give each client proper personal attention and allow you achieve far more during the week. Skills covered include:

- Three full days of practical instruction in the mountains
- Choice and use of equipment for the winter environment
- Movement skills on snow
- Use of the ice axe
- How to fit and use crampons - when to put them on and take them off
- Emergency snow shelters
- A mountain journey putting all of the new skills into perspective
- Mountain navigation
- Summit journeys or planned snow shelters

Sample Programme

Opening 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
We will use weather and avalanche reports to understand the implications on route choice for the day. We will then head into the mountains to look at moving on snow, use of the axe and use of crampons if appropriate. We will probably use a chairlift to gain the snow line quickly and are likely to cover self arrest with an ice axe towards the end of the day.

Day Two:
We will head out into the mountains to look at weather, snow and avalanche awareness including safe travel and route choices. We will progress your skills in using crampons and the ice axe in a mountain context. The content of the first two days may be switched around a bit between the two days to suit snow conditions.

Day Three:
We will undertake a mountain journey to put your new found skills into practice and take in a summit or two. The main issue in winter is correct interpretation of the weather and avalanche forecast and reflecting this in your route planning and route finding. We will concentrate on this and winter navigation since most winter accidents occur due to navigational errors

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. For a range of accommodation options visit this link.

Travel to Fort William
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 here for our travel options page which gives details of airports, coach and train companies and road links.

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!

Book this course

If you have any questions about booking a course then please just call or email. Booking is a simple two stage process:

1. Choose a date.
Individuals - visit the diary page for details of open course availability
Groups of 2 or more - Call or email to arrange a date to suit you -

2. Book the course
Online: You can book online securely by clicking on the "buy now" button
or
Download a postal booking form from our booking page.

If you are booking more than 8 weeks in advance you can choose to pay a deposit of £100 to secure your booking. Click here to pay a deposit.

Course type	Location	Price	Quantity

3 day non residential	Scotland	£250 pp