Winter Skills Courses in Scotland

Rob Johnson
Mountaineering Instructor &
International Mountain Leader

Scottish Winter Skills Five Day Course

What have previous clients said?

"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 Five Day - Course Content

Location: Scotland - Fort William
Price: £350 per person
Ratio: 1:6
Length: 5 days

Who is the course suitable for?
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 1:6 ratio allows us to give each client proper personal attention and allow you achieve far more during the week.

What does the course cover?
The course aims to cover all of the essential skills that you require in winter to be a self sufficient hill walker. Skills covered include:

- Five 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
- Mountain journeys putting all of the skills into perspective
- Mountain navigation
- Planned snow shelters
- Avalanche avoidance & snow analysis
- Diet & nutrition for winter walking
- Cold weather injury avoidance
- Emergency procedures

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
Each day we will use weather and avalanche reports to make route plans for that day. This helps you to develop your own self sufficiency. This first day concentrates on 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 look at using the ice axe for cutting steps.

Day Three:
As day two but with the addition of 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:
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.

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.

Dates for 2009: 26/30 Jan
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
5 day non residential	Scotland	£350 pp