MountainPlan Winter Skills courses start on the 1st of December and run through to the 1st of April.
Winter skills are the essential skills needed to travel through the winter mountains safely and confidently. These skills are essential throughout the worlds snowy mountains and are a great base for moving onto the Alps, Greater Ranges and also if you wish to progress to winter climbing. Remember, you need to be able to get to and from the climb safely. The main reason for accidents in the Scottish mountains during the winter, fall in my mind into three categories. A slip, navigation error or being avalanched. We aim to cover in depth all these areas on our courses. These courses are primarily held in either the Cairngorms, Ben Nevis, Aonach Mor area and Glen Coe.
This is the basic but essential course for those who wish to climb or walk in the winter mountains. During this course we cover, ice axe breaking and self-arrests. We also go very in depth with crampon work getting people to move around in their crampons on steeper ground, ice and rock and snow, we believe its important that people learn the ice axe arrest but its far more important to not need to use it. This comes from gaining confidence and better technique with crampons on steep ground. We will also look at navigation another key area for safe travel. Avalanche awareness and avoidance, they do happen in Scotland and are often ill understood. Emergency procedures will be covered looking at shelters and calling for help. Course cost £170 for one then £20 per head on top of that to maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 clients.
All above the above will be looked at through the five-day course. We aim to climb a Munro on most of the days practicing things as we go. There will be plenty of chance to perfect your navigation skills. Depending on the group’s ability and wishes we may at the end of the week aim to tackle a grade one gully. This may be something like number 4 gully on Ben Nevis. Course cost £170 for one then £20 per head on top of that to maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 clients
This is a 2 day course aimed at beginners but can be arranged to different levels of ability. The ‘Ben’ is the UK’s highest mountain. In the winter it becomes a Mecca for mountaineers and climbers with its huge array of ice and mixed climbing it attracts crowds from all over the world. On this course we would aim to walk in on the first day and set up camp either with tents or snow holes (snow dependant). Once set up we would look at the basic winter skills, ice axe and crampon skills, avalanche awareness, Navigation and some basic rope work. The 2nd day would consist of ascending the Ben to the summit via one of its classic gullies before heading back to strike camp and head down. It will make for a fantastic weekend break from the city; you can head back to the office having had a proper adventure! Course costs £170 per day for one and £20 per day on top per head up to a maximum of 1 Instructor to 3 clients.
We also offer navigation courses specific to winter conditions. This course can be aimed at novice winter mountaineers and experienced climbers alike. Navigation across the Cairngorm plateaux or descending from the summit of Ben Nevis in a full whiteout is demanding and you need to get it right first time. We will look in depth into what effect the snow has on the map and features, pacing and timing set distances. The pros and cons of GPS devices which often overlooked by many are a useful device when set up and used properly. Course cost £170 for one then £20 per head on top of that to maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 6 clients
