1 Day Winter Skills Refresher

1 Day Winter Skills Refresher

Next Courses:

Please note: Depending on conditions and interest, we may put some courses on in late January!

The next Scheduled open courses in winter 2025 are:

• Tuesday 4th February

• Wednesday 5th February

To sign up to any of these courses, please scroll down toward the bottom of the page for the booking links.

Where they are run:

The Cairngorms

These courses are run primarily from Aviemore in the Cairngorm National Park, Scotland.

The area is generally filled with instructors running winter courses as well as skiers. The area is brilliantly amenable to running winter skills courses. We can drive pretty much straight up to the snow line and get started immediately. There is a good mix of terrain all within easy reach. Aviemore is on the main rail network from pretty much anywhere in the UK. There are good road links, and Inverness airport is just over an hour's drive. There are also a huge array of places to stay - from youth hostels, B&Bs through to more expensive hotels. It gets booked up very quickly in winter however, so getting accommodation sorted is essential.

We tend to meet in Tiso in Aviemore or The Cairngorm Cafe on the mountain before heading out. It's a chance to ensure everyone has the right kit, and I can fit crampons to boots if needed.

Glencoe

I also run courses in Glencoe on the west coast by request for private groups. Glencoe is famed for it's spectacular scenery as well as bloody history! It is well served by road and coach from Inverness or Glasgow. Fort William or Tyndrym / Bridge of Orchy are the nearest railway stations, all about 45-60mins drive. There are few places suitable to meet beforehand indoors but we'll let you know where to meet up. Please get in touch if you want to arrange a course here.

What the Courses Involve:

These courses are for those who have been on a winter skills course in the past but have perhaps forgotten a few aspects (or everything!) since.

Can you remember how to pull off an ice axe arrest on your back head first down the slope??

We will aim to cover as much of the core skills and get you back up to speed.

On the one day Winter Skills Refresher we can cover:

• Avalanche and weather forecasts

• Winter navigation (for those wanting it)

• Equipment and clothing

• Efficiency in packing and planning

• Personal movement skills which is essential to deal with different snow packs at different altitudes

  • Efficient use of your boots in different terrain

  • Walking in crampons

• Use of the ice axe

  • Self-belay

  • Step cutting

  • Arrests

• Using axe and crampons on steeper ground (in a walking, non climbing context)

• Emergency shelters

We're unlikely to have time to cover everything or more detailed and technical aspects such as emergency ropework. When booking, please select which aspects you really need refreshing!

The instructor:client ratio is 1:6 with a minimum of 3 clients to ensure that everyone gets the most benefit from the course. Peer-experience and sharing is an important aspect.

12-18 year olds are welcome if accompanied by a parent or guardian also on the course.

Equipment:

You will need to ensure that you have all the essential winter equipment beforehand. We can provide a walking axe, helmet, walking crampons that will fit sturdy leather boots, and ski goggles (we are not climbing but learning to swing axes around so best be safe!). If in any doubt please get in touch.​ We do recommend that you hire B2 boots and Grivel G12 crampons but it is not essential. Mountaineering boots are as much of a tool as your ice axe is. For courses in the Cairngorms, we recommend hiring equipment from Tiso (Aviemore) or Ellis Brigham (Aviemore or for Glencoe courses - Fort WIlliam).

Resources:

I've put together a range of resources. Some videos I've created covering the Be Avalanche Aware process, some great videos covering the more practical aspects by the British Mountaineering Council, as well as some pdf document downloads which can be useful. Please click here to view the content. These can also act as a great refresher for after the course.

The Tutor:

Fabian is the tutor for our Intro to Winter courses. Apart from during the Covid winters of 2020-2021, and the barely existent winter of 2023, he's had every winter season in the Scottish Highlands as well as working for 6 months in Antarctica as a research scientist since 2001. He will teach you the basic skills that have not only kept him alive throughout but also enabled him to absolutely love and look forward to winter in the mountains.

Please Note:

In recent years the winters have been very hit and miss even in the Cairngorms. We always aim to provide a quality all round course that has depth and variety. This has become increasingly difficult in recent years as the climate has warmed. Should the winter of 2025 prove as bad as 2023 / 2024, we may decide not to run courses if we feel they would be substandard. In such cases you will be offered a refund.