4 Day - Full Independent Winter Walker Course

4 Day Full Independent Winter Walker

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 25th - Friday 28th February

• Friday 14th - Monday 17th March

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. There is a large cafe upstairs in both venues and it's handy as if folks have forgotten anything vital it can be hired (Tiso only) or bought in the huge shop downstairs.

What the Courses Involve:

These courses will provide you with the foundation skills and knowledge to be able to get out in winter to enjoy the majesty of this season. We cover the same skills as in the 2 day Winter Walker Essentials courses, but we will add more focus on navigation and avalanche awareness.

These are not climbing courses. The aim is to enable you to use the additional winter tools effectively and appropriately, and gain some experience out in the winter mountains as a more independent walker.

The weather and conditions, ever fickle in Britain will have a big impact on what we can cover. This will be true for every provider of winter mountain courses! There is no guarantee we can cover everything.

On the four day Full Independent Winter Walker, we aim to cover:

• Equipment and clothing - You will very likely need a bigger rucksack than you would have in summer. You won't want anything attached to the outside of your bag!

• 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

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

• Avalanche and weather forecasts - Even with a high avalanche forecast, there are plenty of routes you can follow safely. We'll show you how you can start planning routes by understanding the snow dynamics in the British Mountains.

• Basic winter navigation and Route Planning - If you want to head out independently, you'll need to navigate your way into the mountains and safely back out again!

• Emergency shelters

• Emergency use of a walkers rope

• Going on a mountain journey bringing together different skills

  
  
  
  

Winter navigation involves being able to accurately pace, time and accurately follow a compass bearing. You will need to have good contour interpretation. If you don't feel you have these skills, I'd recommend joining one of our NNAS courses or get in touch about a 1-2-1 course.

For any practical skills course, repetition is critical and we aim to give you as much opportunity to practice the new skills as we can. 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, and ski goggles (we are not climbing but learning to swing axes around so best be safe!). We can also provide a map and compass but you must provide your own map case that can be attached to you or your rucksack. handheld maps can easily get wrenched out of your hands in even mild winds in the Cairngorms. If in any doubt please get in touch.​ We do recommend that you hire B2 boots and Grivel G12 crampons or have your own. Mountaineering boots are as much of a tool as your ice axe is.

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, 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.