Nearly there....... Crunch, crunch!................... Your crampons bite into the hard snow......... Heart pounding.......Cloud drifts in and out, losing the horizon........This feels like a different mountain to the summer.........there's something rising ahead....... It's the observatory....... We're there, 4,435 feet high......Nowhere higher in all of Britain.............. Big smiles...........The summit of Ben Nevis in winter!

If you are a 3 season hillwalker and looking to get into winter, this is the ideal introductory course to get you started on your own winter mountain walking adventures.

This is also the next step for those who have completed one of our Start or Complete Mountain Walking or Welsh Winter courses.

We use Fort William, the "Outdoor Capital of the UK" as our base, which gives us great access to the surrounding mountains as well as plenty of outdoor stores offering winter gear hire.

We'll be making the most of the prevailing winter conditions to introduce you to the wonder of Scottish winter hillwalking. You'll leave fitter, wiser, more experienced and full of great memories.

Course Outline

Winter Preparation
Winter equipment, food and clothing
Selection and use of ice axes and crampons
Ice Axe arrest
Movement on snow and Ice
Assessing Avalanche Risk
Emergency Shelters
Safety in the winter environment
Winter Navigation Strategies and techniques
Next Steps

Outline of the week

This will vary depending on the weather conditions experienced, which in itself forms part of the course.

Sunday Evening 7pm - Meet up for pre-course briefing.

Day 1 - Equipment and preparation needed for Scottish winter conditions, introducing crampons, ice axes and snow movement techniques. Winter weather.

Day 2 - A mountain day putting into practice the techniques learned on the first day as well as gaining valuable experience of a classic Scottish winter route as we make our way to a summit. We'll also take a look at avalanche awareness.

Day 3 - A navigation day looking at the extra skills and techniques required for navigating in the winter together with survival techniques.

Day 4 & 5 - Consolidating what has been learned so far and gaining more experience and confidence

Course Price

£300 course only.

This course includes all instruction and guiding and operates on a maximum ratio of 6 clients to 1 instructor. Travel around the local area will be shared.

You will need to provide ice axes, winter boots and crampons, which can be hired locally in Fort William or from ourselves. Download our Winter Equipment list here (Requires Adobe Reader)

Client Testimonials

 

"One of the very best holidays I have ever had - absolutely brilliant & informative as well..." Tony, Feburary 2008

"Great fun and lots of new things to try when I'm out walking..." Jane, February 2008

"...my instructors knew what they were doing, this showed throughout my experience..." Nathan, February 2008

 

 

Previous Experience/Fitness Required

To get the most from this week, you need to be reasonably fit. That means hillwalking regularly or doing some form of regular weekly exercise.

Summer hillwalking experience desirable. This is the ideal next course for those who have completed our "Welsh Winter Skills" course.

 

Available Dates Winter2009

Email or phone us (01492 531475) for availability of your preferred date or to arrange a private course for you or your group.

February 16th - 20th

March 2nd - 6th, 16th - 20th

April 6th - 10th

Useful Information and links

 

Accommodation in and around Fort William

The Lime Tree - 3 star hotel in central Fort William run by local mountaineer and artist David Wilson.

Old Pines Hotel - 4 star hotel and restaurant in Spean Bridge, just outside Fort William

The Corrann Inn - Sitting on the shores of Loch Linnhe, beside the Corran ferry, The Corran Inn is just 10 minutes from Fort William and Ben Nevis and 10 minutes from Glencoe.

Scottish Tourist Board - Search facility for different types of accommodation from Hotels to guest houses and self catering

Equipment hire

These stores hire out axes, crampons and winter boots. See our winter equipment notes and advice for further information on what you need.

Ellis Brigham - Fort William and Aviemore

Nevis Sport - Fort William

 

Travel to Fort William

Fort William is located approximately 2 hours drive north of Glasgow & 2 hours drive southwest of Inverness. See map here

A number of airlines fly into Scotland.

Aer Lingus - to Glasgow & Edinburgh
British European - to Glasgow & Edinburgh
British Airways - to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness & Aberdeen
British Midland -to Glasgow, Inverness & Edinburgh
Easyjet - to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness & Aberdeen
Eastern Airways - to Aberdeen & Inverness
Ryanair - to Glasgow Prestwick, 3 hours from Fort William

Train and coach (bus) travel

Scotrail operate the sleeper service to Fort William and GNER run a direct service from the south east to Inverness
For train timetable & fare information click here

For coach information click here