Winter Adventure Planning

What does planning for a successful winter hill day look like?

Being well prepared for a day out in winter requires a little more planning than for a similar journey in summer. There are a few more things to consider in your winter planning: weather and conditions, equipment, who you’re out with and how these components interact with the environment that you’ll be travelling through.

Think about how the conditions will affect your day

Cold temperatures and strong winds don’t just mean that you’ll be working harder than normal. It also means that any precipitation might also end up being driving sleet and snow. Even if there’s no snow falling when you’re out and about, spin drift from previous snowfall can still be stinging against your face, filling up the cracks you’re trying to use in your belay or starting to build an avalanche hazard on particular aspects. The freeze thaw cycles of winter in the UK’s mountains can also leave ground conditions that, without crampons and an axe, often catch people out and result in an avoidable callout for Mountain Rescue.

Equipment

When it comes to equipment, you’ll want to add a few things into the winter kit list:

• Crampons & ice axe
• Goggles
• Extra gloves
• Extra clothing/warm layers

Alongside these essentials are the things that can make life easier in a harsh winter environment. Bringing food that can be eaten while on the move reduce the likelihood of not eating enough. Make sure that loose straps and toggles on bags and jackets are secure to stop them hitting you in the eye. Keep everything in a rucksack that’s big enough to be able to rummage around in. These are three tips I’ve found make my life easier on difficult days out. Ask those you’re heading out with for their top tips as well!

Who are you going with?

The people you’re planning to head out with might sound like an obvious consideration, but it’s worth thinking about. Is everyone on the same page in terms of what they want to get out of the day? Even if someone is less experienced it’s important they’re involved in the day’s planning and given opportunity to ask questions and offer their thoughts. An overlying principle is to have a good robust conversation when winter planning. This helps ensure everyone has the same expectations around the weather, conditions, length of the day, places where route decisions are to be made, times to eat, etc.

Despite everything on paper looking like it should make for the perfect day, sometimes I’m just not feeling the love for it, or might have forgotten something. Part of my planning is knowing that I’ll feel comfortable sharing this with the people I’m heading out with.

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How do I interpret the weather forecasts? How do I know what they might mean for snow distribution on my chosen route?

Avalanche conditions are dependent on weather past, present, and future. A simple example is that a large snowfall on a strong westerly wind will result in the development of wind-slab on east facing slopes and cornices hanging above them. It’s important to understand how these conditions could impact your chosen route and more importantly, how to mitigate for them. This knowledge is built up over time. Learn from appropriate individuals who can help explain how snow, the environment, and weather all interact. Once you know where the avalanche hazard is, proficient navigation skills and strategies for avoiding the hazard are the foundation to safe and enjoyable days out.

Reliable sources of information are essential for informing your winter planning:

Mountain weather forecast – Met Office

Mountain Weather Information Service – MWIS

Scottish Avalanche Information Service – SAIS

How do winter conditions affect my walking speed and how might this impact my route choice?

In the winter, everything takes longer than in summer. The best advice I can offer anyone planning a day out in the winter is to plan a shorter day than they would in summer. Allow options to add on sections to their journey that they can follow if time and conditions allow. Starting off with plans that are ambitious can make you feel like you’re committed to them and psychologically it can feel like a bit of a defeat if you don’t get all the tops that you’d hoped for. Later in the winter when you’ve build up a bit of experience and the weather is looking good is the time to plan for those bigger days.

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What pitfalls should I watch out for on the day?

A lot of our decision-making happens subconsciously, through heuristics. These are mental shortcuts, where your brain automatically jumps or skips over the thought process stage of decision-making. There are a few that are particularly easy to fall into when heading out into the hills with friends. But luckily, they are also fairly easy to avoid too when you know what to bear in mind.

Commitment: decide your plan once you’ve got a weather & avalanche forecast. Don’t decide to go and walk up the Buachaille several weeks from now and commit to it regardless of the changing conditions.

Expert halo: this is where your companions might think that you’re the expert and know best, just because to them you appear to be more experienced. Make sure everyone has a say in the day and a chance to share their thoughts. Don’t rely on a single person to make all the decisions…. even if they have been out more than you!

Familiarity: “it’s getting dark and I’m not too sure of the other descent, besides, this slope never avalanches!”. Open your eyes and treat the land like it’s the first time you’ve visited it, rather than assuming you know what’s going on around you because you’ve been there before. Particularly in winter, the range of conditions we experience in the mountains can dramatically alter a given route and the potential hazards you might encounter.

Discover Winter at Glenmore Lodge

Based in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, Glenmore Lodge has been providing skills training to enable folks to adventure in the mountains in winter for over 75 years. If you’re looking to experience winter in the mountains for the first time this season, check out our 2-day Intro to Winter Skills Course.

We also offer 5-day and Advanced Winter Skills courses for those looking to develop their skills and confidence. Our experienced instructors will always work with the ability levels, experience, and goals of the group (and of course the conditions!) to help you become able to enjoy independent winter adventures.

We also deliver an array of winter navigation, mountaineering, and climbing courses. You can check out the rest of our winter offering HERE.