En-suite bedrooms from £60pn. Book your course and then call us to book your accommodation
Find Out MoreGuided Winter Climbing
Adventure LEVEL | 5 day(s) | Ratio 1:2
Overview
Maybe you want to push your grade and gain experience on routes at a grade you are moving towards. Or maybe you want to adventure on to terrain you’d not to choose to lead on currently. Use this 5 day Guided Winter Climbing and our experienced instructors to guide you up Scotland’s classic routes. We’ll be on routes II/III to V. You’ll have the chance to develop your personal climbing movement skills on a variety of winter climbing terrain types, allowing you to extend your ability to second harder climbs in the future.
DETAILED INFO
AIMS
Guided ascents of more technical winter climbs whilst developing winter experience and personal climbing skills.
PRE-REQUISITES
Winter mountaineering and experience of seconding minimum Grade III; these are 5 physically demanding days.
IS IT FOR ME?
This week will focus on individualised coaching in winter climbing techniques whilst gaining maximum climbing mileage and experience on a variety of types of winter climb, dictated by the conditions. You will find yourself climbing a range of grades from III to V with the focus on technical routes. Please note: As the focus is on ascending more challenging climbs whilst focusing on improving personal performance, it is not expected that participants will lead. It is more of a guided experience allowing you to maximise climbing time on a variety of winter routes. To get the most from this course you should have some experience of both summer and winter multi-pitch climbing and be a competent second.
CONTENT
You will usually be in a group of no more than two with one instructor. Meeting your instructor on the first morning provides an opportunity to discuss everyone’s experience and aspirations enabling the instructor to plan the programme based around these. The main topics to be covered are:
- Ascents of classic winter climbs, whilst developing personal climbing technique
- Intensive coaching to develop personal climbing technique on ice and mixed ground
- Technical sessions on basic rope work and belaying
- Use of technical ice tools and crampons on a variety of mediums (rock, ice, snow, turf)
- Escaping from winter multi pitch climbs (including abseiling from a variety of anchors)
- Avalanche awareness and its implications for safe route choice
- Winter navigation
The 5 days allows time to cover a variety of areas and venues in the Cairngorms, Creag Meagaidh and/or Ben Nevis.
Evening sessions may include an avalanche awareness talk and a general interest talk.
The programme is fairly flexible taking into account individual needs and aims, weather, etc.
Step 1
Book your course place online
Step 2
Call to book accommodation. Prices from £60pn
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USEFUL INFORMATION
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
Instruction
Use of kit
Packed lunch and afternoon tea each day
In-course transport
WHAT'S INCLUDED IF YOU CHOOSE THE RESIDENTIAL OPTION - AS ABOVE PLUS
Accommodation in an en-suite bedroom. If booking as an Individual, you will not be asked to share with a stranger.
Breakfast on each course day (except one day and back-to-back courses).
Dinner on each course day (except the final day, and on one day or back-to-back courses).
Use of the facilities at Glenmore Lodge.
Linen is provided along with a towel, you may wish to bring an extra towel if you would like to use the facilities.
NEED TO KNOW
WHAT WILL I NEED
YOU WILL NEED (Glenmore Lodge can provide if required)
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Insulated synthetic jacket with hood
- Winter Boots
- Gaiters
- Crampons
- Ice Axes
- Helmet
- Climbing harness
- 40lt rucksack
- Walking poles
EQUIPMENT YOU NEED TO BRING WHICH WE DO NOT HAVE IN THE STORES
What will you need to bring? Listed here are the essentials; this is not an exhaustive list.
- Personal clothing
- Winter outdoor wear
- Insulating layers
- Winter climbing / mountaineering trousers
- Hat & gloves, several pairs of.
- Whistle
- Compass – Silva type 4 recommended with a 1:40,000 romer ***
- Waterproof map case.
- Headtorch
- Rucksack liner (or sturdy bin liner) / dry bags
- Hydration system (water bottle / flask)
- Box or bag for packed lunch.
- Personal first aid kit
- Personal toiletries & medications (towels are provided)
- Suncream & sun hat
Map information – we encourage everyone on mountain courses to have a map covering the Northern Cairngorms with a 10km radius from the ski area. There are now a range of scales and maps available OS 1:50,000, OS 1:25,000 and Harvey Map 1:40,000. For candidates on any NGB course such as Mountain Leader winter, you should have a 1:50,000 map and ideally one other scale. For non-qualification courses any scale is fine, OS 1:50,000 map sheet 36 covers the widest area, but the Harvey 1:40,000 has a lot of additional information on the back of it, however it is useful to have the Silva Mark 4 compass with the 1:40,000 scale on it, (only available since 2010). If you have digital mapping and can print off map sheets a suggested area would be:
NW corner NH8514 NE corner NJ0314
SW corner NN8593 SE corner NO0393
Glennmore Lodge will provide any technical equipment required on a skills course e.g. climbing ropes and racks. However it would be expected that students attending any climbing NGB courses will have their own technical equipment other than ropes which Glenmore Lodge will provide.
