Winter Mountain Skills in The Cairngorms

Test your metal in the Scottish winter wonderland, build a snow hole and climb a snow gully!

Price: £385


Duration: Three days, two nights.


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Drop us a line on info@wildernessweekends.com if you fancy this trip

Start Point: Aviemore train station. 9am. The Caledonian Sleeper service is a good travel option from London as it arrives at Aviemore at 7.40am on Saturday and leaves at 21.34pm on Monday.
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The Plan

Learn the skills you need to explore and experience Winter mountain walking in safety and confidence in the wild and beautiful Cairngorm mountains. Skills include walking on snow, use of an Ice Axe and Crampons and how to navigate in Winter conditions so that you can enjoy the freedom of being in the mountains. Weather permitting we will also build and sleep in a snow hole!

Our highly qualified and experienced instructor will deliver the course in a relaxed fashion giving you the skills to walk in the wintery mountains safely and confidently.

The Walking

Three days of walking and practical navigation in the beautiful Cairngorms. We will cover at least 15km each day. We will bivi out, sleep in a snow hole in the mountains or stay in a Bothy depending on the conditions. You will carry all your kit with you including sleeping equipment so your pack will weigh about 12kg.

What's included

Navigation skills form the foundation of all journeys into the wild and open the door to the freedom of being in nature.

The skills that will be taught during this course include:
 

• Route planning and timing
• Interpreting contours and aspect of slope.
• Navigating in poor visibility.
• Use of the compass
• Re-orientating yourself if you do get lost
• Navigating and movement over steep ground
• Weather and how the weather affects route planning
• Emergency procedures
• Possible winter gully climbing

Weather permitting we will spend a night in a snow hole that will be excavated by us. This will require about an hour of digging per person. Get your instagram photos here!

All food is provided from lunch on Saturday through to lunch on Monday. This is mountain food which will be provided by us and prepared by the group.

On Monday when we come off the mountains, we will go for a well deserved sauna, jacuzzi and swim at the Coylumbridge Hotel near Aviemore. If you fancy that, don't forget to bring your swimming stuff.

What to bring and what to wear

• B2 Winter mountain boots
• Waterproof Jacket and Pants
• Warm, quick drying clothing in layers
• Spare thermals and a hat to sleep in.
• Balaclava and sunglasses/goggles.
• 45 litre mountain rucksack
• Zero degree rated sleeping bag
• Winter sleeping mattress
• Head torch
• Crampons
• 50cm walkers axe.
• Water bottle
• Swimming things for sauna and jacuzzi

We have a selection of kit to hire please enquire here.

Course pre-requisites

A good level of fitness level is required and experience of walking and wild camping in the British mountains in Summer time.

You will need to be able to walk at 3km an hour with a loaded pack.
If you need any clarification about this do get in touch

 

Any questions?