Winter mountaineering course around Fort William and Glen Coe
5-day winter mountaineering course with Ken, a MIC certified guide, to improve your winter climbing skills while admiring Fort Williams and Glen Coe area.
Details
Trip Duration
5 days
Mountain Range
Highlands
People per Guide
4 people
Trip Level
Intermediate
Offer Period
Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec
Type of Trip
Not specified
Highlights
Price per person
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Itinerary
- Day 1: Kit check and basic skills
Kit checks – Essential skills – Step kicking/cutting – Ice axe arrest – Walking & scrambling in crampons – Snow belays – Guided ascent of a graded gully or ridge.
- Day 2: Moving together
Essential skills – Using previous skills to ascend a simple graded ridge or gully (Grade I/II). Introduction to ‘moving together’ roped and basic winter belays.
- Day 3: 1st technical ascent
Essential skills – Ascent of simple ridge or gully followed by Navigation, Map & Compass, Pacing & Timing.
- Day 4: Client leading ascent
Ridge climbing day led by clients under supervision of instructor (Grade II).
- Day 5: Client choice
Client choice depending on conditions and fitness level.
Other details
Beginner
Fit
The 4-day New Year course is £425.
Level: Regular summer walkers with a good level of hill fitness. Previous winter walking, easy summer scrambling, and some rock climbing is a plus, but not mandatory.
Equipment:
-Socks. A medium to thick pair of synthetic or wool/synthetic blend socks.
-Thermal/Base Layers. A couple of thermal layers are useful, along with thermal leggings.
-Fleeces. At least one fleece layer for your upper body. Having an extra fleece top or synthetic layer in a waterproof liner at the bottom of your rucksack is essential.
-Walking trousers
-Warm Hat & Waterproof Gloves
-Waterproof jacket and over trousers ( Outer shell clothing) -The trousers should have at least a knee length zip enabling them to be fitted over boots/crampons.
-Rucsac. A medium volume sac (35-50 litres) is best for winter climbing, with ice axe carrying loops.
-Bivvy Bag
-Gaiters or Stop-tous
-Head Torch
-First Aid kit
-Compass/Map
-Whistle/Watch Flask
-Lunch & Spare Food
-Boots. For climbing courses, stiff, crampon compatible boots are required. They should have a stiffness rating of B2 minimum and ideally B3.
-Crampons. They should have 12 or 14 points and be compatible with your boots.
-Ice Axe -For winter climbing, two technical climbing axes (40-50cm) are required.
-Helmet. Please bring one along if you can. We have DMM helmets available.
-Harness. Make sure it can be put on over boots and crampons.
-Belay device, two HMS Carabiners and one 120cm sling. We can provide you with these if you don’t have your own.
About the Guide
I gained a good insight into the instruction and guiding of mountaineering activities whilst working as a member of the domestic team at Glenmore Lodge in the summer of 2003. Since then, I have skied, climbed, trekked and mountaineered across the length and breadth of the UK, from Cornwall to the Orkney Isles, and overseas, having sought adventures in China, Mongolia, The Indian Himalayas, New Zealand, Japan, Southern Africa, The Swiss, Italian and French Alps, The Pyrenees, Southern Spain and Norway. I enjoy climbing in all it’s forms, whether it be bouldering at Fontainebleau, sport climbing at Rodellar, trad and winter climbing in the UK or alpine climbing in Switzerland. I have also put up a couple of new routes, Mint Sauce E1 5c in Glen Nevis and Feathered Friend V,5 on Creag Meagaidh.
I have completed my Mountaineering Instructor Certificate (MIC), the highest instructional qualification in the UK, which enable me to work both in summer and winter conditions, whether it’s walking, mountaineering or climbing, and is a full member of both the Association or Mountaineering Instructors, and The Mountain Instructor’s Community. I have also completed my International Mountain Leader Summer Training and have worked as a contracted instructor for Abacus Mountain Guides, Martin Moran, Glenmore Lodge, Mountain Motion, West Coast Mountain Guides, Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre, Adventure Peaks, The Outward Bound Trust, Ryan Glass Mountaineering, Hike Pyrenees, World Challenge Expeditions and Outlook Expeditions.
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