Scottish International Winter Climbing Meet 2025

The Scottish Winter Climbing Meet has been a highlight on the international climbing calendar for over 25 years and has attracted climbers from across the world eager to sample the unique Scottish winter experience. The meet has been running since 1997 and was last held in 2023. Overseas guests are paired up with experienced UK-based hosts - an excellent formula that has proved to be very successful. In return for sharing their local knowledge and expertise, UK climbers gain a wider perspective by climbing with their international visitors.

The 2025 meet will take place from 1-8 March 2025.

Applications to take part will open in autumn 2024:

  • UK based Host Climbers - applications are now open until 22 November 2024 (see below).
  • International climbing federations will be contacted from Tuesday 15 October and asked to nominate up to two climbers to take part.

The meet is hosted by the Mountaineering Scotland, the BMC, the Alpine Club and the Scottish Mountaineering Club.

Event format

We have places for 28 overseas guests and 28 hosts.

The event will start and finish at Glenmore Lodge, and the intervening five nights will be distributed around Mill Cottage/Raeburn, Lagangarbh, and CIC huts. Capacities of Lagangarbh and CIC are 20 beds so will split guests and hosts in groups of 20 that will circulate around the three hut locations. This ensures everyone has at least one night in the CIC Hut.

Alistair Todd and Simon Richardson will be the event coordinators.

Photo by Simon Richardson.

Volunteer roles

Host Climber:  

  • You must be 18 years old or over on 1 March 2025.
  • You must be an experienced and competent climber with experience of winter climbing in Scotland. Your technical lead grade is less important than the need to be an experienced and competent winter climber with sound navigation skills and the ability to cope safely with all that the Scotland mountains can throw at you.
  • Be skilled at winter navigation, especially in whiteout conditions, and cope safely with the weather, terrain and conditions.
  • You need to be a member of Mountaineering Scotland, the BMC, the SMC or the Alpine Club to take part.
  • You will be teamed up with an international guest climber.  Your role is to climb together and show them what winter climbing in Scotland is all about.
  • Some guests may have done little or no winter climbing, so it is essential that you feel confident climbing with such partners.

Applications are now open - please read the Host Climber Information sheet for full details of what's involved, locations and costs - Host Climber Info (PDF)

Please note if you pre-registered your interest, you still need to complete a full application to be considered for the Meet.

Host Climber Application Form


Climbing Organiser:

Climbing organisers will typically be Climbing Hosts (see above) taking on the following tasks:

  • Pairing of hosts and guests - this starts three months before the event requires selecting hosts and guests (we will be oversubscribed) and matching climbing abilities. It is an iterative process that can only be finalised once the exact guest list becomes known.
  • Appointment of Team leads and teams matched with appropriate transport (some hosts may not have vehicles). We intend to split each group of 20 into teams of four (two hosts and two guests). One of these hosts will be nominated as ‘team lead’. Their role is to ensure their group of four stay at the correct hut at the correct time and report back each evening on the safe descent of their ‘team’. 
  • Programme for presentations in the huts - involves contacting guests (and selected hosts perhaps?) asking them to bring a short presentation on a memory stick to the meet. This can be about winter climbing in their own country or an interesting recent climbing trip. The idea is that the presentations can be shown in the huts in the evenings, or if the weather is bad. Coordination with the hut hosts will be required to ensure we have a screen, projector and laptop in each hut.
  • Airport transfer for guests - we will encourage guests to make their own way to Aviemore as it is accessible on public transport. We feel this is reasonable for guests travelling from Europe but for those who are travelling from further afield we would like to meet them at the airport. This will need coordinating.
  • Setting up and maintaining WhatsApp group for hosts.

Applications are now closed.


Hut Host:

We require hut hosts for the Raeburn and Lagangarbh huts and Mill Cottage. Robin Clothier is the hut host for the CIC Hut.

The role involves welcoming hosts and guests to the hut and allocating them bed spaces. No cooking is required - evening catering will be provided but assistance will be required distributing food for breakfasts and packed lunches. We would anticipate one hut host per hut for the entire week. Some experience of winter climbing would be beneficial.

This position has proved to be a very rewarding role and an opportunity to be fully involved in the meet.

Find out more about the huts here:

Applications are now closed.