Avalanche Awareness Courses

For 2025/26, we are running two avalanche awareness courses:

Our avalanche awareness courses are designed for proficient winter hill walkers, mountaineers, climbers and ski tourers wishing to increase their knowledge of snow conditions and avalanche risk, to learn which areas to avoid and to improve their understanding of reports and forecasts. 

Participants must have attended a winter skills course with Mountaineering Scotland or another provider prior to signing up for avalanche awareness courses. 

Please note:  These courses will not teach you safe winter footwork, use of ice axe and crampons. Participants must be proficient in these skills prior to attending the course.


You may also be interested in the following:


Introduction to Avalanche Awareness one day course

A one day course with an indoor introduction to avalanche theory followed by a practical session on the hill. The courses are staffed on a 1:6 ratio with highly experienced Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructors.

Fitness level 3

For people who regularly climb hills/mountains who wish to take it to the next level.  The course is delivered on the mountains sometimes ‘off-track’ and on rough scrambling terrain.

Max distance 12km, max ascent 1000m per day.

What you'll learn

Topics covered:

  • Introducing topics of snow, avalanches and triggers.
  • Introduction to terrain recognition and safe travel - which areas to avoid.
  • Introduction to weather influences, snowpack and instabilities.
  • Introduction to forecasts and how to use them to make simple decisions.
  • Identification of visual clues and layers in the snowpack.

Each course participant will be loaned a shovel and probe to use during the course.

Please note:  This course will not teach you safe winter footwork, use of ice axe and crampons. Participants must be proficient in these skills prior to attending the course.

2025 Course dates and locations 

  • Saturday 13th December 2025 – Cairngorms - Book now

  • Sunday 8th February 2026 – Glencoe - Book now

Course Meeting Points

  • Cairngorms - Tiso Aviemore Outdoor Experience Store, Unit 1, Aviemore Retail Park, Santa Claus Drive Aviemore, PH22 1RH
  • Glencoe - Nether Lochaber Church Hall, Onich, Fort William PH33 6RY.

Price

Cost: Cairngorms - £70 Mountaineering Scotland members. Glencoe - £89 (includes uplift at the ski centre - refunded if not used).

Not a member? Add membership to your basket to join when you make your course booking and have access to all our mountain skills and climbing courses, member discounts, personal accident and liability insurance, magazine and monthly ezine - all from just £28 per year.

Developing Avalanche Awareness one-day course

This one day course will consist of an indoor introduction to avalanche theory followed by a practical session on the hill. The courses are staffed on a 1:6 ratio with highly experienced Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructors.

Participants must have attended a winter skills course and an introductory avalanche awareness course with Mountaineering Scotland or another provider (or a comparable course) or have extensive personal experience in the winter hills with a good understanding of avalanches, problems, planning and decisions. Please contact us if you’re not sure this course is correct for you.

Please note:  This course will not teach you safe winter footwork, use of ice axe and crampons. Participants must be proficient in these skills prior to attending the course.

Fitness level 3

For people who regularly climb hills/mountains who wish to take it to the next level.  The course is delivered on the mountains sometimes ‘off-track’ and on rough scrambling terrain.

Max distance 12km, max ascent 1000m per day.

What you'll learn

Topics covered:

  • A brief review of an introduction to avalanche awareness.
  • Avalanche terrain, theory and identification.
  • Slope angles and aspects.
  • ‘Avalanche problems’.
  • The ‘Likely Places’ of Avalanches.
  • Effects of wind and indicators of wind problems.
  • Making the most of the SAIS forecasts.
  • Exercises and observations in the field.

2025 Course dates and locations 

  • Sunday 14 December 2025 - Cairngorms - Book now


Course Meeting Points

  • Cairngorms - Tiso Aviemore Outdoor Experience Store, Unit 1, Aviemore Retail Park, Santa Claus Drive Aviemore, PH22 1RH

Booking information

What to bring 

It is VITAL that you come prepared for a full day in the winter mountains to ensure that you get the most out of the course - download the kit list below.

  • What you need to bring: You will need to be equipped for a full day in the hills in winter conditions with adequate warm and waterproof outdoor clothing, B2 rated winter boots, ice axe and crampons, as well as plenty of food and drink (ideally some warm drink) - see the full kit list below. 
  • Each course participant will be loaned a shovel and probe to use during the course.

Not sure if you have the right boots? Read more about winter boots here

Winter kit list (pdf)

If you have any questions regarding the suitability of your kit or indeed any other questions about the course please contact us in advance.

How to book

Pre-booking is essential. Please read the course information and booking and cancellation conditions - by making a booking you are agreeing to these terms. 

To take part in our mountain safety courses, you need to be over 18 and a member of Mountaineering Scotland. Thanks to your membership, we can subsidise the costs of our courses and offer them at affordable prices for all.

  • Mountaineering Scotland members can book and pay easily and quickly online in our members’ web portal. 
  • If you are not a Mountaineering Scotland member, you can join and book your course at the same time online in our members web portal.

Our cancellation policy:

  • Cancellations 7 days or less before the course date are non refundable and non-transferable.
  • Cancellations less than 4 weeks before a course date - we will only offer a refund or transfer if we find a replacement to take your place (£10 admin fee applies)
  • Cancellations more than 4 weeks before the course date will incur a £10 admin fee per booking to cover admin costs.

If you have any questions please get in touch.

Previous participants said:

"Our course instructor, Di, was really knowledgeable and gave us lots of useful information, which it was great to put into practice on the hill too".