Winter skills - two day courses

Mountaineering Scotland offers two-day winter skills courses to help improve your skills and confidence for winter walking and mountaineering in Scotland, with our team of highly qualified and experienced instructors.  

Our two-day winter skills courses are aimed at people who already enjoy walking in the Scottish hills in summer and winter and wish to improve their competency and learn the necessary skills to enjoy winter in the hills safety. 

For winter 2026-27 we have the following two-day courses on offer: 

  • Two-day winter skills 

  • Two-day winter skills for women 

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.

2026-27 courses

Bookings open 1 October 2026

Our two day winter skills courses include two nights self catering accommodation at Mill Cottage (Feshiebridge) for courses in the Cairngorms or Alex MacIntyre Memorial Hut (near Onich/North Ballachulish) for courses in Glencoe. Accommodation is available from Friday evening and is in shared dorms.


Dates and locations:

  • 19 + 20 December 2026 - Two day winter skills - Cairngorms (Mill Cottage)
  • 4 + 5 January 2027 - Two day winter skills - Cairngorms (Mill Cottage)
  • 12 + 13 January 2027 - Two day winter skills for women - Glencoe (Alex Mac hut)
  • 28 + 29 January 2027 - Two day winter skills - Glencoe (Alex Mac Hut)
  • 1 + 2 February 2027 - Two day winter skills - Cairngorms (Mill Cottage)
  • 9 + 10 February 2027 - Two day winter skills - Glencoe (Alex Mac Hut)
  • 15 + 16 March 2027 - Two day winter skills - Cairngorms (Mill Cottage)


Cost:

The price of our two day courses includes two days instruction and two nights self catering accommodation (night before and first night of the course) at either Mill Cottage in Glen Feshie or the Alex MacIntyre Hut near Onich. 

  • Cairngorms: £150 for Mountaineering Scotland members
  • Glencoe: £170 for Mountaineering Scotland members**

**The Glencoe course also includes the cost of the uplift at Glencoe Mountain for one day. If for any reason this is not used (eg the conditions are better elsewhere) this portion of the cost will be refunded.  

What you will learn

  • Clothing and equipment choices 

  • Crampon fitting  

  • Use of ice axe and crampons 

  • Basic movement techniques 

  • Efficient walking on snow 

  • Self-arrest techniques 

  • Understanding snow, terrain and hazards 

  • Winter safety 

  • Weather and avalanche forecasts and planning 

  • An introduction to navigation 

  • Journeying and decision making 

The staffing ratio is 1:6. All our courses are staffed with highly experienced mountaineering instructors who hold either their Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor award or Winter Mountain Leader award. 

Our priority is to deliver the course aims and learning outcomes as effectively as possible, adapting to the prevailing weather, snow and mountain conditions. We will aim to cover as much of the course outline as conditions allow. As snow and weather conditions are beyond our control, we cannot guarantee that every aspect of the course will be covered. However, we will always provide relevant training, instruction and coaching. Reaching a summit is not an objective of the course and will only be considered where it supports the learning and conditions are suitable.   

Participants aged 14-17 may be accepted on this course where it is considered appropriate for their prior experience, fitness and course aims. Please contact Mountaineering Scotland before booking so we can discuss suitability, previous experience and what the participant hopes to gain from the course. For courses where accommodation is included, participants aged 14-17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who is also booked onto the course. If the course is suitable, we will provide instructions from completing the booking.    

If you have any questions regarding the content of our winter skills courses, or you're not sure if it's right for you, please contact info@mountaineering.scot 

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's provided: Mountaineering Scotland will provide you with a helmet for the day. 

  • 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, winter boots, ice axe and crampons, as well as plenty of food and drink (ideally some warm drink) - see the full kit list below.  

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

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

Winter kit list (pdf)


Need to hire kit?

If you don't have winter boots, crampons or axe, here are some options for hiring them - please make sure you pick up kit in advance of the course start time:

Fort William: 

Aviemore: 

How to book

To book onto one of our mountain safety courses, you need to be a member of Mountaineering Scotland. 

  • Already a member of Mountaineering Scotland? Book online in our members’ portal. 

  • If you are not a Mountaineering Scotland member, you can join quickly and easily online in our members' 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 (admin fee applies) 

  • Cancellations more than 4 weeks before the course date will incur a £10 admin fee per booking to cover admin costs. 

By making a booking you are agreeing to our booking and cancellation conditions. 

 

Course Delivery and Cancellation by Mountaineering Scotland 

  • We endeavour to run all courses as planned. However, for operational reasons, we may from time to time need to amend or cancel a booking. Courses will proceed as scheduled unless an Amber or Red weather warning is in place for the meeting location. Where such a warning applies, the course may be cancelled, postponed or have its start time adjusted due to the increased risk associated with travel to and from the venue.  

  • Winter courses are designed to run in a wide range of mountain conditions. Where snow cover, weather or ground conditions are less than ideal, we will adapt the teaching approach, location and activities to ensure the course remains safe, effective and focused on achieving the intended learning outcomes.  

  • In the event of a cancellation by Mountaineering Scotland, participants will be offered either a full refund of the course fee or the option to transfer to another course of the same cost, subject to availability. 

Course feedback from our members:

  • Fantastic instructors, well organised course, brilliant accommodation, great helpful staff
  • I've done three courses with Mountaineering Scotland and have really enjoyed each one. They are excellent value and I'm always telling people about them!
  • The instructors were absolutely amazing and managed to teach us everything we need for fun and safe days in the Scottish winter despite extremely challenging conditions on both days. Excellent value course and good content covered given that we only had 1 day
  • This was an exceptionally good day especially for the money that it cost - it was a great foundation to build on and it means that we can venture out onto the hill in a safer manner which is in the long run a priceless - makes me very happy to be a member of and support the Mountaineering Scotland if that's the sort of thing that is offered. Brilliant!
  • The instructors were great, the accommodation was amazing and it was unbelievably cheap especially considering how great it was.
  • I learned a huge amount and consolidated some of the things I've learned already.  It was also a reminder to be prepared for everything!