The winter season brings a whole new set of challenges to being out in the Scottish mountains. Whilst it can be a thrilling experience, it can also be dangerous so the right skills are essential. Our winter skills courses are designed to give you the right knowledge and confidence to enjoy the hills safely in snow, ice and cold conditions.
Our winter courses run from November through to March and are delivered by a high quality professional instruction team.
You must be a member of Mountaineering Scotland to book our courses, you can join us here.
Winter Skills Course
Our day and weekend winter skills courses cover the essential skills of walking with an
axe and crampons, ice axe self- arrest, navigation, winter safety,
avalanche avoidance and much more to enable you to enjoy Scotland's winter mountains.
These one-day courses are designed for proficient winter hill walkers wishing to
increase their knowledge of snow and avalanches, to learn which areas to
avoid and to improve their understanding of reports and forecasts.
This two-day course is aimed at members of ski touring clubs affiliated to Mountaineering Scotland, who aspire to, or are already taking the lead role on club trips. It is suitable for ski tourers who have a good level of hill and ski fitness and who are confident on moderate slopes off-piste.
Another weekend course aimed at students and young people, this covers the basic skills of navigation, winter safety,
avalanche avoidance, walking with axe and crampons, ice axe self-arrest,
and much more (conditions permitting).
This training weekend allows student club members of all abilities to
increase their skill levels and for those in positions of
responsibility to better equip themselves for their role. The weekend is
designed for members who might expect to be in a position of
responsibility and for members of student clubs who are new to hill
walking, mountaineering or climbing and wish to 'learn the ropes'.
This course is for students who already have both winter skills and some rock climbing experience, who want to move into winter climbing. The aim of the weekend is to provide a solid foundation in core winter climbing skills.
We are grateful to St John Scotland for providing funding for a Mountain Safety Instructor to work with university and college mountaineering clubs, attending weekend meets with students and passing on invaluable skills and safety advice.
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ClimbScotland is a registered trademark of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland Limited
Mountaineering Scotland is a registered trademark of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland Limited
