Winter mountaineering, ice and mixed climbing

Ethos

To make the most out of Scotlands notoriously fickle conditions and to ensure you get the most out of your time I aim to be as flexible as possible. Typically the Northern Cairngorms and Ben Nevis have the most reliable conditions, and I do most of my guiding days in these locations. However, I am very happy to discuss any ideas you might have for other locations - or if you are interested in discovering one of the less travelled climbing venues but not quite sure where to start.

Please have a read below of some suggested ideas of what a day could involve at different levels of experience.

What a Winter guiding day could involve

Introduction to winter mountaineering: 

  • Understanding  avalanche and weather forecasting and their application to route choice

  • learning a range of Crampon and Ice Axe techniques for snow and ice travel on a variety of angles

  • general risk mitigation processes and techniques for safe guarding such as ice axe arrests

Moving from mountaineering ground to technical climbing terrain

  • Ice axe and crampon work on technical terrain

  • Gear placements and snow anchors

  • Rope work and stance management

  • Climbing technique coaching for secure axe and crampon placements

  • decision making for approaching cliffs and route choice

Guided winter climbs for experienced climbers wanting to push their grade:

  • scottish winter ethics on steeper ground

  • advanced ice axe and crampon techniques for steep mixed climbing such as torquing and stein pulls.

  • movement coaching for technical mixed climbing

  • route logistics