Winter Mountaineering Workshops

The popular Winter Mountaineering Workshops will be running again for the Mountain Festival in February 2008. This is a unique opportunity for you to experience the adventure and satisfaction of Scottish Winter Mountaineering. Full day Winter Walking Skills and/or Avalanche Awareness Workshops will be run on every day of the event. Winter Climbing Workshops will also be available on request for those with prior winter walking experience.

Winter Walking Skills Workshops are aimed at winter novices and cover basic movement skills, ice axe and crampon use, self arrest and route choice. If you have some summer walking experience and want to find out what is involved in winter walking this is the one for you. Avalanche Awareness Workshops are for people with some winter experience who want a more in-depth knowledge of avalanches and how to avoid them. A brief theory session is followed by a full day of snow analysis all over Aonach Mor. Winter Climbing Workshops will be at a level suitable to you, from introductory ice climbing skills to modern mixed technique.

Each workshop lasts all day starting at 8.45am at Nevis Range where you meet your instructor and the rest of the group. We take the gondola to 650m which means we are on to the snow and ice very quickly with the minimum walking time. We finish for the last gondola back down the hill at about 4.30pm so we get a good seven hours of coaching. A satisfying drink in the bar of the Snowgoose Restaurant is a great way to review the day!

• Winter Walking Skills are £40 per person
• Avalanche Awareness Workshops are £40 per person
• Winter Climbing Workshops are £75 per person

These prices include instruction and use of the Nevis Range Gondola. You need to provide your own equipment which can be hired at Ellis Brigham or Nevisport in Fort William, and personal accident insurance which you can get by joining the MCofS.

To book your place please e-mail mike@abacusmountaineering.com with your name, address and telephone number and the workshop you would like to attend.

All instructors hold the Mountain Instructors Certificate (M.I.C.) or I.F.M.G.A. Mountain Guides Carnet and are full time local instructors.

Download the printer friendly Winter Mountaineering Workshops kit list.

Please read the Course Information and use the Mountain Festival Booking Form to make a booking.