Itinerary

This course is the first 2 days of the Winter Skills Week, the itinerary for the 2 days is outlined below.

Itinerary

Evening prior to course: Meeting at venue at 8pm. 

Day 1: Get savvy in the Scottish Mountains, Ice Axe and Crampon Skills 

Keywords: Equipment, crampons, ice axe, self arrest, snow slopes, stopping a fall, moving efficiently

Today we will be looking at our equipment and the most efficient ways of using it. It may be as simple as learning how to walk again, starting with using our boot as a tool and the different ways of moving over snow. Once we progress we will look at the uses of an ice axe and how we can safeguard ourselves when crossing snow slopes.

During the afternoon we will look at using the axes to arrest ourselves in the event of a fall, getting plenty of practice to ensure that we are all happy with its application. 

Once the basics and the use of the axe have been covered, we can look at the crampons, how they fit (how to fit them in the Scottish weather!) and the many ways of using them to move across snow and ice with style!

Evening : The day will finish with an avalanche avoidance chat (drinks welcome) in the comfort of the hut in time for tomorrows avalanche awareness day.


Day 2: Winter Mountain Navigation, Avalanche Awareness, Skills Consolidation

Keywords: navigation, map, compass, avalanche awareness, route, snow theory, temperature, slope theory, terrain, avalanche stats.

During day 2 we are going to use the above skills to go that little bit further into the mountains. Probably at a different venue we can look at snow slopes, slope aspect, the temperature gradient, avalanche avoidance, route finding, navigation in winter, route planning, terrain traps.

By the end of the day expect to have more knowledge about snow, the snowpack and how we can get an understanding of its stability. You will be able to carry out several tests on the snow to judge this.

Evening : During the evening you will be looking at winter mountain navigation, planning and making plans for the following days activities.

Accommodation Information

The course will be based from Aviemore Bunkhouse which offers excellent accommodation. Accommodation cost is in addition to course cost.

For this course, we do not accept accommodation bookings online but we recommend that you ring the Aviemore Bunkhouse (01479 811181) to reserve a bunk. The cost is approximately £17 per person per night.

We will use the facilities here as the course base, including the pub next door, the Old Bridge Inn.  The bunkhouse is Self-Catering, has wi-fi and the pub also serves food.