Advanced Winter Mountaineering Overview
Take your winter mountaineering further and develop the skills to tackle steeper, more technical and committing terrain with confidence.
Our Advanced Winter Mountaineering Course is designed for experienced summer and winter hillwalkers and scramblers who are ready to progress beyond the fundamentals. We’ll build on your existing experience, developing the technical skills, judgement and decision-making needed for bigger winter mountain days—and the ability to safeguard yourself and others when the terrain becomes more serious.
Every course is tailored to your experience, ambitions and the prevailing conditions. Rather than simply practising techniques in isolation, we aim to put skills into context during a challenging mountain journey.
What We’ll Cover
Course content will vary according to your experience and objectives, but can include:
- Advanced use of ice axes and crampons
- Efficient movement on steeper snow and ice
- Terrain assessment and hazard awareness
- Route choice and decision-making
- Winter navigation
- Using the rope to safeguard yourself and others
- Belays, anchors and essential winter ropework
- Managing steeper and more consequential terrain
If you’d prefer to concentrate on a particular mountain or more challenging objective, we can also structure the course around a guided day, developing skills and experience along the way.
Courses are available in the Lake District and Scotland. Advanced winter mountaineering can involve long days, significant ascent and challenging conditions, so a good level of mountain fitness and previous winter experience are essential.
How many can participate?
This course works well on a 1:1 or 1:2 with a maximum ratio of 1:4 (instructor to participant) and can be booked for one to three days in duration. This low ratio will ensure you receive quality instruction.
How much will it cost?
Our standard rates are for private one-to-one guiding or instruction. Additional participants can join for £50 per person, per day, subject to suitable ratios for the activity.
For longer adventures, bookings of five or more consecutive guiding days receive a 10% reduction on our standard guiding fees.
How to book
Let us know which course you’d like to book, along with your preferred date/s a brief outline of your experience. We require a 30% deposit to secure all bookings with full payment due prior to the start date of your course.