Introduction to Winter Climbing

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Master the essentials of winter mountaineering over three exhilarating days in the Cairngorms. Designed and delivered by RAW’s qualified Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructors, Introduction to Winter Climbing is ideal for summer scramblers, climbers or experienced mountain walkers looking to tackle some steeper adventures.

You’ll climb your first winter route - learning essential skills along the way including ice-axe, crampon, rope and basic snow anchors and belays - and open up a whole new world of winter climbing adventures.

Led by RAW’s qualified guides in small, friendly groups of just 4 people, you’ll learn:

Introduction to Winter Climbing with RAW Adventures

RAW Adventures is a renowned activity and learning provider with unparalleled expertise in the UK mountains. All leaders on our Introduction to Winter Climbing courses hold nationally and internationally recognised outdoor awards and qualifications from Mountain Training. We keep our groups small (1 leader to every 4 participants) to ensure a safe and personalised experience, and you’ll get support, kit lists and guides before the event to help you get the most out of your time in the mountains.

When you join a RAW adventure, you’ll benefit from over 30 years of mountain leading experience and enthusiasm to match.

Who's it for?

Introduction to Winter Climbing is designed for people with summer scrambling/climbing experience, or experienced mountain hikers who want to start exploring higher ground. If you’re completely new to winter mountain walking, we recommend our Introduction to Winter Mountain Skills. A good level of fitness and the ability to withstand sustained activity over several hours, including steep ascents and descents, is required. If you’re unsure whether Introduction to Winter Climbing is right for you, please contact our friendly team - we’ll be happy to help.

Book your place

Introduction to Winter Climbing is £565 per person for the three day course, with an instructor ratio of 1:4. Accommodation is not included, but we will provide you with recommended overnight options in Aviemore.

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FAQs

Where is the course held?

Introduction to Winter Climbing takes place in the Cairngorms mountain range in Scotland. We’ll start each day in Aviemore (find Aviemore on Google Maps). Whilst the venues we choose are very weather dependent, it’s likely we’ll spend at least some of our time in the ‘Northern Corries’, as they offer some amazing options, and are quite conveniently located.

Do I need to bring my own special equipment?

When you book, you’ll receive a full kit list with details of clothing and equipment needed for this course. If there’s anything on the list you don’t have, we can provide them for a small hire fee. Crampon compatible boots, crampons and ice axes can be hired from Tiso in Aviemore (just book the “Boots, Crampon and Walking Axe” package from the Aviemore store. We will begin our course by collecting these items and helping you fit them, so there’s no need to collect them before the course starts. More information on hiring options will be provided when you book.

We will begin our course by collecting these items and helping you fit them, so there’s no need to collect them before the course starts. More information on hiring options will be provided when you book.

How high will we climb?

Whilst climbing isn’t all about how high you climb (It’s more about the technical challenge of moving through steep ground efficiently), we’ll definitely end up getting high into the mountains. It’s certainly possible that we might end up on some Munro-height summits (over 3000ft / 914m), but if the weather is wild, we’ll likely hide from the worst of it in some more sheltered areas where we can still do loads of learning without getting too blown about by the summit winds.

Is the course accredited?

Introduction to Winter Climbing is not accredited. For details of accredited courses, check out our Qualifications page.

Can I pay by deposit?

Yes. For any courses costing over £200, you’ll be offered the option to pay in instalments at checkout, unless your event is less than 2 months away, in which case we’ll require full payment.

Still have questions? Get in touch with our friendly team.

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