Scottish winter climbing is pure adventure!  The demands are high on your skill, stamina and equipment, and thus the rewards are equally high. Glaramara Centre offers a variety of winter skills and climbing courses of various durations. Our courses are all based in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands. This world famous region offers a vast variety of superb winter mountain terrain upon which many British mountaineers have learnt their craft. Scottish winter climbing in this area is a unique combination of climbing style, variable conditions and weather and spectacular scenery, all within daily reach of your comfortable valley base. Classic snow gullies cut through the buttresses, plastic snow-ice abounds on the faces and in steep gullies, major ridges and mixed climbs give us a little bit of everything.
Ben Nevis, the UK’s highest peak, is a supreme winter venue boasting hundreds of climbs.  Aonach Mor, with its high level reliable winter crags, is now accessed more easily via the gondolas of The Nevis Range Ski Area.  For the middle grade climber its east face offers an outstanding winter climbing experience.  Aonach Eagach, the ridge that forms the north side of Glen Coe, is a long and committing undertaking in winter. Being such a well defined ridge it rarely holds a lot of snow for long and conditions can be very variable. However it never fails to give one of the best winter mountaineering routes in Scotland. Buachaille Etive Mor hosts the rocky north face of Stob Dearg, which does not hold snow for as long as the higher tops. However, being so rocky, the buttresses and ridges just require a fresh covering to offer great winter climbing.
Please note that all our Scottish winter courses require summer hillwalking experience and a good level of fitness. Mountain days in Scotland can be a long but extremely worthwhile experience.

Winter Skills

Winter Skills: 2 day course
Scotland’s winter mountains offer a truly special environment. Allow us to guide you through the essential skills for safe winter hill walking in this unique area. This course is suitable for experienced summer hill walkers and also ideal for those who already have some winter experience and would like a revision of the essential skills. 
Learning Objectives: Use of ice axe and crampons, safe route choice, snow conditions and avalanche evaluation, winter navigation, emergency snow shelters.

Winter Skills and Expedition: 4 day course
This course is for people with little or no prior experience of winter hill walking or climbing, who would like to progress to mountaineering in winter. In most cases it is aimed at people who have some summer hill walking and mountaineering experience. The aim will be to cover the many essential skills to operate independently in Scottish winter conditions.
The final two days of this course are set aside for an overnight expedition, allowing us to put skills into practice whilst moving through superb winter terrain. Our aim will be to have an overnight experience staying in either a snow hole or mountain bothy.
Learning Objectives: Use of ice axe and crampons, safe route choice, snow condition and avalanche evaluation, winter navigation, emergency snow shelters, winter expedition skills.

Winter Climbing

Introduction to Winter Climbing:
This introductory course is aimed at those who have some experience of summer climbing/mountaineering and/or winter hill walking and wish to make the transition to climbing in Scotland in winter. This course aims to get you climbing confidently whilst you are taught the essential skills of rope-work, belaying and movement on snow, ice and mixed ground. In addition, we would aim to take in some of Scotland’s finest winter routes.
Duration: 2 days Ratio: 1:2 Location: Lochaber.

Advanced Winter Climbing: This course is aimed at those who wish to progress to climbing steeper routes of grade IV and V. Again, the emphasis will be to get you climbing confidently whilst you are coached in the essential skills of rope-work, belays, route-finding and movement on steeper ice and mixed ground. An additional aim of the course is to take in some of Scotland’s finest routes at this grade!
Duration: 2 days Ratio: 1:2 Location: Lochaber.