Fionn Bheinn 30th Oct 2019

If you too fancy a few days of bespoke and unique early, mid or even late late season Munro Bagging, off-piste skiing, snowshoeing, winter mountaineering or winter climbing adventures that are well away from the queues and crowds, booking details can be found on our website at https://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/winter-skills-courses under private guiding.

Winter Skills Courses for 2020

As can be seen from the photos above, a great start to the winter 2019/2020 season with the first proper snows falling on the 21st October and further cold temperatures and snowfall since. 

We are currently taking bookings for winter skills and winter mountaineering courses with the Christmas and New Year courses now almost full. We've now got just one place left on the 27-31 December 2019 course and two places on the 4-8 January 2020 course.

Our winter mountaineering courses are again proving popular with some of the January and early February courses already filled. 

Still plenty of spaces available on our weekly winter skills weekends and with private guiding as well as from mid-February onwards. 

We've got a short video showing the first snow of winter on Cairngorm at https://youtu.be/2U3pBDcuXy8

Learn more

A stunning start to the winter season

A stunning start to the winter season and a chance to check out the snow cover on our local hills for winter skills, climbing and skiing - cover is surprisingly good :-)

We have also recently updated our website with our Scottish winter skills and winter mountaineering course dates for 2019 and these can be booked direct from the website.

We're running a few winter skills weekends in early December as well as Christmas and New Year winter skills and winter mountaineering courses.

If the dates or standard winter courses don't suit or for winter climbing we can easily organise private guiding and instruction at a date to suit.

Guided winter walking and winter skills on Ben MacDui

A lovely few days private guided walking and Scottish winter skills with Henri and Valerie in preparation for a planned ascent of Mont Blanc. Fantastic winter walking conditions on Cairngorm and the Ben MacDui plateau and a few Munro summits in the bag :-)

Father and son team Philip and Tom winter climbing day 2

23 Feb 2018 - Another bright sunny but bitterly cold day with plenty of hard icy snow in the Cairngorms.

Today ultra keen father and son team Philip and Tom and I headed into Coire an t-Sneachda which although busy compared to yesterdays venue (we saw no one all day!) was still relative quiet and easy to find a route without queuing.

It was calm as we set off but the winds increased just as we headed into the normally sheltered coire bowl though we were sheltered on the climb in Goat Track Gully until we hit the plateau!

We headed back and out of the wind at a surprisingly calm 'Windy Col which should be renamed 'Calm Col' in southerly winds' which gave us time to practise some more winter mountaineering / winter skills and John Wayne / Tina Turner technique, whoever he or she is!

On the way out from Coire an t-Sneachda the strong southerly winds had scoured the path down to hard neve and ice as we were blown all the way back to the Coire Cas carpark on a very icy path!

Facebook video from Tom and Philips climb in Goat Track Gully can be found at https://www.facebook.com/CairngormMountainGuides/videos/1236622869771591/

Private Guiding with Philip and Tom climbing day 1

22 Feb 2018 - A beautiful atmospheric cold day climbing in a remote part of the Cairngorms with returning clients Philip and Tom.

Just two years ago Tom at the age of 15 completed his first winter skills course and guided winter climb and has been keen to return ever since. Now two years later he is back and has grown into a strapping fit young man happy to carry all the  climbing kit and the rope :-)

Pity about the vicious winds which made everything really difficult and painful and made the climbing rope arc and pull like a kite but that's Scottish winter mountaneering for you!

See video at https://www.facebook.com/CairngormMountainGuides/videos/1235721849861693/

Sunny lead winter climbing instruction!

Day two Private Guiding with Richard and Carmen was a coaching and rope-work winter climbing day giving Richard the chance to lead as I pointed out the best belays and climbing techniques to use.

Given the stormy weather forecast and fresh snow up high this worked out really well as we were sheltered from the wind and in the sun for most of the day!

Day 2 video at https://www.facebook.com/CairngormMountainGuides/videos/1225743624192849/