October 2021 winter climbing in the Cairngorms!

22 October 2021 - Climbing 'Right of Flake Groove' in early season conditions in the Cairngorms! At an altitude of over 1100 metres and facing E to NE the shaded damp grooves are surprisingly reliable and quick to ice up especially when it's minus 5! Similarly situated climbs can make really great excursions early season or in lean winters before they are buried by deep snow and overhung cornices! With a few days of proper winter weather being forecast I decided to check out some future new lines and variations and headed up and over the Gorm. Just as I arrived at the top of the crags the clouds lifted and revealed the winter wonderland below. I had a quick look at Torr Buttress climbing back up via Left Rampings/DodgerRamp. I then headed back down to check the lines at around 900 metres which although looking good and snow covered were wet and sticky underneath. With crampons balling badly as the sun rose I headed back up onto Central Ridge. This being a bit higher at 950 metres and on rimed and snowed up rock was in much better condition with lots of fun mixed variations to explore and play on, including a couple new winter starts! At the top again I decided on one last climb (the one in the video!) near Torr Buttress. The sun had move off the face everything had undergone a quick melt freeze cycle to create some surprisingly good crusty ice smears on the rock and grooves for enjoyable climbing to end to a very productive day!

Scottish Alpine Training - Glacier Travel Techniques

Scottish Alpine Training - Movement Techniques

Aladdin's Couloir Rockfall (24th April 2021)

An account of thre climbers lucky escape during the rockfall can be found at https://trib.al/wKDB9RW

Learn how to assess potential risk and objective mountain hazards on our bespoke winter mountaineering, skiing and alpine preparation skills!

Cairngorm Snow Report (7th Dec 2020)

How to block up a Snowhole in 1 minute!

Winter Mountaineering and Winter Climbing Day 28th Jan 2020

A great few days with the guys from zilch winter to winter climbing on day four!

Guided Ice Climbing Tasters

Why not give someone you know a Christmas activity gift voucher? 

This video was filmed on the 12th December 2019 so there is ICE and SNOW in the Cairngorm's!

Winter skills, snow-holing, guided winter climbing, ice climbing taster days and much much more can all be arranged from £120 per day, each for two people. 

 For the ice climbing you'll need to have done previous winter skills and be hill fit!

 See https://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/product-page/gift-voucher

First Winter Skills course of the season

A good couple of days with Tom looking at Scottish winter skills and winter navigation in a variety of weather and snow conditions.

On the first day we had good firm snow for cramponing and step cutting and as the snow softened we looked at ice axe arrests before climbing up to the summit of Cairngorm for lunch. After lunch we looked at digging emergency snow shelters before heading down as the winds increase to storm level.

In contrast to Saturday Sunday was wild all day with gale force winds and heavy snow which was perfect for learning about winter navigation and looking after yourself in a winter environment, see the video!

Details of our winter skills course can be found at https://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/winter-skills-courses

Climbing Mhearad's Fall Chimney Finish 18th Nov 2019

Not as much ice as expected, but enough and it's only November, and a fun day's adventure on snowshoes checking the ice out and ice climbing on Mhearad's Fall Chimney Finish :-)

The climb on the day felt about Grade II with two cruxy boulder moves of 4/5 due to the deep soft snow and thin brittle ice but as the short ice wall and chimney are so well protected it's really good fun, especially early season in November! :-)

Later on in the year with good neve and ice it eventually banks out to about Grade 2 or even Grade 1.


If you too fancy a few days of bespoke and unique early, mid or even late late season 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.

Snow Shoeing on Cairngorm 13th Nov 2019

Winter skills and snowshoeing in the Cairngorm's near Aviemore in November!

If you too fancy a few days of bespoke and unique early, mid or even late late season 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

Cairngorm Winter Skills Courses for 2020

Weekend and 5 day winter skills and winter mountaineering courses, snow-hole expeditions and guided winter climbing based in Aviemore in the Cairngorms.

Spaces still available on our Christmas 2019 and New Year 2020 Winter Skills courses based in Aviemore in the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland.

To find out more and to book your next winter adventure for 2020 visit our website at https://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/product-page/winter-skills-course

Nottingham Uni MC Winter Weekend 2019

A winter mountaineering and introductory winter climbing stunner!

A few photos and video of Reena and Paul's winter mountaineering course in the Cairngorms. The weather had been mild since before Christmas and snow cover was limited.

Despite all this Reena progressed from her very first steps using an ice axe and crampons, having lunch in a snow-hole and learning about weather, avalanche risk and basic winter rope-work, to mixed climbing and alpine style rope-work.

Then finally on the last day Reena and Paul climbed a Grade 2 winter route in Coire an t-Sneachda to experienced the most amazing views.

Although sheltered and sunny on the climb they topped out through a blast of freezing spindrift onto the wild wind swept arctic alpine plateau of the Cairngorm's.

Despite the freezing wind and windchill temperatures of minus twenty both Reena and Paul loved the whole experience and their Scottish winter mountaineering course and Scottish winter adventure with Talisman Mountaineering.

A short winter climbing video of Reena and Paul's last day of the winter mountaineering course is at https://www.facebook.com/CairngormMountainGuides/videos/2250518108529434/

Alpine rope-work and belays

Scottish winter mountaineering and winter climbing

Winter mountaineering rope-work and direct belays

Mess of  Pottage and Jacob's Ladder

Winter climbing rope-work and belays

Grade 2 winter climbing rope-work

Grade 2/3 winter climbing!

Winter mountaineering rope-work on Twin Ribs

Another good mountain day this time in Cairngorm's Coire an t-Sneachda looking at winter rope-work and rock anchors as we climbed several Grade 2 pitches before moving together alpine style onto Fiacaill Ridge.

A frosted goggles day!

Winter mountaineering snow-hole

Winter mountaineering snow-hole

Winter mountaineering Paul abseiling off a snow bollard

Winter mountaineering Reena abseiling off a snow bollard

Reena abseiling off a snow bollard

A wintry Association of Mountaineering Instructors rucksac!

Winter mountaineering rope-work and snow belays

Winter mountaineering rope-work and bucket seats

Day three of our Scottish winter mountaineering course with Reena and Paul and it's winter again and a proper frosted goggles, rope-work and snow-shelter day!

Winter Mountaineering days one and two

Reena and Paul enjoying the atmospheric winter weather

Winter mountaineering rope-work

Scottish winter mountaineering course step-cutting

Scottish winter mountaineering course crampon practise

Winter mountaineering course Ciste Gully Cairngorm

Ski course Ciste Gully Cairngorm

Winter skills crampon practise and crevasses!

Reena and Paul winter mountaineering course on Cairngorm

 Days one and two of our Scottish winter mountaineering course could not have been more different!

Day one stunning winter weather to practise winter skills and day two windy, wet and mild to look at navigation and winter mountaineering rope-work in comfort and in preparation for the wintry mountain weather tomorrow and for the rest of the week!