SCOTLAND · CAIRNGORMS · 57.12°N 3.67°W · WINTER · JAN–MAR
Cairngorms Winter Skills
Four days on the highest, coldest plateau in Britain learning axe, crampon, avalanche and white-out navigation skills. Two MIC instructors, four students each. You leave able to plan your own winter days.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
DAY BY DAY · 4 DAYS
The itinerary
Coire an t-Sneachda: step-kicking, axe arrest from every position you can fall in, crampon fit and flat-foot technique. We stay until the movements are automatic, then walk out for the bunkhouse and the forecast briefing.
Bearings, pacing, timing across the plateau to Ben Macdui, 1,309m — then we do it again with goggles iced and visibility gone. Poor weather is a feature of this day, not a problem with it.
Reading the SAIS forecast against real slopes, digging test pits, choosing lines that stay in bounds. Late afternoon: emergency snow shelters, built and then sat in long enough to trust them.
A student-led winter round of Cairn Gorm, 1,245m, instructors shadowing two steps back. You choose the line, make the weather calls and bring the group home. That is the point of the week.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
The Cairngorm plateau is the best winter classroom in Britain precisely because it is the most serious: arctic weather an hour from a road, navigation with no handrails, snow that changes by the metre. Over four days we build the full winter toolkit — movement on snow, axe arrest, crampon footwork, avalanche judgement using the SAIS forecast, and the bearings-pacing-timing navigation that works when the world goes white. The final day is yours: a student-led round of Cairn Gorm with instructors shadowing. Honest note: this is a skills course, not a walking holiday — expect to be cold, to repeat drills until they hold, and to practise navigation in exactly the weather everyone else avoids.
HIGHLIGHTS
- 1:4 instructor ratio, two MICs
- Axe, crampons and helmet included in the price
- Real white-out navigation, not theory
- Avalanche pits and SAIS forecast work
- Student-led summit day on Cairn Gorm, 1,245m
- Glenmore bunkhouse with drying room
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You can walk six-to-seven-hour days on rough ground, back to back, and enjoy most of them.
- You are ready for full winter conditions: cold that must be managed, and axe-and-crampon ground (we teach or refresh the skills).
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 3 means grade 3. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £520 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Rhona MacAllister) at a max ratio of 1:8
- All accommodation and meals as described
- Technical winter kit: axe, crampons and helmet
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
- Minibus transfers from the nearest railway station
NOT INCLUDED
- Travel to the meeting point (we help with train times)
- Personal insurance — BMC or equivalent recommended
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
B2/B3 boots, goggles and insulated gloves ×2. Axe and crampons are provided.
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Rhona MacAllister
MIC · FOUNDER · WINTER LEADFounded Wildtrace after fourteen years with Keswick Mountain Rescue. Runs the winters and everything Scottish. Has slept in every bothy north of the Great Glen and ranks them, seriously, by draught.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 8 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
IF THIS, THEN ALSO
