Advanced Winter Mountaineering

The Cairngorms offer some of the best and most reliable conditions for winter walking and climbing in the UK, regularly attracting walkers and climbers from across the globe. Conditions can on occasion be harsh and challenging and you can rely on our staff to safely take you into this environment and pass on to you the skills required to operate in these conditions. There are of course also many beautiful days in the Cairngorms offering fantastic views and opportunities to snap that special photo and moments to savour.

Who Is This Course For?
This course is for those who want to move their winter experience up a gear. This 6 day course pushes students to refine their navigation and ropework skills allowing them to move on to more technical and challenging terrain. Students will use ice axes and crampons to move safely on steeper terrain and incorporate the use of the rope to pitch steeper sections of snow and ice covered terrain. Weather permitting students will spend a night in a snow-hole (you dig it yourself) and navigation on the Cairngorm plateau at night!

Course Aims
The aims of this course are:

• To develop a comprehensive level of understanding and independence in winter/snow conditions
• To learn new skills for use in more challenging conditions and terrain.
• To become familiar with and aware of the equipment needed for Scottish winter travel.
• To learn to assess snow and weather conditions in order to make safe decisions on the hill.
• To provide an individually tailored learning experience with nationally qualified coaches and instructors

Skills Covered
This course will provide a comprehensive level of instruction in all the necessary areas, in order to develop a level of independence. Students will be

Areas generally covered include:

- Use of equipment specific to winter travel in the mountains - what is available and what should you have, how to be more efficient in choosing what we bring.

- Route choice and poor visibility navigation.

- Moving over snow and ice in the mountains.

- Use of crampons and ice axes.

- Snow & Ice self arrest.

- Avalanche awareness.

- Constructing winter belays & pitched climbing.

- Route planning.

- Snow-holes & emergency shelters.

Outline Programme

Day 1 Day 2	Collection from airport Course brief, basic snow craft and hillwalk.
Day 3	Basic winter ropework and winter scramble.
Day 4	Winter navigation & avalanche awareness
Day 5	Expedition, snow-hole and night navigation.
Day 6	Expedition navigation & return.
Day 7 Day 8	Roped climbing/scrambling day. Drop off to airport

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide. Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff

The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified. Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its, full time and part time staff bring to its courses.

All Tollymore staff are active climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers and have a huge breadth of experience across the globe. You may well have met them in the hills in the past or will bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!

All our staff are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses

Transport
Transport to Scotland is not included in your course fee, however a number of low cost airlines fly to Scotland from both Dublin and Belfast International airports. We will collect you from and leave you back to the airport.
We will be collecting participants from Edinburgh airport at 4.00 p.m. on Saturday, 28th Feb - this will link in with a Flybe flight from Belfast (dep 1505, arr 1555) and a Ryanair flight from Dublin (1300, arr 1400).
We will also be dropping participants back to Edinburgh airport for 12.30 p.m. on Saturday 7th March - this will link in with a Flybe flight to Belfast (dep 1345, arr 1440) and a Ryanair flight to Dublin (dep 1425, arr 1525).
You are also welcome to make youir own way to the chalets in Badaguish - we ask that you arrive after 6.00 p.m. on the 28th Feb and leave before 10.30 a.m. on the 7th March.
If required, we can transport heavy items to Scotland for you.

What do I need to bring?
The following list is a suggestion of what you should bring. Waterproofs, walking boots and rucksacks may be borrowed from our extensive stores. We advise you not to rush out and buy kit for the course, but use it as a chance to find out what would best suit your needs.

You should bring the following: Walking boots (suitable for crampons), gaiters, waterproof jacket, waterproof trousers, warm outdoor wear (fleece is ideal), warm hats, winter gloves and mitts, Maps of Cairngorms, compass (Silva type 4 or similar), headtorch, plus spare battery, snow/ski goggles, sunglasses, sunscreen, day rucksack, waterproof rucksack liner (bin liner is ideal), small first aid kit, water bottle, vacuum flask, personal medication, notebook and pen, camera and film. If you have technical equipment, please bring it along.

Tollymore Information

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969. In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust. In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates. However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2006. The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Accommodation is included in your course fee. Accommodation is in a comfortable timber chalet, set in the forest below the Cairngorms. The chalets are well appointed with large dining and lounge areas.

Catering.
Your course is fully catered from supper on arrival on Day 1 through to breakfast before departure on day 8;  you may wish to purchase additional snack food for the mountain days to supplement your packed lunch.

What next?
Having completed this course, you should have a sound understanding of basic winter navigation and the equipment required for safe route planning and travel. You may decide to develop your skills further, and could look at Snow & Ice Climbing, Scrambling Skills or some of our other courses. You may wish to try your hand at rockclimbing (See our Climbing Courses section). Contact us to discus any of these options.

You may choose to join a hillwalking or rambling club, or join the governing body for hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers – the Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI).

A full list of clubs is available from the MCI.

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore:
Hillwalking by Steve Long (published by MLTUK)

Additional Recommended Reading:
A Chance in a Million by Barton and Wright
Scotlands Winter Mountains by Martin Moran

Useful contacts:

Mountaineering Council of Ireland,
Sport HQ,
13 Joyce Way,
Parkwest Business Park,
Dublin 12.
Tel +353-1-6251115
Fax +353-1-6251116

Email mci@eircom.net