Winter Skillz Weekend in Aviemore 20th - 22nd Jan

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We are going to Aviemore in the Cairngorms (Scotland) for our annual Winter Skills weekend trip on the 20th - 22nd January!

There's lots of important info here; please have a careful read through before you grab a ticket.

 

Tickets will be released 7pm Monday 2nd Jan. Because we hire instructors to run winter skills, this is an expensive trip, with different prices for each course based on ratios. The courses have been subsidised substantially by the club.

 

We have two different courses available: winter walking and winter mountaineering. The course place on both Saturday and Sunday. 

• Winter walking is an introduction to safely hiking in the mountains during the often adverse conditions found in winter. Key skills covered include use of an ice axe and crampons, winter weather and avalanche forecasts, use of winter boots as a tool, ice axe arrest and winter navigation. Additional skills include making emergency shelters and snow holes. Winter walking courses are taught in a 1:8 ratio and is open to anyone! Ticket price: £90
• Winter mountaineering is the next step up from winter walking, bringing in new skills and techniques required for safe travel on technical ground up to Grade II in winter. This course has a focus on consolidating crampon and ice axe use on snow gullies and graded ridges, adding in the use of a rope and basic climbing gear. As such you should already know how to use an ice axe and crampons and how to arrest, if you came on the winter walking course last year this course builds on that. As well as slings and hand placed rock protection, you look at using snow anchors and ice screws. The course will also cover retreat options such as abseiling off a snow bollard or over a cornice blocked descent. Winter mountaineering is taught in a 1:4 ratio. Ticket price: £120

 

The ticket price helps cover the trip costs of the course, accomadation, fuel and minibus hire. If you want to pay in installments, please get in touch with our treasure, Joel Driver on discord (Scarso#0643). 

 

We reccommend you attended the Avalanche talk that occured on the 13th of December. If you missed this we have a recording of it. 

 

Logistics, accomadation and other info: 

• We will leave from campus and town across a range of times. We'll email you closer to the date with more information. We'll have a quick stop enroute at a chippy. 
• We will be camping at Dalraddy Campsite, Aviemore. The club has tents, plenty of sleeping bags and roll mats if you need them. If you're worried about camping in the cold, thermals, a blanket, doubling up on sleeping bags and insulating layers like fleeces do the trick! You can always chat to us if you are unsure about gear. 
• We'll have a trip meeting on Wednesday 18th at 5pm (Furness LT 2). Bring your hiking boots (so we can check how well they will fit crampons), waterproof coat and trousers and gloves. 

 

Kit list:

• Hiking boots with ankle protection.
• Headtorch (& batteries/ charger)
• Thermals or suitable under clothing
• Insulating layers (At least two warm fleeces/ jackets, + spare)
• Thick socks (at least 2 pairs)
• Waterproof Jacket
• Waterproof overtrousers or salopettes
• Warm hat
• Gloves - a thin pair (liner), 2 thick pairs
• change of clothes for campsite and sunday (as your saturday clothes are likely to be wet)
• shoes to wear around the campsite (trainers, crocs)
• At least one litre of water 
• food and snacks
• Toiletries
• Any personal medication

Compulsory but can be borrowed from the club:

• Sleeping bag
• Roll mat
• Tent space

Optional extras

• gaiters
• compass
• snow goggles/ wraparound sunglasses (for the snow glare and wind blowing snow into your face)
• whistle
• map
• compass
• camera
• thermal flask
• spare headtorch
• drinks and snacks for the evenings

Winter mountaineers also need:

• Harness & belay kit (let us know if you don't have one & we can probably source and borrow)

Provided by the instructors/ club:

• You can rent B3 boots off the instructors for £20 for the full weekend. You will probably have B1 boots, B3 boots are super stiff and superb for winter hiking, so will make your weekend much more pleasant.
• crampons and ice axes
• helmets, you can bring your own if you have one. 

 

Make sure you bring plenty of food and snacks, you'll be needing 1 dinner, 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and lots of snacks! There may be the chance to get dinner at a pub or italian in Aviemore on the Saturday night. 

 

We aim to be an accessible and inclusive society, so please tell us about your needs or if you have any concerns so we can support you and enable you to make the most of the trip. This will be a physically demanding weekend, but the instructors can adapt the plans for the day to some extent. Toilet facilities are available at the car park where we start and finish from, but throughout the day if you can't hold it please leave no trace. 

 

Hope ya psyched to learn some winter skillz!

 

Any concerns or questions @exec on discord or contact Izzy :)

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Hiking and mountaineering are activities with a danger of personal injury or death. Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and involvement. Hiking club members are responsible for their personal saftey on trips as per our Code of Practice @ Lancaster Students' Union (lancastersu.co.uk) By proceeding to buy a ticket, you agree that you have read and understand this statement. 

We reserve the right to turn away any member who turns up with inappropriate clothing/equipment. .

If you're unsure whether you have the right equipment, shoot us a message and we'll be happy to check it :)

Please note the winter skills trip is subject to good snowy weather, we will still run a trip if there is not good snow for teaching and refund you the appropriate amount if you still wish to come.