A winter navigation & decision making course
Join us for a two day winter navigation and decision making course in the West Highlands of Scotland. Designed to help you gain the skills and confidence for solo winter adventures in all weathers.
This course is designed for those that have some navigation experience and have previously attended a Winter Skills Course or have some personal experience using ice axe & crampons. The dates for these courses are scheduled so that you can add it on to a two day winter skills course if you have not already completed one of these.
The focus of these two days is to develop skills and confidence particularly in relation to winter navigation techniques, understanding weather and conditions, route planning and decision making. There will be opportunity to refresh and improve winter movement skills including the use of ice axe and crampons however, this is not the main focus and you should have some existing experience of these.
The course will take place outdoors in a mountain environment and will enable you to learn new skills and practice them within a variety of contexts. One of the days will involve staying out beyond sunset/ or starting before sunrise and navigating on the hill in the dark. One day will be a skills based day and the other a longer journey day through the mountains putting skills into context.
Course Logistics
The course will be based out of Fort William and over the two days you will get the opportunity to visit a diverse range of beautiful locations in the local area. Fort William can be reached via public transport and lifts can be arranged from there to the location for each day.
The course is led by Anna Danby. Anna is a qualified Winter Mountain Leader with over 15 years experience working in education and leadership. She has a wealth of experience in the Scottish mountains and a long held love of maps!
The courses are run with a maximum group size of 6. This ensures plenty of time for everyone to benefit from 1:1 support and guidance.
The two day course costs £195 per person which includes; transport from Fort William if required. It does not include accommodation, food or winter equipment hire. If booked alongside a two day winter skills course the total cost for the four days is £350.
You will need to either have your own, or hire, winter boots, ice axe, crampons and helmet. There are several equipment hire shops in Fort William including Ellis Brigham and Scottish Mountain Hire. Feel free to ask me for advice on appropriate equipment.
It is possible that we will use to Nevis Range gondola on one of the days to get up to the snow line easily and maximise our time on snow. This is an additional cost of £24.95.
A full equipment list for the weekend will be provided following booking.
Course Content
- Interpreting maps; features, contours, scales and direction
- Compass bearings, pacing and timings
- Measuring slope aspect and angle
- Winter navigation strategies
- Night navigation and strategies for efficient movement in the dark
- Interpreting mountain weather and avalanche forecasts
- Route planning and decision making
- Digital navigation aids and their uses
- What should you carry in a winter hill walking pack?
- A mountain journey. including Munro summits if weather and conditions allow
Prerequisites
- Some previous winter hillwalking experience; including using ice axe and crampons. This could either be through personal journeys and independent learning in the hills or previously attended a winter skills course.
- Good hill fitness. Mountain walking in winter conditions can be physically hard work and you will get the most out of this course if you have a good level of base fitness.
- Some familiarity with a map and compass. This is not essential but you will get the most out of this course if you have some understanding of how to read a map and have used a compass before.
If you are keen to attend but not sure the above apply to you then please do send me a message and we can discuss the details of the course further and whether it is suitable for you.
Scheduled courses and booking
| Winter Navigation & Decision Making – 2 Days | 3rd/4th February 2025 |
| 8th/9th March 2025 | |
| Intro Winter Skills + Winter Navigation & Decision Making – 4 Days | 1st – 4th February 2025 |
| 7th – 9th March 2025 | |
| 1st/2nd February 2025 & 8th/9th March 2025 (Course split across 2 weekends) |
Scheduled open group courses are bookable below. If you are interested in this course but can’t make any of the dates then get in touch as we can make a bespoke arrangement.
If you would struggle to meet the cost of the course, The Neil Mackenzie Trust may be able to help. They are a small charity who offer a limited number of grants for skills training and expeditions. You can find out more about their grants here.