Winter Courses 2015. How about a present for Christmas!

Happy Christmas and an adventurous New Year to you all.

Hebridean Pursuits wish you a happy Christmas and a fun New Year. We start our courses again on Jan 5th 2015. Regular reports of Scottish mountain conditions will be posted throughout the winter. These will primarily be for the Glencoe and Lochaber region. Take care and best wishes.

Day 3 Winter Walking Skills Course.

I thought I would require a wet suit today for working on the hill, but it remained dry until about 2.30 which was just brilliant! We headed up to the ski slopes in Glencoe to search out deep snow and we found it in bucket loads. Even after considerable thawing overnight the snow remains well established. With a freeze forecast it will be an excellent base. Not bad considering it has only been winter for two weeks! We covered some technical skills and theory which we hadn't covered over the first two days whilst out journeying in the hills. The digging of survival shelters, was, as always popular! Thanks to Jane, David, Chris and Paula for a great three days and we look forward to seeing you all again in the future. Happy Christmas.

Solitude is best and Scotland offers it by the bucket load.

It was probably the best day of the winter on the west coast on Saturday. It was dry, relatively cold and very beautiful in the mountains. Finding quiet places is the key I feel to enhancing the experience of winter mountaineering. As I write this blog I am conscious of the many blogs offering easy and quick solutions to the dylema of where to go the next day. I am as guilty as charged but looking back before all the instant information, we had to decide and plan based on experience and local knowledge. This is the essence of the quest of the unique experience, I adore searching out esoteric places, historic routes and the quieter corners. There is of course the flip side that meeting up with others confirms your route choice was perhaps sensible?

Winter Climbing Course. Ben Nevis and The Dragon's Tooth.

A few shots from working in the mountains over last two days. The snow continues to fall and the temperatures are coming down, the snow pack is consolidating and the sky is promised to be blue tomorrow, fingers crossed. The last two day's theme and brief has been Winter Lead Climbing and all things mountaineering. It has been a great week in the hills and my legs can testify to that. Have a good fun and safe weekend out there.

A very large avalanche has released in Coire Na Tulaich. Glencoe.

http://saisglencoe.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/coire-na-tulaich-avalanche.html In last 24 hrs a huge avalanche has released in Coire Na Tulaich. It slid from approx 880 m to 450 m and is estimated to be 15 m deep. It is a sobering illustration that they do occur in Scotland and they can be massive! I often think I am over cautious when planning days out working or playing and considering where I will plan for working with clients but over the last week or so the wind, temperatures and snow fall have been conspiring to create perfect avalanche conditions. This is a well known spot for slides but this must be one of the largest seen here. I am grateful for all the science, funding and hard graft that goes into SAIS work. Thanks guys keep the info coming.

A very wet day for instructing in the mountains today.

Stance management, single and double rope technique, escaping off routes and how to stay as dry as possible. A massive thaw was on today. I was expecting some fresh snow high up today but instead it just rained. If the temperature drops the snow pack will be in very good condition indeed. If it gets really cold the water courses will become fat with ice, if it does? We are looking forward to working in the Cairngorms this weekend running a Winter Mountain skills course with a school pupils and teachers group and on Monday we are back in Glencoe teaching winter navigation. A busy week follows with climbing and mountaineering courses until Friday. Fingers crossed the weather improves a little. After all working out in the hills winter deserves it!

'25 years of running Winter Mountain Courses'. Two photos of a painterly Glencoe from today.

A substantial thaw was on today in the Glencoe. Huge amounts of snow still remains above 650m. We do require a solid freeze to consolidate the amazing cover. We are out again tomorrow running our Silver Jubilee Winter Skills Course. Hard to believe that we have been running winter courses for 25 years. www.hebrideanpursuits.co.uk

A few photos of my varied work so far this winter season. My 25th season for Hebridean Pursuits.

The fantastic aspect of working in the winter mountains of Scotland is the variety of landscape, conditions and clients we meet. Here are a few images from work so far this season. There is allot of winter to be experienced yet but so far we certainly have been kept on our toes! HPL offer open and closed courses. Call us or get in touch to discuss your specific ambitions whether it is a walking skills co

urse or a guided route.

Another few days of wild weather at work in the mountains.

The last three days have been challenging high up in the mountains. The warm front has brought allot of rain today but over the weekend it snowed heavily again above 600 m. With a combination of 75 mph winds and driving snow it was at times brutal to be on the summits. In between the gusts it was extremely beautiful. A lull tomorrow and then another front will hurtle in form the south. Having said all that we have had some fantastic clients on a variety of skills courses and they have really had a blast. Check out Face Book page Hebridean Pursuits to see what we have been up to in detail. It goes without saying or it should,it is pretty tricky to walk in the knee deep snow at present and the avalanche hazards are high. Without an understanding of appropriate route choice or employing a qualified instructor or guide the hills are potentially dangerous at present. Please be careful out there.