Winter Skills Kit List
Personal clothing...
- Waterproof shell mountain jacket: Breathable materials such as
Nikwax Paramo, Sympatex and
Gortex are ideal. See the excellent BMC info sheet on clothing
here
- Waterproof over trousers or salopettes: Make sure they fit over your
big winter boots!
- Gaiters: These are essential to avoid wet cold feet. Standard front
opening or yeti type ideal.
- Gloves and mitts plus several spares: I find that old fashioned pre
shrunk oiled wool mitts such as dachstiens are still the warmest and are
easily repaired! (Mitts/gloves should have elastic shock cord
wrist loops to stop them being dropped and blown away)
- Inner gloves for performing more delicate tasks while wearing mitts.
- Hat and Balaclava: One that covers the ears plus a separate
balaclava. The Lowe alpine shell hats are good and less itchy than the
traditional woolly balaclava.
- Warm fleece trousers/salopettes/heavyweight ronhills etc. (polyester
NOT *cotton).
- Warm fleece jacket/sweater: Fleece/pile or wool plus spare, Buffalo
jackets are ideal.
- Thermal long underwear: Quick drying top and long johns such as
Helly Hansen, not cotton.
- Socks: Two or three pairs of loop stitch wool or equivalent, not
*cotton mix.
* Cotton retains moisture and is good for keeping you cool in hot
summer conditions. In the winter you require fabrics such as pile and
fleece which dry quickly and keep you warm even when wet. After more than
a decade of teaching winter survival courses in the artic Cairngorms and
despite all the great advances in clothing technology, I still find wool
is the warmest and definitely the best option for socks and gloves.
Personal equipment...
- Boots: Four season suitable for 12 point articulated crampons are
essential (leather or plastic can be hired). See the BMC info sheet on
boots & crampons
here
- Rucksack 40-60 ltr.: At least 60-70 litre required for expedition (
water proof liner or builder's rubble bag ).
- Map and compass: Silva 4 type compass ideal. Map case and map or
preferably laminated 1:50,000
Cairngorm map. (OS 1:50,000 No.36 Grantown and Cairngorm)
- Wristwatch with stopwatch function.
- Survival bag: Orange polythene Karrimor or Gortex bivy bag ideal.
- First aid kit: Personal with blister kit etc.
- Lip salve and sun block?
- Whistle: For emergency alpine distress signal.
- Head torch & spare battery and bulb. (the Petzl range is
recommended)
- Ski goggles: Low light double glazed for blizzard conditions.
- Glacier sunglasses: To protect from snow blindness.
- Emergency rations.
- Flask/water bottle & Packed lunch.
- Ice axe, crampons and helmet: if you have them (can be hired for
free including the latest Grivel
Airtech Crampons).
If you are considering buying new kit please phone us first to discuss
the purchase to avoid expensive mistakes! For advice and a wide selection
of kit we recommend the family run
MacMountaineering
of Inverness who can provide mail order as well as Cairngorm Mountain
Sport in Aviemore.
*Old waterproofs to protect expensive breathable waterproofs when
ice axe braking!*
Those who wear expensive designer Gortex waterproofs may
prefer to bring an old set of waterproofs for self-arrest practice as it
involves a lot of sliding about on the snow.
Snow-holing / Survival Courses (additions)...
- Four season sleeping bag (or 3 season in a snow hole!) karrimat &
bivy bag ( breathable ).
- Stove, candles, lighter, mug, bowl and spoon.
- Spare socks, clothing, plastic bags, toilet paper.
- Snow shovels, saw, avalanche probes and transceivers: if you have
them.
Climbing and Mountaineering Course (additions)...
- Technical axe and hammer with wrist loops.
- Helmet & harness with adjustable leg loops.
- Belay plate and HMS screw gate krab.
- Two HMS screw gate krabs
- Two 8 ft slings (120 cm length) with screw gate krabs.
- Rack of gear for rock and ice; ropes etc.
(Technical equipment is supplied free on introductory courses if you
don't already have it. On more advanced courses you are expected to have
and use your own equipment!).
Clients are encouraged to use their own kit if they have it!
Personal Kit...
- Wash kit / toothbrush / towel etc.
- Casual clothes, warm jacket. change of underwear!
- Optional: Trainers, tracksuit, swimwear, rock boots, camera, film,
chocolate etc.
Fitness...
The more prepared you are for your course the more you
will enjoy it. Indulge in some regular exercise several months before
attending your course. Hill walking (Munro bagging) with a large pack is
the best preparation for the course, but cycling, jogging, swimming, etc.
are all valuable training. You will probably be out each day for 6-8 hours
carrying a 15 kg pack in winter conditions and with some standing around
in blizzard conditions so be prepared.
FAQ's...
Q. For the people that need to hire gear, such as 4 season boots
(plastics, etc) from the stores you mentioned, when would be a good time
to do this ?
A. Phone the shops a few weeks before the course date to ensure that
they keep your sizes in stock.
The phone numbers for winter mountaineering boot hire shops in Aviemore
are as follows below...mention your on a winter mountaineering course with
Talisman Activities and you should get some discount:
Q. Will there be enough time on the Saturday morning to buy or hire
extra kit ?
A. There's enough time on the Sat morning to get the hire boots sorted
out from the shops in Aviemore as they usually open before 09:00 for ski
equipment hire .
Q. Can you hire a Bivy Bag ? How essential is this outside the Snow
Holing night?
A. You will all require as a minimum orange plastic survival bags...the
disadvantage of the poly bags are that of condensation inside the bags
soaking your sleeping bags...so they are a lot less comfortable but
survivable for the one night! Unfortunately no one I know hires them but
breathable ones are available for purchase from myself if required for £50
each as well as axes crampons etc....or try Army Navy Stores for 2nd hand
government surplus in lovely camouflaged colours! The Gortex TM ones are
very expensive.
Q. Do I need a 4/5 season down sleeping bag?
A. For the snow holing courses you require as a minimum a 3 season
synthetic bag as it is only about zero degrees in a well constructed snow
hole. Remember you can wear your spare clothing. However, everyone is
different and the warmer the bag is the better you will sleep though I
often end up too hot in a 5 season bag so sometimes prefer a lightweight
2/3 season Rab one when climbing! Please note that even expensive 5 season
down bags will need to be kept out of contact with dampness or they will
lose all of their insulation whereas a cheaper synthetic bag will still
retain some warmth.....even if you end up sleeping in a puddle!
Q. What breathable waterproof would you recommend apart from Gortex?
A. I'd highly recommend the Nikwax
Paramo gear as it protects you from the worst the weather can throw at
you, is extremely durable and far far more breathable and comfortable than
breathable laminates such as Gortex....you can literally come off the hill
and into the pub and be just as comfortable as in your ordinary street
clothes.
Essential Reading...
Recommended Reading...
- A Chance in a Million (Avalanches)-Bob Barton & Blythe Wright
- Cold Climbs-Ken Wilson, Dave Alcock & John Barry
- Handbook of Climbing-Alan Fyffe & Ian Peter
- Mountaincraft & Leadership-Eric Langmuir
- Mountain Navigation-Pete Cliff
- Mountain Skills Handbook-Pete Hill & Stuart Johnston
- Modern Rope Techniques-Nigel Shepherd
- Scotland's Winter Mountains-Martin Moran
- Worthwhile reading include the SMC district guides to the Cairngorms
& Ben Nevis.
- Other useful leaflets can be viewed
here
on the MC of S website.
On climbing and mountaineering courses you should also be thoroughly
familiar with knots such as the Figure-of-Eight, Clove Hitch and
Italian Hitch. Please refer to our basic climbing knots page
here
Insurance...
"Climbing 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." (BMC Participation Statement) We are covered by professional
liability insurance but you are responsible for organising your own
CANCELLATION, CURTAILMENT & ACCIDENT COVER
Travel & Accommodation Links
Accommodation...
Travel...
General Info on the Cairngorms..
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