Guided winter climbing, ice climbing & mountaineering

Point 5 Gully? Orion Face? Tower Ridge? Let us help you realise your dream of climbing these classic winter routes by pairing you up with one of our experienced instructors for the day.

You can choose to be purely guided for the day or develop your winter climbing skills by learning about route choice, avalanche awareness, placing winter protection, and winter climbing technique.

We offer guided winter climbing days in the Lake District and the Scottish Highlands. However, the Highlands are much more reliable for winter conditions than the Lake District, so we recommend heading there as your first choice.

To see all our winter climbing and mountaineering options, check out the following links:

• Info on guided winter climbing in the Lake District is on this page – prices are below
• Guided winter climbing and winter mountaineering in the Scottish Highlands
• Winter mountaineering courses in the Scottish Highlands
• Winter Skills courses in the Lake District
• Winter Skills courses in the Scottish Highlands

At Lakeland Ascents, we pride ourselves on tailoring each day to your personal ambitions. If you have an idea of a climb that you’ve always wanted to do, we will be happy to guide you. If not, there are hundreds of great winter routes in the UK for all abilities, and we are certain we can find one that works for you. Here are some ‘must-do’ classics:

Scotland:

• Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis – the UK’s only true alpine ridge. 800m of climbing in incredible positions, to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain.
• Point Five Gully on Ben Nevis – arguably the most famous ice gully in the world, and a classic.
• The Pumpkin on Creag Meagaidh – excellent ice climbing on ‘Meggie’.

The Lake District:

• South East Gully on Great End – steep snow and ice on one of the Lake District’s most reliable winter crags.
• Moss Ghyll on Scafell Crag – can be technically hard for the grade (IV), but gives excellent climbing on England’s highest mountain.
• Window Gully on Great End – a pleasant introduction to winter climbing in the Lake District.

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Information

We offer private guided days from the Lake District, Fort William and Glencoe in the West Highlands, or Aviemore in the Cairngorms.

We’re available to run a course for you at any time during the winter season – just let us know what dates work for you. If you’re a solo climber, we can either provide a 1:1 course or match you with another person to bring your costs down.

Our instructor-to-client ratio never exceeds 1:2, and often we run at a 1:1 ratio for more technical climbs.

Prices are below:

 

Number of people	Price per person - full day of guiding
1 person	£260
2 people	£145

Ages and abilities: The winter environment can be extremely challenging, so this course is for adults only and for those who already have experience of winter walking in the high mountains of the UK. Fitness is important as operating in winter conditions requires more energy than walking in the summer.

Group sizes and ratios: Our instructor to client ratio never exceeds 1:2 and is often 1:1 for more technical climbs.

Venue: We can run private guided days from either the Lake District, from Fort William and Glencoe in the West Highlands or from Aviemore in the Cairngorms.

Kit: We will share a kit list with you when you book, but you will need warm and waterproof clothing and sturdy B2/C2 or above crampon compatible boots and crampons. You will also need to have a pair of ice tools. All kit is available to hire from a partner company. We can offer advice on all kit at booking.

Times: Guided days run from around 08.00 to 17.00