2 Day Winter Skills Course
When I was looking to book a Winter Skills, I found there was lots of choice. I chose Cairngorm Adventure Guides because of the reviews and the very competitive pricing. What a great decision I made!
Prior to my course I had to change dates due to a hospital appointment and Liam from CAG, was incredibly understanding and arranged for myself and my pal to attend on a later weekend.
My reason for booking a Winter Skills was that my mountain walking experience had been limited to summer walks and I felt that I was missing out by not having the skills and equipment to venture up in the winter months. I can safely say that this excellent and well structured course, with the addition of a very engaging and knowledgeable guide, met all my requirements….. and more!
Upon arrival we received a warm welcome from Liam and were introduced to our fantastic guide Emma. Whilst young in years, Emma’s knowledge of the area, the terrain, the snow science, the skills required and the teaching techniques were those of someone who had been doing this for decades.
The first day we were met with some challenging wind conditions (gusts up to 80 mph) so we had to stay low and this could have limited our experience due to their being only being pockets of snow lower down. However, Emma took us to areas where we could learn all the skills we needed, so that we could venture up to the summits the following day, to put them into practice.
The second day was a lot of fun and it was great to really test out the skills we had already learnt. However, Emma got the balance just right, ensuring we were focused when approaching the trickier areas.
I can safely say that I know feel very confident in starting to explore the mountains in the winter months and I would therefore highly recommend Cairngorm Adventure Guides. I am already thinking about what course I will do with them next year.
Whilst I am confident that all the instructors are of a good standard, I would highly recommend Emma. Her ability to explain the theory and then to put it into practical application was perfect. My only feedback is that she does need to go on a photography course!
Sonoglenn, Feb 2019
