Unfortunately was busy at the weekend but would have been great to get out walking... Looks like next weekend will still be cold but possibly much cloudier so maybe not worth going up mountains... Will see.
I haven’t. Fairly experienced summer conditions hiker.
How did you get the experience to go winter mountaineering? I’m not a climber by any means but, is there something for me in winter conditions?
I would say winter hiking can be great fun and very rewarding (I tend to only do walking rather than climbing), and is pretty much the same as summer hiking, but with some added difficulties which you need to work around:
- less daylight (so make sure you bring spare torch / batteries...)
- potential for worse weather and getting very cold if you stop (so bring extra warm layers (including balaclava and ski goggles if it's going to be windy & cold) , make sure you have emergency shelter, and check the forecast carefully)
- snow can be bright in the sun and hard to walk through (so bring sunglasses and sunscreen, and allow a bit of extra time for walking through snow).
- navigation can be harder as features hidden by snow or clouds etc (so practice map & compass, counting steps etc, even if GPS will be your main tool, and you need to be extra aware of hazards like cliffs to make sure you're not going to accidentally walk over them in poor visibility)
- slippery (so bring microspikes for icy bits (walking poles help too), or crampons & ice axe if there might be hard / deep snow, and factor in to your route planning that what is an easy scramble in summer might be a different proposition when covered in snow and ice).
- Avalanches can be an underestimated risk, so worth checking an avalanche forecast before you go up a mountain.
Overall I think building up confidence / skills by doing some shorter winter hikes on relatively easy terrain is the way to go, to start with, so you can work out what layers you want to bring etc, and have the chance to practice navigation etc in winter conditions. Then if you feel confident go for longer / higher walk.
Imo most skills you need are the same as summer hiking, but applying them will be a bit different. Crampon and ice axe skills are probably the main exception, and worth watching videos & practicing, and ideally getting someone more experienced to show you, or do a basic winter skills course. You won't always need crampons and ice axe though - if there's not much snow or you won't be crossing steep slopes then they're probably not necessary (knowing in advance what conditions are like can be tricky though!). I sometimes use crampons and walking poles together for the stability & grip even if I don't need an ice axe though.
There are various winter skills courses around (eg PYB or Glenmore ones) which are probably the best way into the winter mountaineering side of things if you don't have a group of experienced friends to go with.
Softshells are great but I wouldn't go up the ridge without a hardshell in my bag! Got a good hardshell jacket, and some basic overtrousers. Think I may treat myself to a pair of Tupilaks for Norway in January and hopefully a few Scottish winter weekends.
Absolute error.....I couldn't stand up for most of it, had to crab crawl most of the way down....it was absolutely brutal. I was very glad for all my gear, including the ME Karakorums I picked up in Aviemore on sale.
