25-26/01/14 Activity: Ski Mountaineering Leadership Course, Glenmore Lodge, Cairngorms

Two of us from the FVMC, MM - Meets Sec, and myself, BR – Chair, took the opportunity of a two day Mountaineering Leadership course run by the MCofS at Glenmore Lodge using the Cairngorms as the training ground. The cost of the course was a remarkable £50 each. All other costs such as accommodation, and equipment hire were to be arranged and paid for by the participants.

We settled for staying at the SYHA in Aviemore. In terms of gear we hired a package of skis, skins, ski crampons, boots, transceiver, shovel and snow probe from Mountain Spirit for a total of £97 per person, covering two days.

The pre-arranged meeting place was The White Lady Shieling, on the ski slopes, at 09:00 on Saturday. This was reached after a 30 minute ascent from the Day Lodge using climbing skins on the ski-tow track, dodging snow ploughs and pushing against the wind and rain. We were first there. Eventually all at the participants arrived; a total of 11 + 2 guides.

The teams split in two with Malcolm and I in the group that were interested more in the safety aspects of touring whilst the other group were more focussed on the assessment of terrain and navigational techniques. Our group headed up the Fiacaill ridge whilst the other pushed on into Coire an Lochan.

The conditions were fearsome having all the subtlety of a blasting shed using ice as opposed to sand. There were 3 ways of making the ascent up the Fiacaill ridge;

1. skis + skins,

2. skis + skins + ski-crampons

3. taking the skis off and carrying them!

One of us eventually had to use method 3 above...as 1 & 2 didn’t work for him – he got to the top first! But the exercise was useful in terms of understanding the technique and limits of each method.

Eventually the plateau was reached, where the wind subsided a bit and an enjoyable ski run ensued, half way down Coire Raibeirt. The visibility was still poor, a condition made more tense by the knowledge that enormous snow drifts can exist where you least expect them. The guide was excellent, continually giving advice on technique and listening to other inputs from the group on their experiences and ‘equipment modifications’, whereby I offered my own ‘neoprene and rivets’ range of ideas and practices.

And on that note we pushed on, heading anti-clockwise back along the east side of Cairngorm. The group had assessed the conditions and chose their method of traction; some opted for skis + skins, whilst others skis + skins + ski-crampons. The traverse back to the head of the Ptarmigan T-bar was achieved after some excitement; Malcolm experiencing the fracture of one of his ski-crampons and the permanent detachment of the other from its fixing; poor Andrew however had the most excitement, losing grip on both ski edges and slide further than he had bargained for! Just shows you how quickly the margins can narrow.

Back to the Day Lodge via an excellent run down the White Lady...nobody else on the slope – they were probably all blown off the mountain into a pile of bodies at the Day Lodge car park.

On the Saturday evening a lecture was provided at Glenmore Lodge on the subject of avalanches; the key message being ‘90% of victims trigger their own avalanche - just don’t get involved with one’!

And how is this done? The emphasis is to manage the risks by being aware of the hazards. The basic approach is to consider the following;

1. Assessment of the avalanche hazard, weather, and mountain conditions (e.g. use SAIS, Met Office etc).

2. What are the parties’ and their leaders’ personal skills and experience?

3. The landscape you intend to visit.

This will then result in a DECISION, which may also need to change when any one of the above factors change during the trip.

(A handy leaflet ‘Be Avalanche Aware’ funded by ‘sportscotland’ is available.)

Sunday weather was even worse than Saturday’s, necessitating some classroom work at Glenmore Lodge. One of the instructors proceeded to empty the contents, item by item, of her rucksack to illustrate what she carries on the hill. I have a 45 litre rucksack - the contents of her rucksack amounted to far more than what my rucksack can carry – and her rucksack was size 30 litres. Maybe it’s a female thing...you know how things just don’t add up – or maybe it’s just me!

The magic rucksack emptying was amazing enough, but in every case a kernel of wisdom was imparted such as checking that your crampons can actually fit your ski boots and that the straps will be long enough to connect. The importance of repair tape, cable ties, wires, tools specific to size of, nuts, bolts and screws was demonstrated. Other responsibilities related to the leader were emphasised such as ensuring that the party has the required Personal and Group equipment items and that they are in good order before a trip; that there is an agreed plan and suitable navigational means and skills are present.

In the afternoon the use of Avalanche Transceivers / Snow Probes was practiced in the Lodge’s grounds as well as the use of GPS devices.

Verdict: excellent value for money and would recommend this and similar courses to those interested in such winter activities.