Backcountry Skiing in Scotland can be maddening, frustrating and disappointing but more often it can also be life affirming, awe inspiring and fantastic! Strike it right with the weather and with the snow conditions and you can have some of your best skiing days on the planet.
Nevis4 Backcountry
This season 22/23 we will be offering an increased programme on home turf, we will be offering Introduction to Backcountry courses, Touring days, multi day Ski Expeditions, and later in the season when the snow consolidates, Steeps. Do not underestimate Scotish Backcountry, it can be fantastic and is a great training ground for moving on to the bigger mountains of the Alps. Let us introduce you to this side of the sport.
Introduction to Backcountry
This season we are offering 2 day introduction to backcountry courses in Scotland
- The 2 days will include:
- Personal equipment, how ski touring equipment works.
- Understanding weather and avalanche forecasts
- Skinning up-hill, kick turns & cramponing
- Off-piste ski coaching
- Route planning
- Introduction to rope work
- Avalanche transceiver training
- Techniques for mountain journeying
- The course will include at least one ski tour (if on dry slope we will substitute Performance skiing and off piste skiing skills)
- Costs of 2 days Instruction and leading £200
- The courses will be based at the resort with the best conditions and we will make use of the uplift to get started.
- What’s not included: Food, Travel, Accommodation, lift pass, kit hire.
Covid Guarantee.
If you have to cancel due to Covid including self isolation, all money paid will be refunded.
Course dates 2023 – 2024
28-29 October 2023 Introduction to ski touring Bearsden Glasgow
.9 – 10 December 2023 Introduction to ski touring Bearsden, Glasgow.
2024
January 13th – 14th Cairngorms.
February 10th – 11th Cairngorms
February 17th- 18thCairngorms
February 24th-25th Cairngorms
March 9th-10th Cairngorms
We have a small number of Hire skis available. They are all fitted with Diamir Fritschi bindings with skins and ski crampons which are suitable for use with regularAlpine ski boots. Ideal to try the activity. Cost of these is included in the price. We also have Avalanche kit avialable, transceivers shovels and probes
Touring days
Touring days are days where you will be led over some of the classic ski tours in Scotland. No need to worry about route planning or navigation, let us take care of it for you. Days will be arranged depending on weather and snow conditions. We can also arrange Bespoke trips and days for you just ask.
Monday 26th Feb- Drumochter – Highland – Price £105
Monday 18th March – Northern Corries – Highland – Price £105
Monday 8 April- Drumochter – Highland – Price £105
Steeps
An introduction to steep skiing in Scottish grade 1 Gully’s. We have a smaller ratio on these courses of 1:4 reflecting the additional safety requirements of learning in a steep environment. You must be a competent parrallel skier to attend these events.
6th to 7th April- Northern corries- Highland (Steeps) – Price £200
29th to 30th May -West Highland, Carn Mor Dearg, Ben Nevis (Steeps)- Price £200
All dates and locations are subject to change due to weather and snow conditions.
Avalanche Kit is a requirement for all these courses, if you do not have any, we can supply it You will require a small rucksack to carry them and your skins and ski crampons
Max ratio is 1-6 for touring days and 1-4 for steeps
Please make sure you are not displaying any covid symptoms prior to attending the course and self isolate if necessary.
Ski Expedition
If you are comfortable on touring skis, how about a ski adventure not to be forgotten. A three day Adventure through some of the best ski touring Scotland has to offer. Depending on conditions, we will camp or snow hole on the route we intend to ski, with a maximum of 1000m ascent on each day through some of the best scenery Scotland has to offer.
Dates : TBA
Price for this adventure: £250
Zero to Hero
An intense 4 day ski course followed by 2 days basic ski touring. This course is designed with existing Hill goers in mind, walkers, climbers and hill runners who are looking for an efficient and quick way to get around the hills in winter. Ski touring is a natural extension of other hill going disciplines. The course will teach participants the basics of Alpine skiing and introduce the tools and techniques of Ski touring to them. The course can take place on snow or on a dry slope but the days touring will be on snow. At the end of the 6 days the participants should be able to perform linked turns down a gentle slope and be able to skin up to make an ascent. If you have no background in skiing but would love to learn to tour, this could be the course for you.
Zero to Hero dates
Next Zero to Hero dates are 3 Jan-6th of January 2023 at Bearsden ski club in Glasgow followed by 2 days basic touring at Glencoe ski centre when conditions permit. Due to Covid-19 and weather constraints we have priced these separately.
The price for the 4 days Zero to Hero course is £300 per person. This includes slope use and kit hire..
with a maximum of 6 participants. We will also be subject to a minimum of 4 participants
The price for the 2 days basic touring at Glencoe is £180.
This does not include the price of a lift ticket but does include hire of touring kit if required (30 less if own kit used)
Booking
Please use the contact form for more details, or to book, email mail@nevis4.com
