Overview
My Ski Touring Beginners 1 day course is based in the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland. This short, rapid-fire intro to the sport is designed to get you moving in simple off-piste terrain. So, by the end of the day, you should have enough knowledge to do simple, short backountry journeys in Scotland and elsewhere.
Core ski touring skills are the main focus of this course, therefore giving beginners a solid foundation without overloading! Therefore, we begin by checking the weather and avalanche forecast together, in addition to your experience and equipment. This helps us plan a route we are all happy with, but you will still get plenty of chance to learn and ask questions within a supportive atmosphere.
This course introduces ski touring novices and beginners to the fundamentals:
- basic route planning and navigation
- alpine ski touring equipment
- uphill techniques
- off-piste skiing tips
Experience is a key to safe ski touring, and Scotland’s varied weather and terrain provide quality learning. When it comes to the descent, we will aim for the best terrain that is achievable by all group members – perhaps going for multiple laps if weather and energy levels allow!
The Cairngorms is a superb ski touring venue, with a wide range of high, accessible terrain. Furthermore, the small nearby town of Aviemore provides great options for accomodation, eating and equipment hire.
Kate Joyce –
Great day on the hill with Malcolm. Very knowledgeable and friendly and would totally recommend for any level of ski tourer. I’m a splitboarder and he accommodated the session with that in mind. Definitely would go again!
Catriona Ramsay –
Excellent day with Malc giving us an intro to ski touring. He tailored the day to suit our abilities. We had a great time on the hill and learnt the practical skills to get out ski mountaineering. We also covered snow and avalanche conditions. Highly recommend.
Issy Baines –
Spent the day ski touring with Malcolm, had such a great time was very informative and fun!!! We now feel we have to confidence to go out by ourselves and give it a go !
Mhairi Crawford –
Absolutely excellent day being guided on ski touring with Malc. Learned loads, had lots of fun and he even accommodated an extra dog ski touring at short notice. The thought and care into looking after human and canine clients was amazing. We had an absolutely fantastic day finding spots in the lee of the wind, some good turns off piste and picking up loads of techniques and avalanche safety bits. A packed and brilliant day 🙂
Kevin Lochhead –
A great day out and perfect introduction to the art of skinning and split-boarding. Malcolm is a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable mountain guide. Highly recommended.
Heather K (verified owner) –
Had such a great day touring up Cairngorm with Malcolm. Learnt lots of useful stuff including weather/avalanche awareness, route planning (and resources available) and familiarising with equipment. Thanks for a great day out!
Malc OReilly –
Hey, thanks so much Heather! Really appreciated – great to meet you and the gang😁
Robert Cronshaw –
We had a great day out ski touring with Malcolm in the northern Cairngorms! He helped us make the most of the conditions and provided an intro to ski touring that was suitably adventurous for us! I would definitely recommend!!
Ellie Ctori –
Great day with Malcom for a n intro/ski touring explorer day. Was very educational and great fun! Malcom explained everything thoroughly and we felt in very good hands the whole time. We now feel more comfortable planning our own tours, would definitely recommend.
Gregor Grant (verified owner) –
Great day and a great guide and tutor so thoroughly recommend to anyone considering a day out learning new ski skills.
Sarah Williamson –
First time for me ski touring yesterday, had a brilliant day! Malcolm is an excellent guide, teaches you loads, helps you build confidence for your own adventures and makes sure the day is fun!
Jill –
Lovely ski tour out to Ben Macdui yesterday with Malc. Wall to wall sunshine and not a breath of wind. The freckles are out in abundance! I loved it!
Ashley S –
Had a fantastic day ski touring up Cairn Gorm with Malcolm. Learnt a lot of useful skills we’ll be sure to use again, but also had a lot of fun. Can’t wait to go again!
Thanks Malcolm!
Mark C –
Great fun time touring in the Cairngorms with arc guiding… knowledgeable and very welcoming… great little jaunt towards lurchers crag..