Learn about hill walking in the winter mountains and why you should start hiking Scotland’s frozen summits.
Winter hill walking takes you into a whole new world of snow, ice, challenge and discovery. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but the rewards are immense: a pristine environment, new skills and a massive sense of achievement. Below, we will look at areas that can be good for winter hill days, then gear tips (including how to decide on the best gloves, trousers and boots). Lastly, we will take a quick look at the basic winter mountaineering skills that are taught to beginners on courses each season.
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What is winter hill walking?
The phrase winter hill walking is almost unique to the UK. Elsewhere in the world, this might be called ‘winter hiking’, or even ‘basic winter mountaineering’. The bottom line is that ALL walking in the winter mountains involves both hiking and mountaineering skills. If you have a decent level of experience of summer hiking in Scotland then you should be ready to try winter hill walking!
What is winter hill walking in Scotland like?
Scotland has a wide variety of winter hill walking due to it’s having far more mountain terrain than both England and Wales combined. In fact, the many different summits and potential routes mean there is something for just about every level of mountaineering experience. Winter hillwalking and hiking is a lot more reliable and varied here due to the higher latitude (Aviemore is at 57 degrees north), but the flip side is that avalanches in Scotland are a thing. But with the right skills and equipment these popular hiking areas also feature mega winter hill walking:
- The Cairngorms national park (including Ben Macdui)
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park
- Lochaber (including Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain)
- Glencoe
- Assynt
- Torridon
Unlike the greater ranges (eg Alps, Rockies, Pyrenees), there’s no altitude acclimitisation or glaciers to contend with in Britain. However, the conditions in some Scottish mountain ranges can become quite challenging on foot, even for intermediate and advanced winter mountaineers (for instance, the Carn Mor Dearg Arete on Ben Nevis, the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye and the Cairngorms plateau). This is why it’s not unusual for a rope to be carried by advanced winter hill walking groups in Scotland.
⚠️ Don’t assume guidebook routes are safe on a particular day.
Unlike with summer hillwalking and hiking, avalanche hazard and weather conditions can make a winter route easy on one day and very dangerous the next. It is vital you make your own assessment using maps, weather forecasts and Scottish Avalanche Information Service reports (opens new tab).
Routes in England and Wales
The Lake District, Eryri (Snowdonia), Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and Yorkshire Dales national parks can offer superb winter hillwalking too. If timed right, you can ascend the famous summits of Helvellyn (950m/3116ft), Yr Wyddfa (1085m/3560ft), Pen Y Fan (886m/2907ft) or Whernside (736m/2415ft) under a covering of snow and ice. And, of course, there is a multitude of other summits in those regions which can give a rewarding winter hill day.
What equipment do I need for hill walking in winter?
Your gear and clothing can make or break a winter hill day – a subzero summit in a gale and fading light is not the place to realise you don’t have a compass, you’re gloves are frozen solid and your headtorch won’t work. So check through your basic ‘summer’ gear and see if it is up to winter conditions. For example, will your jacket hood cover your face and stay fastened in a gale? Will your drink bottle freeze and prevent you from staying hydrated? Do you have spare gloves? And what about goggles or sunglasses for wind and UV protection? You’ll find more details in our Winter mountaineering kit list.
Next, you will need some specialist items of equipment. An ice axe and crampons will be your main tools and are essential for keeping you safe. Don’t know how to use them? Get yourself booked on to a winter skills course to learn the proper technique (see below). And don’t forget a climbing helmet and ski goggles, which are both pretty much essential, even for walkers.
Steep learning curve
“I had my first taste of winter hill walking in North Wales. We were first-year university students and my mate was guiding us up the north west flank of Tryfan (917m/3010ft). It was about January 1994 and there was pretty good snow cover. I had his ice axe while he was wearing the crampons! The summits were cloudy and, as we plodded up the reasonably steep snow slope, small bits of snow and ice came tumbling down on top of us. ‘Uh oh, someone’s falling’ I thought. But then a snowboarder appeared out of the mist and carefully sideslipped his way down past us!”
Good gloves (plus spares)
Choice of gloves is crucial for comfort and safety on a winter hill day. The design and fit is super important so you can keep them on while carrying out common tasks such as adjusting zips and buckles, using a map and compass and eating and drinking. Check out the post How to choose gloves for ski touring and mountaineering.
Bombproof trousers and jackets
It can be tricky to choose trousers for winter hill walking. After all, you are on your feet all day and they need to provide enough warmth, weather proofing, storage, protection, adjustability and freedom of movement. Whether you opt for a 100% waterproof fabric or softshell fabric for drier conditions, there are plenty of different designs. Remember though, that a baggy fit can snag on axes and crampons and be really annoying in strong winds. These considerations apply to waterproof jackets too. Get more advice in the post What to wear for winter hiking.
The wrong trousers?
“I was solo on Aonach Mor in the Scottish Highlands, following a compass bearing in poor vis. ‘Easy Gully is away to my left,’ I thought to myself ‘I’ll be safe here’. I took one more step and fell over as my left leg suddenly disappeared down into the snow. I had fallen partway through the notorious cornice that overhangs the gully. “You idiot” I thought. I imagined my foot dangling below, the cornice breaking off and me plumetting down the mountain. But when I tried to stand up on my bent right leg, I couldn’t. I realised my right crampon points had snagged on the left thigh of my baggy waterproof trousers. Thankfully, I hadn’t stabbed my leg. I lay as flat as I could to spread my weight, reached out with my axe and hauled myself out on my tummy, swearing and praying along the way.”
Boots for winter hill walking
Your boots must be stiff enough to kick into hard snow and hold a crampon securely, end of. They also need to provide enough warmth and waterproofing to keep you comfortable, while not crippling you with blisters. Most lightweight boots used for summer hiking are just not suitable. Thankfully, you can hire winter mountaineering boots, which can help you work out what styles fit you best.
‘Should I wear an avalanche transceiver?’
Its definitely a valid question. Here in Scotland, avalanche terrain is almost always avoidable by good route planning and accurate navigation. Therefore, winter hill walkers rarely use them. However, it may be worth learning how to use an avalanche transceiver because they are much more widely used in the larger ranges (eg: the French Alps).
Winter skills courses
Winter skills courses are a popular way for novice winter mountaineers to learn the essential techniques under expert supervision (check out our Basic Winter Mountaineering Skills course, based in the Cairngorms). A typical course will include an introduction to good footwork, ice axe and crampon skills, navigation and avalanche awareness. Self arrest is one of many ice axe skills you should learn early on in your winter hill walking career. It’s very much an emergency technique, so it’s far better to learn good footwork and navigation first. However, self arrest does save lives (and besides, it’s a blast).
If you are a beginner to winter mountaineering, and time and conditions allow, you may also have the chance to explore addditional topics such as emergency shelters, glissading and snow science. This is a great opportunity to learn under expert supervision, try out different kit and meet like-minded people amidst spectacular scenery. Winter hiking and hill walking is certainly a doorway into a truly special aspect of the natural world. True, the days can be demanding and sometimes uncomfortable. But when you hear the crunch of your crampons biting untouched snow, feel the reassuring heft of your ice axe and admire the spectacular sunset on your way down into the valley, you will know if winter hill walking is for you.
Go on a winter skills course and learn the basics of avalanche avoidance, planning a route and keeping yourself safe with an ice axe and crampons.
Ice axes, crampons and famous scenery
