Caberfeidh wrote:Oh, there will always be those who warn against Grumpkins and Snarks, and all the Bogles of the wilderness.I just assume that all the usual caveats apply so I'll tell you what you want to know. How else would we gain experience if we don't go and find out? I find that notion of training courses is one fraught with impending disaster, and a bit of paper showing a person has done a course is no good for anything but lighting the fire or wiping your bum.
I don't agree. If you don't have experience in an activity which is way above what you are used too in terms of risk and vulnerability, it is a good idea to do some research on it, including reading other reports of similar activities, so you get an idea of what you are up against. It is the same with me trying to gain some scrambling experience. I wouldn't start trying to do the Skye Cullins, but start with grade 1 scrambles, work up to grade 2, then, if I feel I want to go further, look at grade 3. Accidents happen because people are badly equipped, badly prepared, or have big egos and can't bring themselves to turn back if conditions deteriorate. When it comes down to it, the higher Scottish mountains in winter are Arctic-like in climate, and need respect.
I don't know why you diss training courses. I haven't been on such a course, but you can at least learn useful, or even necessary techniques on such a course, as well as gaining some knowledge. When I was at uni, I went on winter mountaineering weekends in Scotland and I picked up a fair bit of knowledge about crampons and boot compatibiility, ice axe arrest, avalanche awareness, and how to move upslope over snow and ice, and the activity itself gave me an insight as to how different it is on the summits in winter than in summer. I now know what a proper whiteout is.