Fresh from your first winter skills course and pondering the next step? These five peaks all make top choices for a first serious snowy day out.
Nothing divides the opinion of the hill walking world more effectively than the first snowfall. For half of us it’s the cue to grab the nearest ice axe and sprint for the mountains with a whoop and a holler. For the rest, it turns Britain’s uplands into a ghostly no-go zone, fraught with unmentionable risk.
It goes without saying that the winter hills are not places to jump into unprepared. Going into the mountains where snow and ice is lying requires specific equipment, skills, knowledge and awareness over and above those used in summer hill walking, and the consequences of making errors can be much more serious.
Winter skills courses are a great first step for anybody attempting the transition from winter newbie to snow junkie. If you’re well versed in the basics and just need a chance to practice your crampon skills, though, then here’s where to start.
1. High Street
If the Roman Army could tramp across the summit of this elegantly contoured Cumbrian fell in winter, you should be able to manage it too. High Street is out on a limb in the far eastern reaches of the Lake District, meaning both that it holds the snow well and that it tends to be a bit quieter than the crowded central fells.
The combination of a relatively gentle ascent, a broad summit plateau and an 828 metre (2,716 feet) high point with knockout views towards the Helvellyn range make this a top-notch winter day out. It’s best approached with a steepish puff up Hayeswater Gill from Hartsop, diverting to take in the outlook from The Knott and bagging the summit of High Street itself before looping back via Thornthwaite Crag and Pasture Beck. This scenic circuit is by no means a cinch in snowy conditions - white-outs are common and avalanche risk not unheard of on the higher slopes - but as an intro to serious winter hill walking you’d be hard pressed to beat it.
Sarah Stirling stepping out on our kind of High Street. Photo: Rob Partridge
2. Moel Eilio
If you’ve never heard of this pint-sized peak then you wouldn’t be the only one. Overshadowed by the sprawling bulk of Snowdon, 726-metre Moel Eilio only really comes into its own during the winter months. Under a good blanket of snow it’s one of the most inviting peaks in the Snowdon range - particularly if you prefer gently rolling slopes to spiky, ice-coated spurs.
Llanberis is the best starting point for anybody with a mind to tackle Moel Eilio. An undulating whaleback ridge rises steadily up from the town towards the summit, and the descent south via Foel Gron and Foel Goch is reasonably clear. If you fancy making a long weekend of it then there are plenty of superb walkers’ peaks clustered around the same area, with Moel Siabod and Snowdon itself topping the list.
3. Cairn Gorm
The Cairngorms are the Scottish range of choice for winter skills course coordinators. Their inland location pretty much guarantees a covering of snow for a few months each year, and there are plenty of bowl-shaped corries where ice axe virgins can learn the ropes without attempting any life-threatening maneuvers.
Cairn Gorm, one of the highest summits in the range, isn’t the wildest peak you might care to mention. A funicular crawls up its northwestern side and there’s a restaurant not far from the top - but it’s a good choice for your first winter Munro and there are crowd-free slopes to explore when you’ve built up your confidence.
For a first crack at the mountain in snowy conditions, start from the Coire Cas car park, head up Fiacaill a'Choire Chais and then descend via Sron an Aonaich. You’ll need to be a competent navigator and have the ability to assess both the weather and avalanche risk to tackle a peak of this magnitude. Cairn Gorm can be a very windy place with Britain's highest ever wind speed recorded there . In good conditions, though, it’s a fabulous first winter bag.
4. Schiehallion
If you’re keen to attempt a winter Munro but don’t fancy sharing the slopes with skiers, the Lonely Mountain cone of Schiehallion is a top choice. The well-trodden route to the summit begins at the Braes of Foss car park and loops relatively gently up to the top of the mountain - although navigating in white-out conditions can still be a serious challenge.
The thrill of climbing one of Scotland’s most iconic mountains in winter is intensified by the knee-knocking views over the peaks of Glen Coe from the summit. Descend via the same route and the whole walk adds up to little more than six miles - easily slotted into a short winter day.
5. Whernside - and more…
It might not have the dramatic silhouette of nearby Ingleborough, but the gentle eastern slopes of Yorkshire’s highest peak lend themselves to low-level winter skills practice. You’ll need to wait for a good covering of a white stuff before crampons will come in handy on the tramp up from Ribblehead - in the right conditions, though, the area below the summit plateau is the perfect place to practice ice axe arrests and whiteout navigation without risking your neck.
Other lofty but low-gradient hills that transform into winter playgrounds under a coating of snow include Ingleborough, Roseberry Topping and Mam Tor in the Peak District. Even the steeper slopes of namby-pamby southern hills such as the South Downs offer opportunities for practice during rare periods of snow coverage. Testing your mettle on reasonably forgiving peaks is the perfect way to prepare for more serious winter days out.
LIFE-SAVING LINKS:
READ MORE: Essential winter know-how
Essential winter know-how: Heading for the hills this winter? Whether you're a seasoned winter warrior or just taking your first icy steps, we've got a mountain of essential skills and equipment advice for you right here on the BMC website.
Hill skills: winter mountaineering: Travelling through the British hills when they are plastered with snow is incredibly rewarding, and can offer some of the most memorable days out of the year. But the combination of short days and bitterly cold arctic weather systems can present challenges to the unwary mountaineer.
Watch the BMC Winter Essentials trailer on BMC TV :
How to perform an ice axe self arrest on BMC TV :
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