Build, dig, and sleep in your own snow shelter, based from Fort William or Aviemore.

Snowholing has a long tradition in Scotland's winter mountains, a way of experiencing the hills that few visitors ever try. Rather than walking through winter, this course puts you inside it, digging your own shelter into the snowpack and spending a night inside the mountain itself.

No prior winter skills course is required to join, but we strongly recommend it. Understanding how Scottish winter conditions really behave, before you rely on them to keep you warm overnight, makes a genuine difference to how much you get from this course. Our 2 Day Introduction to Winter Skills course is the ideal first step if you have not done one already. You will want a reasonable level of hillwalking fitness for a full day carrying kit to site.

You will need to come prepared with a 4 season sleeping bag and a bivi bag, full details are on our Kit List page, your guide will also talk you through everything before you set off.

Day one covers site selection, snow hole design, and the digging technique itself, building steadily towards a shelter you trust enough to sleep in. You will spend the night inside it, with your guide close by throughout. Day two covers striking camp, a debrief on what worked and what you would do differently, and the walk back down.

Choose your BASE

Fort William

Fort William, beneath Ben Nevis. Based from Fort William, with snow hole sites selected across the surrounding hills depending on conditions.

Aviemore

Aviemore, in the Cairngorms. Based from Aviemore, using the Cairngorm plateau, one of Scotland's most reliable areas for deep, well established snowpack.

What's covered

  • Site selection, reading the snowpack and the ground for a safe location.
  • Snow hole design and digging technique.
  • Insulation, ventilation, and carbon monoxide safety inside a snow shelter.
  • Overnight kit and how to stay warm and dry through the night.
  • Striking camp and leaving no trace at the site.

How the course runs

  • Day one: travel to site, snow hole design and digging, settling in for the night.
  • An overnight stay in the shelter you have built, guided throughout.
  • Day two: striking camp, debrief, and the walk back down.
  • Small groups throughout, with personal feedback from your winter mountain leader.

This course runs around the weather, we adjust the plan to make the most of whatever conditions we get.

New to winter hillwalking? Our 2 Day Introduction to Winter Skills course is the recommended first step before snowholing.