On the 5th of January 2022, East Midlands University Officer Training Corps and one member from Birmingham Officer Training Corps set off for the Scottish mountains, with 21 Army Officer Cadets, 2 Army Reserve Officers, 4 Instructors and 2 Trainee Instructors. Once we arrived in Kinlochleven, Glencoe, we were allocated to our instructors, issued a mountain of kit and enjoyed a hot meal before getting an early night in preparation for our first day of our Winter Mountaineering Foundation Course. The first day consisted of a hike to get our legs going and an introduction to vital pieces of safety equipment such as crampons and ice axes, which we practiced when climbing up a steep frozen stream on the side of the Scottish mountain Na Gruagaichean (1056m).Day two saw the basics we had learnt tested on our ascent to the peak of Buachaille Etive Beag, (902m). It was hard work as we had to make our way through the deep snow that had settled overnight, taking it in turns to kick steps into the snow so that the others could follow. Close to the peak the snow was thinner and icy due to the wind, requiring us to put on crampons to safely make our way to the top. During the decent we practiced how to perform avalanche rescues, by hiding one of our transceivers in the snow (simulating a buried person) and then locating it using another transceiver. An avalanche probe was used to feel and mark the location and the transceiver was extracted from the snow using a shovel. This enabled us to feel confident that in the case of an avalanche we would be able to act quickly and save members of the group.
Our third day was a slightly shorter trek up to Stob Mhic Mhartuin (707m) which allowed our legs a bit of a rest before the next day’s big hike and allowed us to learn some more technical mountaineering skills. We worked on our navigational skills and cut a Rutsch-block to read and test the different snow layers for risk of avalanche. A highlight of the course for many was learning how to build emergency snow holes which we dug deep into snowbanks allowing room enough for a person to sit sheltered from the external conditions.
Day four saw groups completing their most impressive walks yet, with two groups climbing to the peak of Stob Coire nan Lochan (1115m). One group made their way to the top of the Munroe Cairn Gorm (1245m) and a final group reached the highest point in the UK, Ben Nevis (1345m). While this was the longest day it was the most rewarding, putting all our skills into practice and conquering some tough routes with breathtaking views. The resilience learnt whilst training in these harsh conditions is an invaluable asset to all Officer Cadets and created a great sense of achievement.
Learning to decipher weather and avalanche reports was a key part of the training as it enabled us to plan ahead, pack the correct kit and select the safest routes. Towards the end of the week members of the group began delivering the daily weather brief to the whole group which showed how much we had learnt from our instructors. The final day enabled us to consolidate the week’s training. We performed ice axe arrests which stop your fall on steep icy slopes. They were fun to practice in the softer snow conditions, as was learning the technique of glissading (sliding down the mountain).
At the end of the week we were sad to leave the beautiful scenery of Scotland having had a fantastic time, pushing ourselves and learning new skills in unfamiliar conditions. One Officer Cadet said, ‘I really enjoyed the technical aspects of the course. I wouldn’t have been able to learn these by myself and now I feel confident to try them again in the future’.
The Winter Mountaineering Foundation Course has given us an exhilarating week and a great introduction to the winter environment, and many are now looking to gain more quality mountain days to start our journey on the Mountain Leader training pathway.
Happily we all passed the course, so many thanks to the instructors and The Ulysses Trust for enabling this amazing experience to go ahead.
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