Have booked myself on a winter skills weekend end of January to get me started. However I am wondering what are the easiest routes in the lakes and snowdonia to gain experience. I walk on my own most of the time and don't fancy starting off on anything too bad without gaining experience of the hills in winter and am wondering how to go about it.
Depends totally on the conditions. In powdery, or soft snow most walking routes won't require any great additional skills.However, if the snow is frozen (neve), or there is ice you will need an axe and crampons. I would suggest going out and jut back off if you think things are getting out of your comfort zone.
Unfortunately, many people are killed as a result of slips on easy ground. I remember many years ago, we were just about to start climbing a gully on Helywllyn when someone came flying down it. It turned out that he had simply tripped near to the edge of the gully on the flat summit plateau. This was in the days before mobile phones, so someone had go go back down and phone for a helicopter. Sadly he died a few minutes before it arrived from a punctured long.
I reckon most summer walking routes in the Lakes are also walking routes in the winter. You might be wearing crampons and carrying an axe for some of the time, but you'll still be walking, and won't need a high level of technical skill. You might travel slower, of course, especially if there is powdery or slushy snow, but making allowances for that should just be a matter of common sense.
If there is a lot of snow snow shoeing would make more sense than crampons. Crampons are needed for climbing/scrambling steep slopes. If you keep to walking on moderate slopes snowshoeing might make more sens in snowy conditions. Having both with you (crampons and snow shoes) gives of course the most flexibility.
Thanks Think I will just pick a few of the easier routes I have done and then go from there. Looking forward to the course and getting out into the snow covered mountains, Hopefully at some point this winter.
The 'easier' routes can be hazardous in their own way. Paths and well worn tracks can be the most slippery sections, but too thinly covered to warrant crampons.
Deep snow doesn't warrant crampons either, so unless you are intending to do steep or technical ground, these might do the trick.
Take warmer clothes, extra food and maybe a bivvy bag, tell someone your route too. And then go for it I reckon.
I have walked around High Raise, and the Eastern/Western Martindale fells in deep snow, and found it a good intro.
Yep think I will just go for it. I bought a pair of hillsound trail crampons which have much shorter spikes than normal crampons. Think these might do as good a job as the kahtoola microspikes? Thanks for the advice.
Deep snow as in as deep to your waist? No way you can walk there. Walking in deep snow stops being comfortable when its shoe (above ankle) deep to becoming virtaully impossible when you get in to depths above the knees.
Think I will just pick a few of the easier routes I have done and then go from there. Looking forward to the course and getting out into the snow covered mountains, Hopefully at some point this winter.
