Chris Townsend is a writer, photographer and long-distance hiker. Read on to hear more about how to go solo outdoors in winter.
Win Winter
Going solo
Winter is exciting, challenging, beautiful. The mountains feel bigger, remoter, wilder. And they are. Winter means cold, short daylight hours, snow, storms. Time shrinks. Everything takes longer. The weather really matters in a way it doesn’t in summer. A storm doesn’t just mean you might get wet, it can mean blizzards, white-outs, hurricane force winds. Snow can bring avalanche danger too. Before every trip I check the mountain forecast and the avalanche forecast, and then decide on my plans. Winter mountains are not to be taken lightly. Especially when solo. It’s not the time to take risks.
At the same time the rewards of winter are immense. Being alone in the mountains as the stars sparkle in a dark sky above the ghost-white snow or the sun rises above a frosty camp. Making a new ski or snowshoe track through unbroken snow in the deep silence of a calm day. Navigating through a white-out with only your skills and equipment to keep you safe.
Solo winter adventures mean self-reliance, confidence in your abilities. There’s no-one else to turn to.
How do you start though? Cautiously! Ideally, take a winter skills course to learn the basics of ice axe and crampon use and navigation. I did this many decades ago and it proved invaluable. Then go out and enjoy the magnificent winter world.
Winter kit list
Going outside in winter takes a little more kit. And a lot more preparation. We've thrown together a kit list for making the most of winter.
Mountain Journal Entries
Still remember the fun I had on my course. Learning to fall down a corrie with an ice axe in your hand and not impaling yourself! Hiking over the awesome Cairngorm plateau on a perfect day, digging snow shelters and climbing Creag Meagaidh in a snowstorm.
Stuart
January 16, 2023