News & Events – Outdoor Equipment
Mountain Skills Training
The winter mountains of 2011 experienced one of the best winters for recreational mountain sport a thick blanket of snow lay in place from November 10 to beginning of July 2011, with ski touring lasting until the end of June on the high plateau areas of the cairngorm national park and other high peaks of the Scottish highlands.
Scotland, hosts some of the best adventure terrain to be found in Northern Europe. Outdoor recreationalist’s can’t resist its vast remote rugged landscape and once seen or experienced your sure to be tempted back.
Tiso have been sharing this outdoor lifestyle with thousands of people for well over 40 years and for 12 of those years we have provided a vast range of outdoor courses led by industry experts and their teams of highly qualified instructors.
To maximise a weekend, begin by maximising your outdoor skills and at the same time learn about how outdoor equipment really works when it matters... learn from experience... Read more about Mountain Skills...
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What's on offer
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Meet the team
You'll be amazed what we can teach in one day. Learn and practice essential winter skills for journeying safely through Scotland’s mountains in the winter.
Introduction into Winter Mountaineering
This course is ideal for those who wish to take the next step up from winter walking to winter mountaineering. It involves learning about the right equipment to take, belaying safely and much more.
Knowing where you are going when you are out there is important to your safety and helps you enjoy your winter outdoors in the wilderness. This course will teach you essential map reading skills using navigation equipment such as GPS.
A day's training can go a long way and keep you safe out there. Avalanches are avoidable but knowing how to requires training.
Introduction to Ski Mountaineering
This popular course is designed for individuals aspiring to learn the fundamental skills for off-piste ski travel.
This course will instruct and coach off piste' turn techniques aimed at coping with a variety of terrain.
Introduction to dry tooling and the tools of the trade
Dry tooling is one of the UK's fastest growing climbing sports and one that can be practised on snow, ice and rock or just pure rock. A sport in its own right!
Scrambing is arguably the most exciting exploit you can have in the Scottish mountains, but to do this safely and with confidence requires a steady approach, knowledge and rope skills.
Everyone can navigate to some level but which level of skills are you most likely to need for the moutains of the UK?
Once you have selected the course that suits your needs, booking is easy.
Online: Find the course that you are interested in (all course details can be found at What's on Offer?) and select the date which you would like to attend. Submit an online enquiry which will be forwarded onto the relevant Customer Service Team who will contact you to confirm availability and payment
In store: Visit the Customer Service desk at one of our participating stores in Glasgow Outdoor Experience, Edinburgh Outdoor Experience, Perth Outdoor Experience, Aberdeen or Inverness Outdoor Experience.
Phone: Call the Customer Service Desk at the store of your choice.
Click here to find your nearest store..
Once booked you will receive a course confirmation leaflet reminding you of date, times, kit & preparation tips before attending your course.
Cancelation terms and conditions
• Should a client cancel 14 days or more before the course date a full refund will be offered and the option of a rescheduled course date will be given.
• Should a client cancel within 14 days we reserve the right to offer no refund of the course fee and not to offer an alternative course date.
• Tiso and Climbmts reserve the right to alter or cancel any advertised course date at any time. Should this occur a full refund or a rescheduled course date will be offered.
Equipment hire and equipment for courses
All Tiso Outdoor Experience stores are able to supply the following equipment for hire: boots, crampons, ice axes, and helmets. The cost of hire is in addition to the cost of the course.
It is essential you book your equipment hire at you’re earliest opportunity to ensure you receive the right kit in the correct size. Better still we recommend making a boot fitting appointment as soon as possible after booking your course. Tiso can not guarantee the availability of the correct size or hire equipment at short notice. Please check the course equipment list thoroughly before attending any course.
If unsure about equipment requirements please contact the customer service desk at the appropriate Tiso store or contact Stuart Johnston at Climbmts on 01887 822 699.
Standard equipment required by all course participants
40 litre rucsac, appropriate boots, gaiters, warm gloves + spare, fleece hat + spare, flask or water bottle, head torch + spare battery, plastic survival bag, personal first aid kit for blisters etc. Helmets are required for all mountaineering, rock climbing and winter skills courses.
Ski Mountaineering and Off-Piste Turn Workshop
Participants need their own Ski Mountaineering Equipment to take part in this course. Not everyone wants to buy equipment. This winter, ski mountaineering equipment from Salomon, Fischer, Fritschi and Scarpa is available to hire at Blues The Ski Shop’s brand new store inside Tiso Perth Outdoor Experience.
Hire prices: £35 per day or £55 for two days.
Booking recommended.
Navigation courses
Maps are not supplied – sheet numbers will be known on the Friday evening. Compass – Silva Type 4 is recommended; map case – Ortlieb A5 case is ideal; wrist watch with stop watch facility.
Clothing
Your upper body clothing should ideally comprise at least 3 layers – base layer for body temperature regulation, mid layer for warmth (with spare) and a waterproof outer shell. Leg wear should be comfortable, flexible and warm for potentially cold and wet days (certainly no jeans!). Waterproof trousers or salopettes are also recommended.
All winter courses
Double lens ski goggles, 4 season boots, climbing helmet, crampons and ice axe.
Stuart Johnston
Stuart owns Climbmts and directs all activity operations, he began full time instructing and guiding in 1992. He is co-author of the following publications, 1st and 2nd edition of the Mountain Skills Training Handbook, The Hillwakers Guide to Mountaineering and forthcoming pocket guide series The Ultimate Guide To Wild Camp Cookery. He works voluntarily as the national training officer for Scottish Mountain Rescue and is a team leader of Tayside Mountain Rescue. Stuart has climbed extensively all over the UK, Europe and Canada.
Carron McCormack
Carron has extensive experience guiding in Scotland and loves to share her passion for the mountains with others. She is currently an aspirant Winter and International Mountain Leader and when not walking or trekking in the mountains, she can usually be found exploring them on her mountain bike.
Nathan White
Nathan has been working in the outdoors for over 6 years and has climbed in many places around the world, including the Alps and Yosemite. Based in Aviemore, he enjoys passing his knowledge and enthusiasm of the mountains to others. Whether rain or shine Nathan is climbing!
Qualifications: MIA, WML, Aspirant MIC
Fiona Chappell
Fiona lives in Aviemore she enjoys hill walking, mountaineering and climbing all year round in Scotland. Fiona has extensive experience trekking in Nepal and spends a lot of her summer in the Alps working as an International Mountain Leader.
Qualifications: WML, IML
Lyle Brotherton
Lyle is a Search Manager and member of a Scottish Mountain Rescue Team. He instructs advanced land navigation to search & rescue teams and various government agencies throughout the world. He previously spent six years researching, full-time, world best practice in land-navigation which was published by Harper Collins in March 2011.
Jon Sanders
Qualified Mountaineering Instructor and Winter Mountain Leader. What Jon enjoys most about the outdoors is instructing and coaching mountaineering skills. Jon is also a level 4 kayak coach and is a member of Tayside Mountain Rescue Team.
Qualifications: MIA, WML
Ewens Matthew
Ewen is a qualified mountain leader and is one of our on and off piste ski coaches with over 25 years instructional experience, he enjoys scottish and alpine ski touring. A deidated outdoor practitioner has skied all over the world.
Di Gilbert
"If I could climb all year around in winter, I would". Passionate about Scotland but afraid of the midgies so new routes and first ascents climbed in Greenland, Bolivia and Antarctica. Expedition leader to numerous expeditions to Africa, South America, India, Nepal, Tibet, Kyrgyzstan and Alaska including working as a Field Operations Manager in Antarctica. Not enough fingers and toes to count all the Alpine trips. MIC & BA Degree (Outdoor Education)