West Lancashire Scouts - Snow & Ice

 Synopsis

This event has been running since 1998, we have toyed with changing it's name to "Winter Skills" or "Winter Walking, with some climbing for those that want it", but "Snow & Ice" sums it up. If you want to join us for Four Fantastic Fun Filled days in the mountains, read on. This event is open to all Explorer Scouts (and Scouts over 13½), Scout Network and Leaders from all Sections within the County.

This is the first year that we are using online applications. Any correspondance will be via email, sms and this website.

To apply

Read through the details of Snow and Ice below, or speak to others that have been previous years to decide if this is for you.

Complete the online application, then within two weeks send the full payment. This should be in the form of two Cheques. (Cheque 1: £50 deposit. Cheque 2: £85 remainder, post dated 15/01/09). Please note that the flyer has the wrong date. Unsuccessful applicants will have these cheques returned. 

Await confirmation. This is will be on a first come, first served basis.

Enjoy the Snow in Scotland.

If you have any questions, feel free to email us on snowice@landactivities.com

You can follow your application and using the Who's Applied link.

Phase I

Up in Minibuses, Thursday Evening, 12th February; 4 mountain days, Friday to Monday; Return by Luxury Coach to Preston Bus Station, Tuesday Morning, 17th February.

Phase II

Up by Luxury Coach from Preston Bus Station – Tuesday Afternoon, 17th February; 4 mountain days, Wednesday to Saturday; Return by Minibuses, Sunday Morning 22nd February.

Venue

We will be based in the Cairngorm area of Scotland. Accommodation will be in Nethy House, Nethy Bridge, just north of Aviemore, with easy access to the Cairngorm Mountains and further a field. The House itself copes with a maximum of 67 in bunk style accommodation. Excluding staff, this allows us to have a maximum of 45 participants on each phase. Because of the expectation of being over-subscribed, participants can only attend one or other phase, however if anyone is interested in attending both phases, please make us aware at the time of applying.

Participants

Explorer Scouts, Scout Network and Leaders (all Sections) from the County wishing to develop their own experience or simply have a fun four days in the mountains will be very welcome. The Scottish Winters can be quite demanding and the distances that we generally are walking , means that any participant should be reasonably fit, at minimum is a regular walker, and is capable of long physically demanding days in the hills. Explorer Scouts (and Scouts over 13½) will be VERY welcome, as long as they are mature, fit, self-reliant, and a good sense of humour. There are SOME exceptionally fit 13½ year old Scouts, but generally youngsters only develop stamina around 15. Because of this, we ask, Explorer Scouts (and older Scouts) to check with your Leaders to affirm that they are physically capable of taking part and benefiting from this experience.

Travel

The plan is for Phase One to travel up in Minibuses - leaving the County by 17.00hrs on the Thursday. This should get us to Nethy House just before midnight. Based on 67, we will be arranging for five minibuses – pick up points to be arranged once we know who’s coming. It has been assumed that those at school/college will be able to get the extra day off due to the developmental nature of this experience.

Phase One will return by luxury coach to Preston Bus Station when Phase Two will be collected to arrive at Nethy House about 9:00pm on the Tuesday night. Phase Two will return early Sunday morning and be dropped off home. All times & pick-ups will be confirmed two weeks before the event via email and the website.

Equipment

You'll certainly need an ice axe and crampons. We have a good stock of spare axes and crampons – but anyone who has been on this programme for more than two years should really by now have their own. If your personal gear is designed for summer use you need to think about updating or borrowing… or getting for Xmas!  You will need a good pair of waterproof walking boots. Fabric/suede trainer-type or floppy boots are quite unacceptable, nor safe, nor suitable for the winter conditions expected. We have a stock of good quality Mountain Boots and Wind/Waterproof Jacket and Trousers. There will be a nominal hire charge of £5 (Boots) and £10 (Wind/Waterproofs) - pay in Scotland. Please reserve these when applying. For safety reasons, those with inadequate gear will be expected to hire ours. A full equipment list is available online, you'll find the kitlist.

Activities

This is dependent upon the prevailing weather conditions. This is NOT a “formal” training course and participants can very much choose their activities, apart from the first day when, for safety purposes, everyone is given a winter skills technical refresher. Experienced Mountain Leaders are available to provide Leadership and Instruction for Groups venturing into the mountains, and can help develop snow and ice techniques and navigational skills. We cater for walkers with both low level and high level winter walking, and climbers with gully climbing and ice climbing.

There will be opportunities to build snow holes which the more adventurous may wish to sleep in up on the plateau overnight, or walk to a mountain bothy for an overnight stay, or on a two day expedition through the Lairig Ghru or Strath Nethy from Braemar to Glenmore In the evenings there will be opportunities for further discussion and training, or just to have a good crack in the Nethy House bar.

This event is about providing an all-round mountain experience and as such there will be an opportunity on each phase for skiing. Whether that be on piste at either Cairngorm Mountain or the Lecht, back country in the Glenmore forests or ski mountaineering on the Cairngorm Plateau. All of these will be snow condition dependant.

Presentations on walking or climbing are held twice weekly at Glenmore Lodge: their fascinating lecture on avalanches is worth seeing! There will also be an opportunity for higher level Permit assessments with prior arrangement with Geoff, the County Land Activities Adviser. Over 18 Rules may be applied if required although, because you are participating in an organised event, we reserve the right to ask you to modify your intentions on the grounds of safety.

 

Leadership, Instructors & Safety

A team of experienced mountain leaders with backgrounds in Winter, Alpine mountaineering and Arctic Expeditions will be available for instruction, leadership and mountain supervision. Because of the potentially serious nature of some of the activities, everybody must agree to comply with any “recommendations” (instructions!) given. We again expect Andy Brown MIC BASI, the County’s Technical Mountaineering Adviser, to be with us.

Catering

This event is an all-in package - bunk accommodation, transport and food (haute cuisine from the 3rd Foot and Mouth). We provide from the time you arrive at Nethy House, to when you depart. Nosh-stops will be made on the journey and we suggest you supplement our packed lunches with a few of your own hi-energy food, cereal bars, Mars bars, etc.

Cost

The cost of each phase is £135. These costs are inclusive of accommodation, transport, food and equipment (excluding boots & wind/waterproofs). There will also be an additional cost for some activities like skiing or mountain biking for hire of equipment. Previous years we’ve been chasing money right up to the event, this year full payment is expected up front at the time of applying.

Polo Shirts

Participants will have the opportunity to purchase Dark Blue, West Lancashire Scouts Mountaineering Group Polo shirts, whilst on the scheme, with the SNOW & ICE logo as a souvenir. Previous years these cost £12 and we are expecting them to be similar this year, pay for them in Scotland. If you would like one, please add a note in with your cheques, so that an order can be placed.