Not exactly the best winter ever for climbing (though it definitely had its moments) but great as ever for walking and mountaineering. The Cairngorms were probably the only mountain range to maintain a reasonable snow cover throughout the season. There was always enough snow to teach the full gammut of basic winter skills without compromising in any way. Teaching winter climbing was a little trickier but if Cairngorm climbing conditions ever looked marginal, there was always the enticing option of a day exploring the mountains of the north west. Throughout the season we made 11 early morning trips north from Aviemore. A day up north gives a great finale to a Cairngorms based winter skills course.

January was predominately mild and stormy. There were a few cold snaps but none lengthy enough to speak of and a true 'base' of snow never quite formed in the Cairngorms. This can be frustrating, the mountains may look white but underneath the snow nothing is frozen or consolidated. This doesn't make for good climbing but does lend itself to mountaineering and in particular, exploring deep easy gullys where old snow often remains trapped to a low level (and sometimes even firms with the fluctuating stormy temperatures). The January gully hit list included Fuselage Gully on Beinn Eighe with Anne and Graham and Access Gully on Liathach with the Northern Ireland team.

Early Feb didn't start too great either. A fair amount of snow but the type that just gets blown around and remains soft. So with high pressure forecast, Dave and Dale's climbing course turned into a 4 day mountaineering road trip around Skye and Torridon. The trip included Easter Gully on Sgurr Sgumain and the route of the season, Deep South Gully on Beinn Alligan. Two days later and it was back to Torridon again with Colin, Martin and Matthew to make the most of the decreasing high pressure system. Just in time to climb the fantastically long Morrisons Gully on Beinn Eighe and witness a Torridonian sunset from the tops.

The weather remained temperamental throughout mid Feb with Paul and Martin managing only two days on the hill during their four day climbing course (a combination of a storm bound mountain and Guinness poisoning). It was a similar scenario for George and John's climbing course (85 mph winds) but with the saving grace of climbing the Haston Line and Oesophagus both literally choked with snow ice. The most exciting day of the season was definitely a very windy ascent of Archers Ridge on Sgorr Ruadh - a wonderfully remote mountaineering line rising out of Coire Lair and giving the combination of mountains, sea lochs and the ocean in the view from the top (...and only 1.5 hours from Aviemore).

There was a seismic change in the winter at the beginning of March. Suddenly, and without the typical weather patterns that normally precede changes like this, climbing conditions became exceptionally good in the Cairngorms. It meant Les and Carl could finish their guided climbing week with an utterly memorable day on Sidewinder. Conditions improved so much that the students I taught on the following week's Glenmore Lodge climbing course experienced the best conditions I've ever seen in the Northern Corries, hand on heart.

2007 could best be described as having a fickle winter, perhaps even indicative of winter's to come but still totally enjoyable and full of adventure. Okay, the higher routes on Ben Nevis were widely reported as being in very good nick (but were apparently mobbed). However, a true measure of the season was the poor ptarmigan, who's white winter plumage meant anything but camouflage for some unnerving periods of time. So if you'd like to learn some winter walking or climbing skills for these contemporary Scottish winters, the best place is undoubtedly the Cairngorms. The most dependable mountain region for good snow conditions, fantastic climbing and always having the option of making a bolt for the magical north if the weather looks good.