Winter skills at Glenmore Lodge
It's a truism but one that bears repeating: winter hillwalking in Scotland is very different to summer hillwalking. The physical and mental demands are far higher, daylight is scarce, the margins for error slimmer. It's colder, stormier, and, of course, there are avalanches. As a youngster I didn't know or care much about the risks: I just wanted to get out there. And I got into situations that I know now were dangerous. In more recent years, and each passing winter roll-call of accidents and fatalities, I've subconsciously avoided challenging myself in winter as I mull over how it all could have turned out much worse. Becoming a parent hasn't helped either. So, winter walks have tended to be on modest hills, by the gentlest routes, on the most benign days. But, but... I miss those snow-plastered cliffs and cornices, the sting of graupel, the crunch and squeak of snow under boots, the late low sun and long shadows, and the way the lower jaw goes so numb it's har