COLDLINEFormynex Mountain Check dates
November – April · Certified leaders only

Walk in
at first light

Guided winter traverses, snow-hole camps and ski tours. Six people to a leader, and we turn back when the mountain says so.

See this season Meet the leaders
Snowpack
Consolidated
Avalanche risk
3 — Considerable
Freezing level
720 m
Next window
Thu – Sun
This season

Eleven departures

Graded by the technical ground, not by how hard the day feels. Grade 1 needs no prior winter experience; grade 3 assumes you own an axe and know why.

A trekker on a snow ridge below a cloud layer Grade 1

First Winter Skills

Three days learning to move on snow: crampon technique, ice-axe arrest, and how to read a slope before you stand on it.

3 days 6 places 620 m/day
£540 incl. kit hireDates
An orange dome tent glowing among frosted spruce Grade 2

The Two-Night Traverse

A full ridge crossing with a night in a snow hole you dig yourself. The most requested trip we run, and the one people repeat.

3 days 6 places 940 m/day
£780 incl. all mealsDates
Snow-covered peaks in flat overcast light Grade 3

North Face Week

Six days of graded gullies and mixed ground. You need to lead grade III ice and be comfortable belaying in a storm.

6 days 4 places 1,200 m/day
£1,940 2:1 ratioDates
Boot prints leading into falling snow Grade 1

Navigation in Whiteout

Two days of pure navigation, deliberately run in bad visibility. Map, compass and pacing only — the GPS stays in the bag.

2 days 8 places 480 m/day
£320 no kit neededDates
Frosted spruce framing a distant range Grade 2

Ski Touring Basics

Four days on skins. Uphill technique, transitions, and one long descent on the last afternoon that makes the rest worth it.

4 days 6 places 1,050 m/day
£1,120 skis includedDates
Deep blue twilight over a snow shelf Grade 3

The Winter Round

Five summits in four days, self-supported, carrying everything. The hardest thing on our books and we vet every booking.

4 days 4 places 1,480 m/day
£1,480 vetting requiredDates
What you carry

Six things we will not lend you

01

Boots

B2 or stiffer, worn in over at least forty hill miles. Blisters end more trips than weather.

Yours, always
02

Waterproofs

A shell that has been tested in real rain this year, not one that lived in a cupboard since 2019.

Yours, always
03

Gloves

Three pairs. One thin, one warm, one spare that stays dry in a sealed bag no matter what.

Yours, always
04

Head torch

Two hundred lumens minimum, with fresh batteries and a spare set taped to the body.

Yours, always
05

Goggles

Category 2 or 3 lens. Sunglasses are not a substitute once spindrift starts moving sideways.

Yours, always
06

Flask

One litre, filled with something hot before you leave the car park. Non-negotiable in February.

Yours, always
Who takes you out

Nine leaders.
All of them local.

Every leader holds a Winter Mountain Leader award or higher, carries current first aid, and has worked at least four full seasons on the ground you will be walking.

  • Winter ML or IFMGA qualified, verified annually
  • 16-hour outdoor first aid, refreshed every three years
  • Avalanche assessment training, current season
  • Paid a day rate, never a per-head commission
A lit tent on a snow shelf at deep twilight
Second night of the traverse — camp dug by the group
Book a place

Tell us what
you have done before

Be honest about experience. We would rather move you to a different trip now than have that conversation at six in the morning in a car park.

How we run it

Maximum group size6 (4 on grade 3)
Weather cancellationFull refund or transfer
Decision to turn backLeader's, always final
InsuranceRequired, we check it
Deposit25%, balance 30 days out

If you have never used crampons, say so. It changes which trip we put you on, not whether we take you.