Mountaineering
Scotland’s mountains offer the best opportunities for summer and winter mountaineering in the UK. Magnificent cliffs, gullies and ridges abound. Whilst Scotland does not have permanent snow cover on its hills (as in Alpine regions of Europe) there are many opportunities in the Scottish mountains for ‘mountaineering’.
When does walking or rock climbing become mountaineering?
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One way to look at this is when the use of technical equipment becomes required in summer or winter for protection in case of a fall, then you have strayed into the realm of mountaineering.
With mountain cliffs up to 2,000ft in height, long complicated ridges and peaks with rugged rocky sections which cannot be bypassed simply on foot, mountaineering skills are required.
Mountaineering obviously encompasses climbing skills which are integral to the activity and many of the rougher parts of the Scottish hills offer great summer scrambling opportunities, but these pages will concentrate on winter mountaineering in Scotland and Alpine Mountaineering.
Rock climbing, scrambling, ski-touring and hill walking are described elsewhere:
- See the MCofS Visitors Guide to Rock Climbing
- See Scrambling information
- See Hill walking information
- See Ski-Touring information
On these pages you will find the following information:
