Glen Etive Winter Adventure
Key Information
Dates:
6 Feb - 13 Feb 2027
Duration:
6 full days, 7 nights
Accomodation:
Self-catered
Physicality:
Hard
Group Size:
5 clients
Price:
£1840 (£700 Deposit)
This workshop is fully booked. Please sign up to the mailing list or email me.
What to Expect
This is a one-of-a-kind workshop combining photography with winter mountaineering under the guidance of Winter Mountain Leader Rich Pyne. It allows novice hikers to photograph the Scottish Highlands at their snow-covered best. This year we will be based out of a comfortable self-catered lodge in Glen Etive at the foot of some of the finest mountains in the West Highlands. Our base allows us to photograph mountains that are rarely visited in the winter, and certainly never by photography groups. With just 5 clients and two leaders this is a small group with plenty of opportunity for 1-to-1 time both on the mountains and back at base.
On this trip you will have the opportunity to progress your landscape photography whilst at the same time learning how to travel safely in the winter mountains. I have been working with Rich Pyne for over a decade now, he is a highly experienced winter guide, but he also understands what we are after as photographers, allowing us to push the envelope a little to get the shots we are after, whilst keeping safety at the forefront. So if the weather gods allow, we will be aiming for a sunset or two from a mountain top, with Beinn Starav being top of my list.
The photos below are mostly from the Glencoe/Mamores area and highly representative of the mountain landscapes we will be trying to capture!
Itinerary
The itinerary will be entirely flexible with no set plan for the trip. The description below gives you an idea of what might typically happen. There is almost always a couple of days of bad weather and the shooting opportunities are limited to lower levels, in past year based in Glencoe we've always found good days to get up high. You'll notice that very few of my winter images are taken at sunrise and sunset, partly because you have to be lucky to get them and partly because stormy light is often preferable anyway!
Saturday: Meet for dinner and go over plans for the coming day, with a vague idea of how the week might proceed!
Sunday: Early start to go for a mountain hike - bad weather sets in so we get up to the snowline and do some winter skills - return before dark.
Monday There's a good forecast from noon so we focus our attention on sunset and getting up a mountain with plenty of time. We have plenty of time for breakfast and a coffee and head off at 10am. We stay for sunset and head down in the dark.
Tuesday: Terrible weather - we head out anyway for a low level walk. The weather is so bad we turn back. In the afternoon and evening I run a series of 1-to-1 processing sessions.
Wednesday: We've saved what looks to be the best weather of the trip for Beinn Starav. Its a windy, cloudless day and we head up in the morning reaching the summit just after lunch. We stay for a couple of hours of afternoon photography and head down in the late afternoon to get below the snowline before dark.
Thursday: An overcast day with light showers. With everyone tired from the day before we have an easier low level day. When the cloud breaks we get some glimpses of the mountains with occasional moments of sunlight making for dramatic photographs.
Friday: We get lucky with the weather forecast and meet at 4.30am to do a mountain hike before sunrise. We shoot in broken cloudy conditions in the afternoon. The photography portion of the trip ends, but we have a final night in our accomodation.
Saturday: The trip ends in the morning and I will drive south. The accomodation is booked for an extra night if you wish to stay.#
Tuition
There will be plenty of 1-to-1 time both on the hill and back at our accommodation. I'm equally comfortable teaching beginner or advanced photographers. Hopefully the printing aspect will add an extra dimension to the trip. I will be bringing my Canon Pro-1000 so you can all go home with some nice A3 prints of your work. Below is a selection from a previous autumn trip in Torridon. Those of you who have print collections or images to share with the group are encouraged to do so.
The winter skills portion of the trip will cover boot and crampon technique, ice axe use and self-arrest, winter specific equipment advice, weather interpretation and avalanche awareness. We usually experience a variety of snow conditions at different elevations and you should finish the trip with the skills to hike safely in the winter highlands.
Fitness and Experience
You should have done a mountain or two in the past and have reasonable overall fitness but you don’t need to be an athlete. More important than fitness is enthusiasm and a sense of adventure. We are likely to be out all day in the cold and if rolling around in the snow practicing self-arrest techniques sounds like fun this could be the trip for you!
Equipment
Clothing should include baselayers, mid-layers, a down jacket, possibly synthetic insulation for when its a bit wetter, full waterproofs (jacket and trousers), hat, thin gloves, thick gloves and B2 boots (stiff winter boots that take a crampon). B2 boots are required because they are MUCH better on snow whether using crampons or not, the lack of flex means that they can be used to kick steps and take your weight without bending and sliding out of the slope (to be explained on the course!). Walking poles are extremely helpful, and goggles are a necessity if we are walking in the snow in strong winds.
Crampons, ice axe and helmet can be rented cheaply from myself or Richard and in Fort William. However these items will last a lifetime so if you think this is something you'll be interested in long term you might choose to buy! B2 boots may be something you want to look into buying, but again they can be rented relatively cheaply at outdoor shops.
I would recommend keeping camera kit simple – an SLR, a wide-angle lens, a telephoto lens, filters and a tripod. A 24-70 or 24-105 can be particularly useful on challenging days where there may be excellent photographic opportunities but its difficult to change lenses!
Transport
I may be able to assist with transport from and back to Glasgow. Please let me know when you book if you need a lift! Once you're at the accomodation transport will take care of itself!
Accommodation
Accommodation is included. We will be staying at Glen Etive Lodge, it's spacious and well appointed, easily accommodating our group. There are 3x king rooms and 3x twin rooms (I will take whichever room isnt booked). Having our own base for the group is in my opinion far preferable to basing ourselves out of a hotel. There is a more communal atmosphere, more opportunity to learn from one another, and complete flexibility over our schedule (we don't have to rush back for a dinner reservation!). Aside from that the location really is superb! See this link if you want to see where we are going! Glen Etive Lodge
Food
We will be self-catered throughout the trip. If you'd like to cook a meal for the group that would be greatly appreciated (nothing fancy required!) but we will arrange all this closer to the time.
Payment
This workshop is priced at £1840 for a twin room (single occupancy), or £1940 for your own King room. A £7000 deposit is required to book your place.
This workshop is fully booked. Please sign up to the mailing list or drop me an email.
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