Great days, great ridges, great fun After a great experience with WCMG in January winter mountaineering we can back to do some classic rock routes. The weather lined up perfectly and we tackled some fairly sizable ridges that required the conditions. Ken was great as always, helping us move quickly and providing helpful advice along the way that we can take to our next experiences.

5 great days winter mountaineering Me and my partner booked 5 days private mountaineering with West Coast Mountain Guides in January. We were very worried as the week before as there had been no snow, however we were very fortunate and there was a huge dump the night we arrived in Fort William. We went out with Peter Stollery who was fabulous. The 5 days were really varied and we has a great time, learning... read moreMe and my partner booked 5 days private mountaineering with West Coast Mountain Guides in January. We were very worried as the week before as there had been no snow, however we were very fortunate and there was a huge dump the night we arrived in Fort William. We went out with Peter Stollery who was fabulous. The 5 days were really varied and we has a great time, learning winter snow skills, weather interpretation, avalanche awareness, as well as getting a few climbs in some very wintery weather. Peter is incredibly knowledgable and is always eager to share his experience, we had a really great time. We would certainly recommend West Coast Mountain Guides and Peter. read less

CIC hut (mid March 2020) Had an amazing week of winter climbing, which was professionally guided by Ken Applegate and Mark Scales. All the clients on this particular course were experienced winter climbers and we were well matched, allowing us to make the most of the excellent conditions and cram in so many classic grade IV/V routes over the week including: Minus Three Gully, Gutless, Minus Two Gully continuing up North East Buttress, Right Hand... read moreHad an amazing week of winter climbing, which was professionally guided by Ken Applegate and Mark Scales. All the clients on this particular course were experienced winter climbers and we were well matched, allowing us to make the most of the excellent conditions and cram in so many classic grade IV/V routes over the week including: Minus Three Gully, Gutless, Minus Two Gully continuing up North East Buttress, Right Hand Wall Route, Vanishing Gully continuing up Tower Ridge, Hadrian's Wall Direct and finishing the trip with the incredible Orion Face Direct. read less

CIC HUT WEEK WINTER CLIMBING COURSE A truly fantastic week with Ken and Mark. I can't believe how much we got done and how kind the conditions were to us. The guides knowledge of the mountain and routes was outstanding, which allowed us to make the most of everyday. I always felt safe and found the climbing, conditions, views and exposure amazing.
Definitely up there as one of my best climbing trips!
I have previously... read moreA truly fantastic week with Ken and Mark. I can't believe how much we got done and how kind the conditions were to us. The guides knowledge of the mountain and routes was outstanding, which allowed us to make the most of everyday. I always felt safe and found the climbing, conditions, views and exposure amazing.
Definitely up there as one of my best climbing trips!
I have previously been on three other trips around Glencoe, The Ben and in the Cairngorms, winter climbing with larger organisations. My experience with" West Coast Mountain Guides" stands out and exceeded my expectations. Ken and Mark love climbing and just wanted to get out there with us and get as much done as possible! read less

Private Guiding with Ian Fowler Top notch service. Excellent and tailor made winter guiding with tough routes and summiting Ben Nevis and Cairgoms. Highly recommend!

Quality Mountain Day with a Quality Company An outstanding quality mountain day (QMD) on 16 March PLD (pre-lockdown) with Dave and Ian from West Coast Mountain Guides. Ken runs a great company and is efficient, organised and responsive. First rate administration. Dave and Ian, our guides for the day, were both brilliant; knowledgable and highly professional, and also great company. And we would not have been able to do what we did (Schoolhouse Ridge, Ballachulish) without them,... read moreAn outstanding quality mountain day (QMD) on 16 March PLD (pre-lockdown) with Dave and Ian from West Coast Mountain Guides. Ken runs a great company and is efficient, organised and responsive. First rate administration. Dave and Ian, our guides for the day, were both brilliant; knowledgable and highly professional, and also great company. And we would not have been able to do what we did (Schoolhouse Ridge, Ballachulish) without them, not least given the ‘proper‘ Scottish winter conditions encountered.
Definitely highly recommended. I doubt there is a better guiding company in Scotland. read less

Great Guide. Great Communication before and during the course. Great Course. Booked a private, 2 day, winter mountaineering skills course with these guys.
Our team of 2 really liked Dave Barker’s approach. He gave good advice, showed very good judgement and was a safe pair of hands in somewhat challenging conditions.
He was clearly very experienced and his depth of knowledge, from research and experience was evident.
Our team had very different levels of experience and Dave was great with both... read moreBooked a private, 2 day, winter mountaineering skills course with these guys.
Our team of 2 really liked Dave Barker’s approach. He gave good advice, showed very good judgement and was a safe pair of hands in somewhat challenging conditions.
He was clearly very experienced and his depth of knowledge, from research and experience was evident.
Our team had very different levels of experience and Dave was great with both of them.
Dave's explanations were clear and he explained why he did things in a certain way, but gave alternatives if the boys wanted them.
His precise approach appealed to our group - one an engineer, one a scientist. They made a good team.
Both learned a lot and would willingly do a course with Dave again.
Both liked his personality too and enjoyed the time spent in his company. Dave had a great sense of humour which was essential in the weather conditions. Great that the wet weather gear performed well.
Book self catering accommodation as you may get an early start each day. The hotels don’t offer breakfast early enough!
Dave met our team at 7.30am at our accommodation each day, then took them to Glencoe from Fort William as local avalanche risks were high. The guide chooses the best location each day depending on conditions out there. They really know these hills.
There is a great kit list on their website.
They answered our emails promptly.
Would definitely book with these guys again! read less

Winter mountaineering course Had a brilliant week with West Coast. Did some amazing routes including schoolhouse ridge, ring of steall and dinnertime buttress. Andy was a great teacher and we learnt so much with regards to reading snow conditions, potential hazards on the hill, movement on steep terrain and becoming inpendent in the mountains in winter. To really get the most out of the course I would recommend having good hill fitness, It... read moreHad a brilliant week with West Coast. Did some amazing routes including schoolhouse ridge, ring of steall and dinnertime buttress. Andy was a great teacher and we learnt so much with regards to reading snow conditions, potential hazards on the hill, movement on steep terrain and becoming inpendent in the mountains in winter. To really get the most out of the course I would recommend having good hill fitness, It will make it so worthwhile. Thanks again for a fantastic week. The West Coast of Scotland has so much to offer. read less

winter climbing intro I did the 5 day intro to winter climbing course with Rich. Really great week, he was very safe and aware of how to avoid areas with an avalanche risk whilst still ensuring we got the best possible experience from the week.
He was happy to tailor the time to our abilities and what we wanted to achieve.
Would highly recommend booking with them if you want to push your... read moreI did the 5 day intro to winter climbing course with Rich. Really great week, he was very safe and aware of how to avoid areas with an avalanche risk whilst still ensuring we got the best possible experience from the week.
He was happy to tailor the time to our abilities and what we wanted to achieve.
Would highly recommend booking with them if you want to push your mountain abilities and generally have some really fun days. read less

Winter Skills Course Booked a winter Skills Day course. Excellent service from start to finish. Course instructor James was very informative and made the day really enjoyable. i feel more confident using my crampons and ice axe. Many Thanks

Highly recommend Conditions in Scotland can be highly variable in winter. Ken & West Cost Mountain Guides seem to be able to always find routes and things to do.

2 Day winter mountaineering skills course A fantastic 2 days of winter mountaineering with Dave Fowler. We had no experience of winter climbing and by day 2 we were doing some unbelievably fun grade 1 / 2 climbing with ropes, crampons and axes.
The weather was changing all the time and it was clear our guide had chosen places accordingly. Our guide Dave was a pleasure to be around on the mountain and clearly a top... read moreA fantastic 2 days of winter mountaineering with Dave Fowler. We had no experience of winter climbing and by day 2 we were doing some unbelievably fun grade 1 / 2 climbing with ropes, crampons and axes.
The weather was changing all the time and it was clear our guide had chosen places accordingly. Our guide Dave was a pleasure to be around on the mountain and clearly a top professional, allowing us to be challenged whilst feeling safe at all times.
10/10.
Stuart, Pete and Jonny read less