Private Mountain Guiding and Instruction

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

Guided winter mountaineering We booked 4 days of guided mountaineering. Booking was easy and Ken responded to all emails before booking concerning gear etc quickly. We had two guides, Niels and Mike. Both were professional, friendly and knowledgeable and went out of their way to ensure we got the most out of our days out. Highly recommend West Coast Mountain guides!

Excellent Grade II winter climbing and guiding We called West Coast a couple of weeks ahead of our planned long weekend on 14th-16th March 2020 and Ken was able to give us two different guides (Jamie and Jamie!) for both of our planned climbing days. We’re both coming back into climbing after a long time out so wanted to re-learn various skills and both of our guides were spot-on in their approach and choice of Grade II... read moreWe called West Coast a couple of weeks ahead of our planned long weekend on 14th-16th March 2020 and Ken was able to give us two different guides (Jamie and Jamie!) for both of our planned climbing days. We’re both coming back into climbing after a long time out so wanted to re-learn various skills and both of our guides were spot-on in their approach and choice of Grade II routes (Beinn a’Chaorainn on Day 1 with Jamie I and Dorsal Arête in Glencoe on Day 2 with Jamie II). The second climb was more testing due to the weather but having an experienced guide meant we could concentrate on the climbing whilst also learning about the decisions we needed to make on routes, avalanche risk, etc. Both Jamie and Jamie were really good company and were always giving us little bits of information as we went along. Highly recommended - we’ll definitely return to West Coast. Thanks very much! read less

Excellent couple of days guided winter climbing Had a great day in the Northern Corries, climbed 3 good routes in Sneachda. The next day was on the Ben climing V/6 on the Douglas Boulder. Tim's expertise meant we crammed in a lot of climbing, especially benefitial when navigating tricky avvy conditions on Ben Nevis.
Really good 2 days and would highly advise booking through them if you're looking to maximise you're available time. Thanks again.

Just what I was after The weather didn't look promising but thanks to Jamie's local knowledge, expertise and judgement we cracked two quality IVs on the Minus face - despite howling gales and snow high up and rain all the way down from the CIC hut. Add to that some intelligent conversation and general happy blether and it was exactly the day I was after. Thanks Jamie and thanks West Coast Mountain Guides.

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

Excellent mountain climb I found West Coast Mountain Guides to be extremely professional, great company and they had excellent local knowledge

Grade 4/5 guided winter climbing. Climbing with Malcom ..my guide for 4 days. Climbing higher grade routes....knowing that I was in very safe hands. Not made to feel that my amateur skills next to the professional..were embarrassing. Knowing Malcom went out of his way to find the best route for the conditions..

Quality Mountain Day with a quality outfit. West Coast Mountain Guides are simple a very professional and friendly outfit.
Our guides Ian and Dave filled us with confidence, in difficult weather conditions. They quickly identified the strengths and weakness of the group immediately set a pace and level of instruction to suit.
Our trip was cut short due to the Corona Virus but we will return to the Hills hopefully with Dave and Ian.
When... read moreWest Coast Mountain Guides are simple a very professional and friendly outfit.
Our guides Ian and Dave filled us with confidence, in difficult weather conditions. They quickly identified the strengths and weakness of the group immediately set a pace and level of instruction to suit.
Our trip was cut short due to the Corona Virus but we will return to the Hills hopefully with Dave and Ian.
When normality returns, I encourage everyone to come up to the Highlands and use WCMG.
Good Luck in these testing times 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