Cairngorm Adventure Guides

Did a 2 day winter skills followed by a 5 day winter mountaineering course. Instructors for each were amazing. I had 2 people called John throughout the week; both were really friendly and helpful. Definitely gives the confidence to go out and enjoy the winter without a guide. Well organised and the guy that runs the company is nice and seems to really care about the business and that people have a good time.

Completed a fantastic 5 day winter skills course in the first week of January. Lawrie, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and made sure that we experienced something different every day of the course, in all weather conditions. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting to experience the Cairngorms in the winter and will hopefully be back in the near future to try some mountaineering!

I did the winter walking week in February 2021 and thoroughly enjoyed it. The team at Cairngorm Adventure Guides were very friendly and very professional from the start. I'm 71 and although I've done a fair amount of challenging walking in recent years, it gets a little harder each year and so I had some concerns about my ability to complete 5 days of tough walking. However, I need not have worried. It was a small group and our guide, Lawrie, spent some time at the beginning of the week getting a feel for the capability of each of the group members and what they wanted from the week. He then tailored the week's activities to give the group the best experience possible. As expected we got some proper winter weather, but the wind was a particular problem for the whole week, often gusting at speeds that make exposed high-level walking difficult and potentially dangerous. Lawrie did an excellent job at finding routes that minimised the impact of the wind as far as possible and ensuring that whilst being challenged, we remained safe. Throughout, Lawrie was good company and very encouraging. I would certainly recommend Cairngorm Adventure Guides to anyone with a taste for adventure and who is reasonably fit, even if they are inexperienced and a little unsure about their capability.

We went on a half-day climbing trip near Aviemore with Cairngorm Guides and had a great experience! Dave took us out and was able to help coordinate with us last minute as well as work around our needs. He set up all the climbs we wanted, was super accommodating, and was fun to chat with as well. Highly recommend!

We had a brilliant experience with this company. Firstly, their service was exceptional. On our way to Inverness, our flight was cancelled and without any hesitation, Dave and his team offered to collect a hire ski equipment for us so that it was ready when we finally arrived for the tour. This was a way beyond the call of duty. The tour itself was exceptional. We did the ski touring beginners weekend. Our guide and teacher Rory was exceptional. His enthusiasm and knowledge was unmatchable. He made it a fun and informative trip, allowing us the safety to ask any questions and really learn more than we expected. The mountains themselves were plentiful of snow, despite forecasts, suggesting otherwise! I cannot highly enough, recommend these guys, and I know that we will be back. Thank you, Rory and Dave and the rest of the team.

Did a two day winter skills course in January 2023 and it was superb. Dave Chapman, our instructor, was very knowledgeable and attentive to the different needs/questions/abilities of the group. It was a perfect mix of (practical) learning about techniques, kit, weather/avalanche awareness, and navigation, as well as a good amount of actual hiking (we bagged Cairn Gorm on the second day). Can’t recommend highly enough.

I am a beginner mountaineer with high-altitude experience but limited technical skills. Because I aspire to climb unguided one day, I enrolled in both the 5-day 'winter skills' and the 2-day 'intro to winter mountaineering' courses with Cairngorm Adventure Guides. Even though my arrival in Inverness/Aviemore was delayed, I can hardly recount how much I learned over the course of my time with CAG. A one-day itinerary on the winter skills course with Dave included everything from navigation, to avalanche risk, to descending/ascending with crampons & and ice axe, to forecasting, and more. Because the weather conditions were so peculiar, Kevin adjusted the itinerary on the mountaineering course to incorporate many of the skills usually taught on the climbing course, including climbing with two ice tools! Otherwise the course included more advanced avalanche assessment & forecasting, working with more sophisticated equipment, anchor placement, belaying, ropework, among other skills. When the weather took a turn for the worse at the end of the final day (after climbing a grade II+ route in difficult conditions), we retreated from the hill and practiced advanced ropework to make the most of our time.It will take me several weeks of practice to internalize all the things I learned over the course of a few days with Dave and Kevin. When managing groups with different skill levels in the face of severe weather conditions, they displayed the utmost professionalism, commitment to safety, and--when dealing with a beginner like me--patience. I can't recommend CAG courses enough.

Fantastic Winter Skills experience with Dave and Cairngorm Adventure Guides. The weekend itinerary was well planned, safe and adventurous. Dave is an excellent leader, paying attention to the different needs of people and prioritising safety. We learned lots about preparation, navigation, safety planning and technical skills. We had the best time - highly recommend!

We asked Cairngorm Adventure Guides to take us out into the hills for a day of general winter skills and cold weather training ahead of a work project. The guides who took us out were extremely knowledgeable and professional, ensuring all our equipment was up to standard, and teaching a number of key skills through the day as we hiked through the hills.The weather did not play nice, but they did a great job of finding appropriate routes and places to stop and teach, as well as having a lot of fun.I would highly recommend CAG for anyone looking to get professional training in cold places, or just looking to go for a nice journey with some immensely experienced and professional guides.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ski touring course with Cairngorm Adventure Guides. Conditions were difficult but Dave and Charlie were brilliant. Knowledgeable, professional and good company.