Equipment List

Waterproof jacket
Waterproof trousers- with side zips
Socks- warm pair plus lighter pair and spares
Thermal tops/t-shirts- made of synthetic materiel (i.e. not cotton!)
Softshell jacket- or equivalent light insulating layer
Mountain trousers- light/mid-weight trekking or climbing trousers (leggings are okay in good weather)
Thin gloves- windproof ‘hard fleece’ model is good
Hat or buff- must fit under a helmet
Spare warm layer–fleece or lightweight synthetic jacket

Water bottle- 1 litre minimun
Headtourch
Map, compass & whistle- Not essestial as your guide will have them but useful.
Small personal first aid kit- medication, blister plasters etc.
Sunglasses, suncream & sunhat
Rucksack- 30l to 40l is perfect
Mountain boots or approach shoes

Boots- for climbing and mountaineering courses stiff, crampon compatible boots are required. They should have a stiffness rating of B2 minimum for mountaineering and B3 minimum for climbing courses.
Crampons- should have 12 or 14 points and be compatible with your boots. Clip-on heel crampons and front can easily be fitted on most modern B2 and B3 boots. Whilst older traditional strap-on crampons are okay, they are less easy to fit in cold windy conditions. We recommend anti-balling plates and cutting your straps to a suitable length (be careful not to go too short).
Ice axe- for winter climbing, two technical climbing axes (40-50cm) are required. Most folk these days use ‘leashless’ tools, which means not having traditional wrist loops, but will be attached to their tools via a lanyard or spring-leash. For mountaineering a single axe (50-60cm) is required.

Bivi bag- ideally a lightweight Gore-Tex or other breathable fabric bivvi bag. Alpkit offer good and reasonably priced bags.
Sleeping bag- this should be a light-weight 2 or 3 season bag.
Sleeping mat- either a closed cell foam mat (karrimat) or a small Thermarest style mat.
Meals- for breakfast and dinners, dehydrated packets, available from most outdoor shops are ideal. Avoid already hydrated meals as these are heavy. You will also need two days worth of lunch and snacks (energy bars/dried fruit). Your guide will bring a stove and gas, which you may need to carry.
Spoon & mug- both lightweight as possible.

Harnesses, helmets, belay devices and slings can be lent from Inspired Guides.

Boots, crampons & ice axes - these can be rented from Scottish Mountain hire or Ellis Brigham (Fort William) and Tiso (Aviemore)

Rock Shoes - these can be rented from Plas y Brenin (Capel Curig)