Winter Mountaineering Course
Tatra Mountain - experience true winter!
The Winter Mountaineering Course is designed to equip you with essential skills for advanced trekking and scrambling in winter and alpine environments with the use of rope on steeper terrain. You’ll learn to use equipment like avalanche detectors, crampons, ice axe, rope in the context of moving together and emergency abseiling. Our main focus is to teach you greater mountain awareness, and to gain essential safety skills to survive in winter conditions. You’ll face difficult terrain and weather, all while having a great time practising your skills. This course will lay a strong foundation for your future growth as an alpinist.
Basic Information
Dates in 2025
14th – 17th January
4th - 7th February
11th – 14th March
8th – 11th April
Course price
€700
When only 2 people will book the course the price will increase to €750.
What's included?
Full support from our team when booking, a days of activities with qualified alpine instructor/guide, every day different program of winter mountaineering workshops and skills, all special winter mountaineering equipment:
avalanche set: avalanche device, shovel and probe
all climbing equipment (karabiners, slings, ropes etc.)
harness, crampons, ice axe and helmet
Gear You Need
mountaineering boots B1 or B2
waterproof jacket and overtrousers
softshell trousers
down or synthetic down jacket
base layers top and bottom
warm Polartec fleece
2 pairs of warm merino socks
mittens, five-fingers mountaineering gloves, thin inner gloves
hat or balaclava
35-45L day backpack
head torch, flask
Course Program
Day 1 (12:00 - 17:00 and 19:00 - 21:00)
Meeting at Palenica Białczańska car park /bus stop at 12:00. Trekking to the Morskie Oko hut, avalanche outdoor and indoor workshops, building snow shelter.
Day 2 (10:00 - 17:00 and 19:00-21:00)
Crampons and ice axe skills, self-arrest practice, top rope ice climbing/dry tooling climbing, evening workshop about climbing knots and rope work techniques.
Day 3 (10:00 - 17:00)
Winter ropework techniques, building stances for belaying using different snow and rock anchors, emergency abseiling off, team self - arrest.
Day 4 (8:00 - 14:00)
Moving together when roped on steep slopes and exposed terrain at grade II, possible summit attempt subject to weather conditions.
Please note that program and start/finish times of the course is subject to change due to weather, avalanche conditions or other factors.
Important informations
Flights and transport
Please book your flight to Kraków airport. Why not combine this course with a visit to this historic city? Stay in Kraków few days! From Kraków, you can take a regular bus to Zakopane (2h). To maximize your time and have stress-free travel we strongly recommend coming one day before and flying back the day after the course. Zakopane is a busy resort and traffic jams occur very often despite very good transport. From Zakopane regular local transport (minibuses) are going to Palenica Białczańska car park (the start of the Morskie Oko trail).
Our meeting and finish times
We will meet at Palenica Białczańska car par by the entrance to the Tatra National Park (small entry fee) on the first day at 12:00. After the course, you will hike back to the same place and you can easily order a taxi from the car park Palenica Białczańska back to Zakopane or use local transport. Please note that there is no option to leave extra luggage there. You need to arrange this service at Zakopane.
Mountain hut
We have pre-booked a friendly mountain hut “Morskie Oko” for our course. You will pay directly for the hut after your stay in cash, due to poor internet connection payment by card are not possible. The average price is €24 per night (bedding, towel and local green tax included). You can buy breakfast (around €12), dinner (around €20) and snacks at the hut. Boiled water is free. There is no cooking option without your own gas cooker. Since this is a bunk bed-style hut, you will share the room with others.
Experience of Instructor/Guide
The course is run by a very experienced English-speaking member of our Team. Instructor-to-student ratio: 1:4. Please note that you should buy travel insurance which cover high risk sports for the duration of the course.
Experience needed
To be able to take part in this course you should have summer/winter walking experience, some outdoor climbing experience would be great, definitely good fitness level is required.