Winter Course

This is a one-week mountain activities course for up to 30 cadets, based at the ATC Adventure Training Centre at Windermere, in the Lake District. We always book a week in November for this course, making it the only one of our regular courses to take place during the school term. We know how difficult it can be for cadets to take time off school but there are good reasons for running the course at this time of year. For the benefit of parents and schools, these reasons are explained in a Course Summary, intended to help them decide whether to allow cadets time off to attend

The course programme features walking, climbing and mountain biking. The emphasis is on mountain-craft skills, including navigation, safety on steep ground, emergency procedures, and group leadership. We always have a staff-cadet ratio of at least 1:5, allowing us to give practical training to every cadet appropriate to his or her previous experience

Daylight hours are short in November, so we also have an evening programme of lectures and projects. These include briefings and debriefings on the day’s activities, and classroom training to improve technical skills and increase awareness of potential risks. We also conduct group projects through the week to study relevant topics, such as the effects of outdoor pursuits on the local environment and economy

Wing Adventure Training Technical Officer: Flt Lt John Smith RAFVR(T)         Web site by: Flt Lt Geoff Bowles RAFVR(T)       Last updated  13 January 2002