2. Navigation

Route-finding in the high mountains can be a tricky business. Added to the trouble of snowcover hiding way-markers, signs, notable features, and the often exasperating disappearance of the ‘trail’ on rock (as opposed to earth), the weather can always decide to take a turn for the worse and make things a whole lot more complicated and interesting by far. Compass and map-reading skills and the ability to navigate in low to zero visibility are things you don’t want to head into the mountains without having mastered.