Ian Stephenson's Mountain Freedom Guiding Services

Archive - Follow this link to see details of trips from 2005 and earlier (Skye, Torridon, Peru, Glencoe, Spain)

Archive - Follow this link to see details of trips from 2006 (Glencoe scrambling, Club Aventure walking Scotland, Peru)

Archive - Follow this link to see details of trips from 2007 (Skye Cuillin, Glencoe + Skye walking with Hewlett Packard, Club Aventure "Lochs et Highlands", Skye High scrambling week, Guardians of Assynt mountain walking, Lakes photo shoot, South Glen Shiel Ridge)

Archive - Follow this link to see details of trips from 2008 (Skye Cuillin in winter, Glencoe, Cairngorms, Assynt, Arran, Skye Discovery, Western Lochs and Highlands, Ben Nevis,Heart of the Highlands from Newtonmore, Dutch on the CMD arete, Historic Glencoe, Skye High scrambling week, Ben a'Bhethir, Ben Sgulaird, Climbing on the Skye Cuillin, the Mamores)

Private Guiding, Glencoe - January 2009

Winter Munros in the Glencoe area, Ben a' Bheithir, Bidean nam Bian, Buachaille Etive Beag and Am Bodach in the Mamores. The weather was generally good with a very hard frost and a fresh fall of snow. Thick hard ice at all levels made for some treacherous conditions though. Follow this link to view all Ian's photos for this trip

 

Winter walking, Glencoe - February 2009

A quality day out on the gentler hills of North Glen Coe. Follow this link to view all Ian's photos for this trip

 

Winter Skills, Glencoe - February 2009

Despite the recent thawing conditions there was still plenty of snow about for our wee group this weekend in Glencoe. We looked at winter hazards, assessing the snow conditions, arresting slips and tumbles on snow, moving on steep ground and ropework skills for winter walkers. All great fun, and the "apres-snow" at Inchree was grand too! Cheers Ian for showing us all loads of useful and practical skills that we will use time and time again. A great skills course by a very knowledgeable mountain leader and a top all round bloke !!! Anyone wondering if these mountain courses are worth the money, well wonder no more. A brilliant weekend 10/10.(Paul, Hartlepool)
Follow this link to view all Ian's photos for this trip | Follow this link to view Paul's blog, photos and video for this trip

 

Winter walking, Glen Shiel - March 2009

A tentative plan to hit the Five Sisters of Kintail was a non starter due to the huge amounts of snow and generally not very safe conditions! Even going up on to A'Chralaig from Cluanie involved pushing through waist deep powder in many places. Scenically a beautifull day though and well worth the effort. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip

 

Stob Gabhar, Black Mount - March 2009

The Black Mount range lies between Rannoch Moor and Loch Etive. The recent springlike conditions gave a superb day on Stob Gabhar at the southern end of the range. Unusual views over to the Glencoe hills and lots of wildlife made this day especially memorable! Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip

 

Private Guiding , Ben Nevis- March 2009

Ben Nevis is never a soft touch and in its' winter coat presented a formidable challenge today. High winds, white-out conditions, iron-hard snow 2 metres deep, we had it all! It's a nice feeling to put all your skills into use to manage the day safely and our small group certainly had a memorable, very enjoyable day. Huge thanks for a fantastic day up a bloomin' evil mountain!! Ian was absolutely brilliant, a real gem - and very reassuringly adept in some pretty horrendous mountain-top conditions! He really was excellent and we were all so glad to have had him with us for the day. (Ceri, Carl and Rob, Bristol) Follow this link to view Carl and Rob's photos for this trip. This trip was run in conjunction with Mac's Adventure.

Isle of Skye Discovery - April 2009

Near perfect weather was an added bonus on this week of "gentler" walking on the Isle of Skye. A keen and fit group chose to push the boat out a little and we completed some more challenging walks than usual, such as going from Coruisk to Elgol over the "Bad Step" and an ascent of Bruach na Frithe. We also enjoyed some fine coastal walking at Rubha Hunish, the far northern tip of the island, as well as visits to abandoned villages of Suisnish and Boreraig, the Quirang, and Coire Lagan high in the Cuillin. This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. We had a fabulous time on Skye with Ian. He is a guide-extraordinaire! (Maggie, USA)
Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip. More pictures coming soon!

Glen Coe and Ben Nevis - May 2009

A very enjoyable long weekend taking in the Lost Valley of Glencoe, Britain's highest peak, Ben Nevis, and the Nevis Gorge and Steall Falls. Many thanks to Jimmy for his highland hospitality! This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. Photos coming soon!

 

Isle of Skye Discovery - May 2009

This week, it is fair to say, was not blessed with the fine weather of the April trip. High winds and heavy rain were very much in evidence but we still managed to have an enjoyable time exploring the coastline and mountains of Skye, and the wild weather gave a sense of grandeur to the proceedings. This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip.

 

Ben Nevis - May 2009

A superb blue-sky day for our party of 3 Canadians and 2 returning native Scots. The Ben was at it's most scenic today with just the right amount of snow to make things look truly alpine, a fresh wind on the summit adding to the excitement. Magnificent! This trip was run in conjunction with Mac's Adventure. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip.

 

Private guiding - Ben Nevis CMD Arete and Glencoe hills- May 2009

Despite some challenging weather conditions we had a superb day on the classic Carn Mor Dearg Arete route on the Ben, followed by a "rest day"(!) on the ridge of Buachaille Etive Mor in Glencoe. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip. Follow this link to view Lynn's photos for this trip.

 

"Skye High" - Challenging walking and scrambling c/w Isle of Skye Discovery - August 2009

Together with my colleague Doug, a "combined operations" group visited Skye, with a choice of more relaxing or more challenging options each day. The routes were not the only challenging thing this week! A very wet first day on Blaven was followed by a continually wet week. Our small select band pressed on regardless however, and enjoyed exploring Coire Bhasteir, Brach na Frithe, Coire Lagan, Coire Grunnda, sgurr Sgumain and the Sgumain Stone chute, as well as a bracing romp along the Trotternish Ridge! This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip. Follow this link to view Robert's photos for this trip.

 

Private Guiding -Glencoe and the Cairngorms- September 2009

Five days with a small Group from Canada, getting to know the Highlands, doing some research into single malt whisky, experiencing the changeable nature of Highland weather, and generally having a fun time! We visited the Lost Valley of Glencoe, Glen Nevis gorge and the Steall Falls, The Dalwhinnie distillery, Creag Meagaidh, Rothiemurchus Forest in the Cairngorms and Ben Vrackie above Pitlochry.This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. I want to especially thank you for matching us up with Ian as our guide. It was a privilege to spend a week in his company and to benefit from his knowledge of Scotland and of the world. He was able to match our walking abilities with the available hiking paths and the  ever changing weather conditions to produce a new and different experience in each of our walks. He really delivered a great week. (Ron, Canada)

 

Mountain Skills 4 day course - Glencoe - September 2009

The sun shone on our group of 5 mountain-goers all weekend! We spent our time looking at mountain skills such as route planning, navigation, emergency ropework and wilderness camping. Also we had several quality days out in the Glencoe/Nevis area with an ascent of Stob Coire nan Lochan, a day on Buachaille Etive Mor, a wild camp under Carn Mor Dearg and a traverse of the Aonach Eagach. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip.

 

Private Guiding - Trotternish Ridge, Skye - September 2009

The Trotternish Ridge is often overlooked for the more obvious superlative routes of the Cuillin, however the 15 mile section from The Storr to the Quiraing presents a not inconsiderable challenge with it's 2000 metres of ascent and largely trackless terrain. The views are out of this world, over to the Western Isles on one side and across the sound of Raasay to Torridon and the far North West mainland on the other. Today's team of Canadian ladies were more than up for the challenge, despite the high winds which made our traverse a rather elemental experience! This trip was run in conjunction with Mac's Adventure. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip.

 

Heart of the Highlands - September 2009

Our group of a dozen ladies experienced the full range of Scottish weather conditions on this week based in Newtonmore. During the week we visited Ben Vrackie above Pitlochry, Rothiemurchus forest, the Glen Feshie Hills, Creag Meagaidh, and the high tops of the Cairngorms as well as calling in at the Highland Folk museum, the watermill at Blair Atholl, and walking the Wild Cat Trail around Newtonmore.This trip was run in conjunction with Walkabout Scotland. I enjoyed my week in the Scottish Highlands very much. Our guide was awesome. He really seemed to enjoy walking around with a bunch of girls and showed us the sights and taught as a lot about the country. The walks were a great way to see the countryside and stay active all day so we could enjoy great food and beer at night. (Angela, USA)

Private Guiding - Skye Cuillin - September 2009

Some lucky people have been enjoying the autumn sunshine on Skye, with some glorious conditions to be had. There's something magical about picking your way along the crest of the Cuillin whilst below you the sea is ablaze with sunlight and the moors have turned to a rich golden carpet. This time of year you see lots of deer too, and the roaring of the stags gives the Cuillin an almost "Jurassic Park" ambience! Recent quality outings include a round of Coire na Banachdich, visiting the Inn Pinn, with ascents of Sgurr Dearg, Sgurr na Banachdich and a traverse of the ridge of Sgurr nan Gobhar, an ascent of Blaven, and a foray along to the south end of the Cuillin Ridge from Coire Grunnda. Follow this link to view Ian's photos for this trip .

 

Ben Nevis Adventure- November 2009

Demanding conditions with high winds and snow greeted this group, in training for a trip to Kilimanjaro later in the year. This trip was run in conjunction with Mac's Adventure . I just want to say - Ian was absolutely fantastic. I think any other guide might have turned back given the horrendous conditions we were climbing in but Ian knew how much we wanted to go up the mountain and managed to guide us safely up to the top and back down again. He was great fun to be around and his knowledge of hiking and the area were absolutely impeccable. (Sulata, London)

 

Private Guiding - Ben Nevis- November 2009

November is quite late in the season for a "summer" ascent of Ben Nevis, which today indeed proved to be pretty wintry- with snow above 700 metres. Nevertheless we forged ahead, chopping the odd step here and there, and made a successful ascent in some pretty demanding conditions. Trevor and I had the most amazing trek up Ben Nevis with Ian on Saturday, and Ian’s knowledge of Ben Nevis was very impressive and extremely interesting to listen to which helped take the strain out of the difficult parts of the trek.On the way up to the summit we met a few people coming down who didn’t make it as they were unsure of where to walk; so having our own guide ‘Ian’ made a huge difference, and as we got there the large snow flakes started to fall – fantastic it was like a winter wonderland. (Debbie, UK)

 

Winter skills - Glencoe - December 2009

A day organised for a Staffordshire mountaineering club, introducing members to winter mountain walking in Scotland. Sessions on topics such as use of the ice axe for self belay and self arrest, snowpack evaluation and building an emergency shelter were covered in a fun day out in the Glencoe hills.

 

Winter walking - Glencoe - January 2010

4 days of fun over New Year based in Spean Bridge. Our small group visited the north Glen Coe, Glen Nevis, and Creag Meagaidh areas and made an ascent of Buachaille Etive Beag. Conditions were intensely snowy and very cold, but mainly calm and bright. New Year was seen in at the dance in Invergarry Village Hall.

 

Private Guiding - Ben Nevis - February 2010

A 40th Birthday winter ascent of the Ben in hard icy conditions with next to zero visibility! The forecast high wind never materialised though so this was in fact a most enjoyable day!

 

Management Training - Arrochar - February 2010

A large group of staff from a national outdoor retail chain enjoying the hills around Loch Lomond, and getting familiar some of the equipment they sell.

 

Skye Cuillin - February 2010

Some lucky folk caught the nearly perfect and long-lasting conditions on Skye over the past couple of weeks, but all that snow has made for some careful assesment of the conditions at times!

 

Click here to go back to the Top Of This Page, or the Forthcoming Trips page