UWTSD Outdoor Adventure Education Students Return from Winter Expedition in the Scottish Highland

5 February 2026

Students from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Outdoor Adventure Education (OAE) programme have recently returned from their Winter Skills Expedition in the Cairngorms National Park, the UK’s largest national park, covering over 4,500 square kilometres of the Scottish Highlands.

Group shot of the OAE students in Scotland

The expedition is one of three annual trips offered as part of the course, providing students with a choice of outdoor and adventurous activity expeditions. These extra-curricular opportunities give students invaluable first-hand experiences and the chance to develop technical skills across a broad range of outdoor disciplines.

During the expedition, students took part in a comprehensive programme of winter mountain activities, including winter walking skills, crampon and ice axe techniques, weather and snowpack analysis, major and multiple Munro summits, and overnight experiences in bothies and snow holes.

Winter mountaineering in Scotland can deliver some of the finest mountain days anywhere in the world. Students experienced rugged, challenging terrain, the sharp bite of clean, cold mountain air, and crystal-clear views across spectacular snow-covered landscapes under blue skies. They also encountered the more demanding side of Scottish winter conditions, including howling winds strong enough to knock you off your feet, choking spindrift, and white-out conditions with near-zero visibility in thick, claggy cloud.

Alongside the practical elements, students also participated in classroom-based learning throughout the expedition. This included developing their ability to read and interpret snow and avalanche forecasts, adapt risk assessments in dynamic environments, and manage decision-making in challenging and changeable conditions.

Students who attended the expedition found the experience beneficial to their development.

Student Sam Chamberlain said:

“The Scotland expedition has positively impacted my confidence in winter environments and how it showed me that I can continue to develop my skills in outdoor environments.”

Will Jones, also an Outdoor Adventure Education student, added:

“The experience was genuinely inspiring, from the landscapes of the Cairngorms to the knowledge I acquired about winter mountaineering. Being immersed in that environment gave me a clearer sense of how the theory we learnt in the classroom connects to real-world practice, and it’s reinforced why I’m so committed to this field.

“The trip has already started shaping the way I approach my studies. I’m returning with a stronger sense of purpose, and a deeper motivation to push myself academically. It’s also helped me think more clearly about the kind of educator I want to become and how I will approach employment in the future. The expedition has shown me how real-world experience can be used to change the way we think and how I can make a meaningful impact on everyone.”

Student Steven Jones said:

“I’m filled with a deep sense of gratitude for having shared the experience with my new adventure family.

“OAE is so much about the preparation and detail associated with living in critical environments. I prepared myself and equipped myself better than I have before, and that for me is really the point in all honesty, for me being on the OAE course in the first instance.”

Student Rhein Mikaelson added:

“The expedition gave me the opportunity to build on my existing skills while developing a deeper understanding of winter mountain environments; from movement on snow and ice, to decision-making, weather awareness, and avalanche considerations. Being able to practise and refine these skills in real winter conditions, alongside such a supportive group, has been incredibly valuable for my development in outdoor education.”

Tom Moore, Senior Technician and Tutor for the BA Outdoor Adventure Education course, said:

“The OAE staff team love running our annual selection of OAE Expeditions. They are a perfect way to add value to the student’s university experience, by enabling them to acquire a broad range of vocational and technical skills, which, in turn, support and aid further development of students’ knowledge and understanding of their programme of study.”

To find out more about Outdoor Adventure Education courses at UWTSD, please contact Tom Moore t.moore@uwtsd.ac.uk

Images: Lucy Rose Davies, UWTSD BA Adventure Filmmaking graduate.