Ski touring without the machismo: a women-led weekend on Cairngorm mountain, Scotland

Ski and snowboard touring can be intimidating for novices. We join a two-day workshop that aims to make the sport more accessible

The closer we get to the summit, the harder the wind blows. When it fills the sky fills with tiny ice pellets picked up from the upper slopes, we seek shelter beneath a bank of snow. We have a decision to make. Continue our ascent of Cairngorm mountain or switch our kit back to snowboards and skis, and ride down from here instead.

We’re on an introductory weekend to ski touring, the sport where you attach sticky but removable “skins” to the base of your skis so you can walk uphill. In my case, though, it’s splitboard touring: I’m on a snowboard that splits in two, allowing me to climb, with skins, like a ski tourer.