Mountaineering

For all your Winter Skills for mountaineering and climbing ambitions I can assist you. I am a fully qualified Mountaineering Instructor and Winter Mountain Leader. A range of winter skills courses is available based in the Scottish Highlands.

2 Day Winter Skills Training

This is your first step to enjoying the mountains in winter. These 2 days will leave you feeling confident with the use of ice axe and crampons, winter navigation and coping with winter weather. You will gain avalanche awareness, as well as how to generally equip yourself for the hills at this magical time of year. The course is flexible to account for the level of development of the students. Your group will be a maximum of 2 students to 1 instructor.

  • Included: Qualified Instruction and Attendance certificate
  • Pre-requisites: Summer Hill walking experience is an advantage.
  • Cost: £350ea – Book Now

5 Day Winter Skills Training

Everything that is in the 2-day winter skills course, plus we will develop an in-depth practical knowledge of all the skills required to move about the mountains in Winter conditions, competently and confidently. Each day will involve a mountain journey to put the skills into practice. We may incorporate an overnight in the mountains depending on conditions. Your group will be a maximum of 2 students to 1 instructor.

Included: Qualified Instruction and Attendance certificate
Pre-requisites: Summer Hillwalking days of 6 to 8 hours experience is an advantage.
Cost: £700ea – Book Now

Client Feedback

Great course, lot learned but also had funMichal Benko16/11/2021
Had a fantastic time doing ADP with Mark. A really well run (and fun!) course with a great team of instructors. Really appreciated the focus on being a good diver all-around (and having a good set of core skills) as much as on the course-specific skills.Phoebe Hudson15/11/2021
Did a two day Accelerated Deco course with Mark as course lead instructor & instructor for my group. Very knowledgeable and shares from his experience across different diving agencies & lines of work, I appreciated the direct but fair style of teaching. Would definitely recommend.Cameron Blackwell15/11/2021
Mark ran an Accelerated Decompression Procedures course that I attended. He went above and beyond to help me meet the required standard and address shortcomings beyond the scope of the course. His instructing skills are excellent, passion is clear and he makes a serious point of ensuring his safety equipment is top of the range. Will be coming to Mark for more training soon!Leo B14/11/2021
I signed up to do the “Twinset and ADP” course because I wanted to become a safer, more proficient and confident diver. After three days with Mark I have the tools and skills to do this. I found parts of the course physically and mentally challenging and was at times very tired, stressed and frustrated. Mark worked through these barriers with me patiently, filling in the gaps in my previous training and revisiting the basics when my confidence and concentration faltered. I completed the course with a renewed confidence and enthusiasm for diving and a clear sense of my next steps - in terms of reinforcing and developing my skills, along with further opportunities to do this with Mark’s support. I highly recommend Mark’s training to anyone wanting to progress their diving.Sue Lakin07/09/2021
Mark is a fantastic instructor with a wealth of experience and a straight forward attitude. I had a great time with him and improved a huge amount. I thoroughly recommend any course to anyone looking to improve themselves.Simon King22/08/2021
Great Experience, We enjoyed the diving in and around Milford Heaven. Excellent skipper and crewJames Jones21/08/2021
I went on a ML Adventure on a 4 day BSAC Expedition aboard the Scavenger Dive Boat. The Skipper and crew were outstanding. I look forward to my next adventure with them Thank you for a wonderful experienceGregory Bonds19/08/2021
5* all the way! Had a fantastic 4 days diving from the scavenger. Mark and crew always on hand to help, or with a hot drink and mini rolls after a dive. I even managed to rip my drysuit wrist seal on the first day so accepted I may be out of action for a few days, but Mark was amazing and found me a drysuit to use so I didn't miss a single dive! Highly recommend and will definitely be back again next year!Sophie Roscoe18/08/2021
Just spent 4 days diving on Marks boat. I can not fault Mark and his crew for going above and beyond what some dive skippers would do. The boat configuration is different than I am use to but it is functional and can handled the sea far better than some I have been on. As I said our goodbyes, the comment I made to Mark was, would I use him again. The answer was YES.Mike Turner18/08/2021
Spent 4 days of diving and training with Mark, great skipper very experienced, always willing to help and assist you with your dives. Manages to get to sites when the other operators can't 👌Stephen Dorricott17/08/2021
Met Mark for the first time this last weekend as I joined him as a qualified BSAC OWI, looking to extend and expand on my experience as an instructor. Mark was running an ADP course and invited me to observe with a view to picking up the instructor qualification. Mark is an immensely competent, experience and qualified instructor, and just seems to bring out the best in everyone. He has a very calm and relaxed approach, yet still managed to instil masses of useful an relevant information into his lessons. Having already qualified as an ADP diver, I felt I still learned loads from my brief time with Mark and look forward to similar opportunities in the future. BSAC is very much about club diving and learning from those around you, but if you get an opportunity to learn from someone like Mark, grab it in both arm!Johnathan Hudson11/08/2021
Advanced Decompression Procedures, just had a fantastic weekend with Mark Lewis Adventures, I learnt so much and really appreciate the honest feedback. Mark was very professional, patient & supportive.Steve Hopper11/08/2021
Mark was amazing. Very calm and interesting! We were a group from age 13-45 and all of us found him easy to learn from. We were so lucky we found him. I would not hesitate to do another course with him. Thank you.Tessa Lamb17/07/2021
Thank you Mark. The way you organised our scuba diving trips was absolutely perfect! On top of that amazing knowledge about local waters.Greg N06/07/2021
Exceptional coach / instructor with extensive subject matter knowledge and overall expertise. Thoroughly recommended.Chris bates11/06/2021
Mark was amazing from start to finish, the first day of ADP was a real eye opener on my own personal diving skill, Mark’s tips on neutral buoyancy whilst task loading helped massively Mark knows when to have a laugh and when to be serious which made the whole course enjoyable. I was that impressed the the structure of the course, I’ve requested to book onto more to furthermore improve my diving skill Thanks again Mark 10/10Liam Gill10/06/2021
Highly recommend Mark, always by your side and always makes you feel safe. Very patent and always there for when you need help. Will defiantly use you again Mark! Thanks again bud, I really appreciate it!!Richard Seager09/06/2021
Great week of BSAC diver training with Mark in Pembrokeshire. He tailored the course to suit what I wanted to achieve, and kept me on my toes throughout without overwhelming me with info. All round nice bloke, and an excellent instructor. Thanks very much!Edward Foster01/06/2021
Absolutely thrilled with my first scuba diving experience! I completed a full weekend of entry level open water diver training and although rather nervous to start, the instructor, Mark, quickly put me at ease. Knowledgeable, patient and with a good sense of humour, Mark made each session fun and just the right level of challenging. He has also been extremely helpful suggesting which equipment to purchase and how to go about developing my diving skills. Highly recommend!Lara Winsloe28/04/2021
Really enjoyable Ice Diving Course. Friendly, professional, thorough and good safety briefing. Course modified appropriately for COVID19. Would definitely recommend.K Mackay11/02/2021
Yasmin Roubi09/02/2021
Myself and a friend hired Mark to deliver a twinset course combined with a bouyancy and trim workshop. On agreeing dates to start the training Mark sent us over information packs giving us directions of the venue, kit list and what to expect during the course. The course location was superb and had all the facilities we needed to maximise the course potential. Mark hired us a shelter which meant we could run through some drills on land comfortable and warm, prior to getting wet. Marks covid instructions were clear and adhered too, I felt safe at all times. The dive training itself was superb, Mark has high standards and doesnt just hand out certificates unless earned. I've left the course competant in using a twinset correctly, my safety stops are far better and my Sac has reduced from the bouyancy improvements. Between sessions Mark would reply swiftly to text messages and provide advice on gear setup. Very happy with the service and would not hesitate to use againMark Davies15/01/2021
I recently had some really great Twin-set (and B&T) training with Mark at Vobster Quay. Twin-sets are his bread and butter. He lives and breathes diving. I went away feeling safe and confident to progress on my Twin-set. And look forward to booking future events to progress further. I can’t recommend Mark highly enough!Steven Delaney01/11/2020
Mark is an exceptional diving instructor. I have done a few courses (BSAC, TDI) with him and each has been worthwhile, they are well led, enjoyable, but most of all they have developed my ability and confidence in the water. A couple of months ago I transitioned to sidemount diving and I feel that I am now a competent and safer diver thanks to Marks thorough guidance. See you soon 😃Conor Walsh28/10/2020
Having just completed another course with Mark Lewis this past weekend it was another enjoyable and memorable experience, with lots of valuable learning experiences thrown in. It is always a pleasure to train, dive and explore new diving and mountaineering locations with Mark from the wrecks of Scapa Flow to the mountains of the Lake District along with exploring the bottom of Red Tarn 718m above sea level.John Taylor26/10/2020
Having Met Mark for the first time at Vobster to do my advanced deco course Mark helped me reconfigure my kit to make my diving easier and also having the patience of a Saint to do with my bad habits He showed me a much better way of diving and his knowledge was extremely good and would definitely recommend Mark for doing Technical training Will definitely be putting into practise what I have learnt from himAllan Morris26/10/2020
Mark has a ‘can do’ mentality and makes everything work well. Safety approach is also A1. Diving from diveboat Scavenger was a great experience and one we will repeat very soon. Book with confidence.Mike Smith SCUBA22/10/2020
Just finished a two day boat handling course with mark Lewis and it was great. Mark incorporated lots of the theory into practical sessions on the boat, which suited me perfectly. We had a selection of divers on the boat, which meant that we could test our skills in real-time with real scenarios. Mark made sure that we understood what we were doing and made us work hard, so it didn't feel like I was just badge collecting. If you are thinking of doing a boat handling course, come here!mark upton22/07/2020
I did a Technical Diving International (TDI) advanced nitrox and decompression procedures course with Mark last year. This is an entry-level technical SCUBA diving course (advanced by recreational standards) wherein students are taught how to safely and efficiently conduct dives to a maximum depth of 45m using high-oxygen gas mixes to minimise decompression. The course was well-structured and I thought Mark and his assistants were very professional. With diving courses, especially more advanced ones involving deeper diving, it is essential that the instruction is of high quality - it gives students a sense of assuredness that should an emergency occur, they’d be in safe hands. And this was certainly the case with Mark, who exudes professionalism and has a wealth of experience in other areas besides diving instruction, such as advanced first aid, commercial diving and professional skippering/ boat handling. I felt relaxed and confident in the quality of the training I was given. Another point worth mentioning would be how efficient and well-coordinated the course was, and how adaptable Mark was to change. The course was taught over a few days, going between NDAC (Chepstow) and Mark’s own boat Scavenger, which was based in Falmouth (Cornwall) at the time (approx 4 hours drive between the two sites). After our first training day at NDAC, I stupidly left my fins, mask and hood behind, and only realised this the following morning when we were in Falmouth preparing for our first dive! Mark quickly organised getting me replacements from a local dive shop so that our schedule wasn’t disrupted, and even collected my gear from NDAC when he returned there a few days later! Overall, a brilliant course taught by a friendly, highly-professional guy!Edward Coles18/07/2020
Having adventured with, trained with, and supported Mark on many of his pursuits, I can honestly say that you would struggle to find a more hard working, conscientious and genuinely adventurous instructor and buddy. 100% recommended.Adam Wedgbury28/06/2020
I've had the pleasure working with Mark a number of times from West wales' Brighton and Cornwall he is a excellent experience diver mountaineer who takes his work seriously he is a excellent teacher in all aspects work 😁.Scott Davies08/06/2020
Mark delivered excellent film material to the BSAC on line hub to support members in their understanding of how to set up a Twinset harness, rig a stage cylinder and reach to perform shutdown drills. Mark is a very experienced Twinset and OC Mixed Gas Instructor which is why he was asked to deliver this training material. Mark knows his subject in depth, delivers promptly and produced a professional product. I have outsourced dive training to Mark on numerous occasions and would highly recommend him to anyone considering dive training.mark paisey04/06/2020
Julian Dicker04/06/2020
Mark Lewis is a really professional scuba diving instructor who specialises in technical diving, but also has abundant experience in recreational diving. I first did my BSAC Twinset Diver course with Mark back in last June, from there Mark guided me into technical diving gradually. I would recommend anyone who's considering to do a scuba course at any level do it with him.Angus Young04/06/2020
Mark is a great tutor and instructor, be that on the surface or underwater. He is exceptionally calm and will always find a teaching method that works for each individual. I've thoroughly enjoyed both attending and working alongside Mark on scuba diving and related courses over the past few years and very much look forward to doing so again in the future. (John Barton, British Sub Aqua Club Regional Coach - Yorkshire)John Barton04/06/2020
Myself and a couple of others from Merseyside Sub Aqua Club had the privilege of Marks practical instruction at the NDAC. The weather was very cold, snow on the ground, us trying to use heated vests (not Mark!), but he undertook to lead us very sensibly and knowledgeably through the course, leading to the assessment dives required for the BSAC Sports and Explorer Mixed Gas course. No nonsense approach and very easy to get on with!Raymond Cramer03/06/2020
I've attended several BSAC training courses with Mark. I've enjoyed them immensely, although they were both pretty challenging. Mark is professional, has huge experience and great practical knowledge. Mark has a great teaching style. He brings real-world knowledge and experience to bear to ensure you understand why you are learning something and how to apply it. I highly recommend him for your dive training needs.Jonathan G S Flood03/06/2020

Other mountain options;

My mountain related blogs are here;

My Accreditations

Check out Mark’s accreditations and qualifications with the governing bodies below;

For mountaineering, Mark is a qualified Mountaineering Instructor and a full member of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors.

Mark specialises in open circuit diving. He is a qualified technical instructor with Technical Diving International (TDI) to Trimix levels and with British Sub Aqua Club (BSAC) to advanced Trimix levels.

Mark is a First Aid and Health & Safety trainer accredited with NUCO Training, ProTrainings and QualSafe.

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