Focused, practical skill days
Focused private coaching, built around where you are now and what you want to improve. Coaching is for people who want to work closely on a particular part of their climbing or mountaineering. We start with your current experience, identify what will make the biggest difference and build the session around the right terrain, objectives and feedback.
From climbing movement, trad systems and multi-pitch efficiency to navigation, summer mountaineering, winter skills and leadership development, the focus is on helping you understand what to change and giving you the tools to keep progressing independently.
Which is right for you?
Go somewhere
A private mountain or climbing objective with an experienced guide.
Improve something
Focused practical development around a particular skill, system or area of performance.
Build a longer-term plan
Structured support over three or six months combining review, planning and practical development.
Coaching is hands-on and built around you. We agree what you want to improve, then work on it together out in the mountains, with feedback throughout.
Choose your package
Coaching is personal and practical: focused time with an instructor to sharpen your technique, movement and confidence. Different durations are available to suit your goals - from a single focused day to a five-day development programme. Not sure how much time you need? Tell us what you are working towards. We will recommend the shortest programme that genuinely gives us enough time to work on it properly.
| Summer | Winter | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | £320 | £350 |
| Two people | £350 | £400 |
Best for: One clear skill, system or performance area. A focused day to identify what matters and make practical changes.
| Summer | Winter | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | £600 | £675 |
| Two people | £675 | £775 |
Best for: Connecting skills and applying feedback. Day 2 gives time to revisit, refine and use the learning in a different context.
| Summer | Winter | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | £900 | £1,000 |
| Two people | £1,000 | £1,150 |
Best for: Meaningful progression across several connected areas, with enough time to practise, review and build consistency.
| Summer | Winter | |
|---|---|---|
| One person | £1,400 | Bespoke quote |
| Two people | £1,550 |
Best for: A deeper personalised programme. Five linked coaching days arranged around your objectives and suitable Private Availability; they do not need to run consecutively.
All prices are total booking prices: the 1:2 prices cover two people together. Multi-day packages are linked coaching programmes, and the days do not need to be consecutive. The standard five-day package is for summer coaching; five-day winter programmes are quoted individually.
Choose the area you want to develop
Choose the area you want to develop and we'll build the session around you, your experience and the terrain you want to master. Coaching is based in the Lake District, and winter coaching in the Cairngorms around Aviemore. The exact venue is agreed with you around your objectives, experience and the conditions.
Available coaching areas and locations:
Movement, confidence, route choice and becoming more efficient on real rock.
Protection, decision-making, route reading, lead head and building confidence towards more independent leading.
Belays, transitions, rope management, efficiency and decision-making on longer routes.
Available coaching areas and locations:
Focused work on the navigation skills you actually need to improve - from contour interpretation and relocation to poor-visibility decision-making.
Movement, judgement, route choice and ropework on steeper mountain terrain.
Bringing climbing, scrambling, ropework and mountain judgement together for bigger technical days.
Available coaching areas and locations:
Axe and crampon movement, snowcraft, navigation and better winter decision-making.
Roped movement, winter systems, snow belays and tackling steeper winter terrain efficiently.
Movement, protection, rope systems and decision-making for progressing winter climbers.
Available coaching areas and locations:
Targeted practical coaching for candidates between Training and Assessment, built around the areas that need the most attention.
Focused coaching around specific development needs, feedback or deferred elements where appropriate.
Coaching is hands-on and built around you. We agree what you want to improve, then work on it together out in the mountains, with feedback throughout.
Build a connected set of skills and understanding.
Focus closely on one subject or technical area.
Apply skills to your own movement, systems, judgement and decision-making.
Take the learning away and use it independently in the mountains.
Sam is the owner and lead instructor at Lake District Mountaineering and holds the Winter Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor qualification.
His coaching approach starts with understanding how you currently move, make decisions and use your systems. Rather than simply showing you a technique and asking you to copy it, the aim is to identify what will make the biggest difference to your own climbing or mountaineering and give you practical feedback you can continue using independently.
Where appropriate, coaching can also be delivered by members of the wider LDM instructional team with the right experience and qualification for the session.
Progress with structure
Coaching is the right choice when you know what you want to work on. Mentoring is the better fit when you need help deciding what to work on, in what order, and how the different parts of your development fit together.
Get started
Tell us a little about where you are now and what you'd like to work on. We'll get back to you to talk through the right level and next steps.
Thank you
We have your enquiry and have emailed you a copy. We will be in touch soon to talk through what you would like to work on, and we will confirm your dates once we have checked the diary.
