After the last two year's over-subscribed winter meets we were surprised to not fill the meet and with a few last-minute cancellations 12 of us arrived in dribs and drabs in North Ballachulish at the Alex Macintyre hut near Glencoe to test ourselves in the stormy weather that was hitting the UK.

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Ski mountaineering is definitely the best way to get around the hills in winter and an easy way to access Alpine summits - we ticked off 9 peaks in 6 days! Ski touring involves the fun and speed of downhill skiing, placing skins on the undersides of the skis for uphill skiing and swapping the skis altogether for crampons and ice axes for steeper sections. This year the Silvretta Alps on the Austrian/Swiss border was the Bowline ski touring destination. I had heard the mountain huts were luxurious but I wasn't quite expecting such comfort and so much food!

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