Rock Climbing, Winter Climbing & Scrambling,
Mountain Skills for Splitboarding & Ski-Mountaineering,
Instruction & Guiding
I can guide and instruct rock climbing,
winter mountaineering,
ski-mountaineering and mountain navigation
at venues throughout Scotland and England. In the past I
have run climbing sessions and mountaineering courses for individuals,
military groups, schools, families, groups of friends, TV crews, Mountain
Rescue Teams and outdoor clubs.
Guiding is more about doing lots of routes and just enjoying the
climbing. Instructing has a much stronger
emphasis on you learning skills, organising ropes and belays, etc., so that
afterwards you
can safely go away and climb yourself. In practice most days are a mix of the
two, but just with different emphasis.
Most of the work we do in summer is "tailor made" to meet clients specific requirements. See below for some notes about my prices and experience and qualifications.
Alex's first VS climbed (in style) on her outdoor climbing day at Clifton, Dumfries and Galloway.
Please call or email for details and
a quote for private guiding or a bespoke course.
As a guideline my normal rates as an instructor are between £200 and £270 per day,
depending on the activity, equipment required, location, number of clients and timing.
Shorter sessions locally, typically of 2 to 4 hours cost from £70-100. Generally
speaking these costs can be shared between two or more people and I can also
offer discounts for multiple days or sessions. Please phone or email
me to discuss your requirements. Contact details appear below and on the index page of this website.
Advice and information are usually free!
To arrange private guiding or instruction please call or email me to discuss your requirements.
MY QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE - JOHN BIGGAR
I am a professional Mountaineering Instructor and member of the AMI. I hold the highest level of mountaineering qualification for the UK, the Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor (WMCI - formerly MIC) and have also done the BASI Alpine Level 1 ski course. For more information on my experiences please see my personal profile page.
If you'd like to try climbing, winter or summer, whether just a taster session, guided ascents or learning to lead, or if you want any other help advice, get in touch with me, John Biggar. Contact me by phone on:-
01556 503929
or write or call in at:- 219 High Street, Biggar, ML12 6DJ, Lanarkshire, Scotland.
or email me at:-
Steep snowboarding on the slopes of Bidean nam Bian, May 2026
