Arc Guiding

Arc Guiding Arc Guiding is all about nature and adventure in wild places. Run by Malcolm O’Reilly.

Based in the Cairngorms National Park, Arc Guiding provides wildlife and bird guiding, ski touring and mountainbike instruction, hillwalking and winter skills.

Finishing on a high 😎This whole past week has seen bright blue skies and a last-minute blanket of snow in the Cairngorms...
20/03/2025

Finishing on a high 😎

This whole past week has seen bright blue skies and a last-minute blanket of snow in the Cairngorms National Park. It's not widespread amazing skiing (bits have been pretty good), but it's been a welcome change from gale-force winds and bare hills.

David was looking for an intro to the basics of ski touring for an upcoming trip to Norway. We sure did that, plus superb views, decent skiing and a bit of dehydration thrown in for good measure 😀

That's the weather on the change now. The snow should stick around for a few days, but it's gonna go fast. If you're keen, we might still be able to arrange a touring day here and there, but get in quick. And bring your trainers 👟

Thanks for trusting me with your hire gear 😬 and David for embracing Scottish skiing!

See https://arcguiding.com/activities/ski-touring-courses-scotland/ for availability.



Brilliant sunshine and company in the Cairngorms backcountry 😎🏔️Great day yesterday with Kate exploring the east side of...
18/03/2025

Brilliant sunshine and company in the Cairngorms backcountry 😎🏔️

Great day yesterday with Kate exploring the east side of Cairngorm. Backcountry skills was the focus, so we dialled in skinning, transitions, bootpacking with axe and crampons and route planning. Also good to get eyes on Saturday's avalanche site - a spot that doesn't often slide, but we treat with a healthy dose of respect nevertheless.

Snowpack is pretty crispy everywhere, even at midday. But despite being a thin crust, it's actually pretty supportive most of the time. Rock sharks not far away in some places, but there's still some good turns to be had.

Thanks Kate for bringing smiles and stellar splitboard skills 🏂

Check out my guided backcountry courses and days at https://arcguiding.com/activities/ski-touring-courses-scotland/ - hopefully the snow will hang around until Easter 🤔




Jones Snowboards
Voile
Fritschi Swiss Bindings
contour Skins
Cab9 Eyewear
MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT

Cairngorms ski touring and winter skills ❄️Get it while you can! The death of Scottish winter this year has been greatly...
13/03/2025

Cairngorms ski touring and winter skills ❄️

Get it while you can! The death of Scottish winter this year has been greatly exaggerated!

Yeah, maybe not. But anyway, the snow's back for a limited time only. Temps go back up next week and then, who knows? Maybe winter part 5. Or spring part 3. Or something.

(Pic from almost exactly 2 months ago, when Matt and I were wading through knee-deep windslab for 2 days on an Intro Ski Touring course 😂)

Availability live on the website now: https://arcguiding.com/activities/ski-touring-courses-scotland/





Snowline spikes are great for patch-hopping 😊The to-and-fro weather at the moment is pretty typical for this time of yea...
11/03/2025

Snowline spikes are great for patch-hopping 😊

The to-and-fro weather at the moment is pretty typical for this time of year in the Scottish mountains. Just this year there's been more 'to' than 'fro'...

Means that we have a very patchy and sometimes hard snowpack to deal with. Putting on and taking off crampons multiple times a day is a bit tiresome. Using an ice axe to cut steps is OK, but is also a pain over longer distances. 

Enter microspikes, mini-crampons, whatever you want to call them. These packable and lightweight bits of kit stretch over your boots in seconds, giving you a very welcome boost in traction.

I've been using these for a while with walking and wildlife clients and they have been absolutely flawless. Highly recommended ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Remember, they've only got short points, so not for steep, consequential terrain!

Learn what to wear for snowy conditions, and see my guided hikes in the blog: https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-gear/wear-winter-hiking/ (link in bio)



Transition from winter to spring 🌷Although I'm all for spring conditions, it's better when it feels like we've had a pro...
08/03/2025

Transition from winter to spring 🌷

Although I'm all for spring conditions, it's better when it feels like we've had a proper winter. 

January 2025 was declared by EU climate scientists as the warmest ever, globally. Plus, these last two years have been influenced by El Nino/El Nina off south America. 

So, we might get a final dump of snow, certainly. But it looks like it's time to embrace the beautiful views and textures of spring walking. 

Pic is Coire an Lochain, Cairngorms, in late February. 

For inspiration and guided walks, check out my guide to hiking in Scotland, in the blog: https://arcguiding.com/blog/scotland-highlands/hiking/ (link in bio)



Tubeless tyre hack 🤓Riding tubeless is kinda standard for many MTB riders nowadays. And rightly so, cos they offer loads...
05/03/2025

Tubeless tyre hack 🤓

Riding tubeless is kinda standard for many MTB riders nowadays. And rightly so, cos they offer loads of advantages. 

But getting them set up can involve a bit of pain, especially if you don't have a compressor or air tank.

This one was refusing to seat again after maintenance. Then I remembered the ol' strap trick...

1 ➡️ Seat the tyre loosely, both beads on the wheel rim. 
2 ➡️ Spray or brush on loads of really soapy water to help seal
3 ➡️ Wrap a ratchet strap/canoe strap around the tyre circumference (keep it central)
4 ➡️ Tighten the strap - enough to squash the centre of the tyre 1 or 2 cm all round
5 ➡️ Inflate carefully with a track pump (more volume) 
6 ➡️ Stop pumping when both tyre beads have snapped into place and the tyre is holding air
7 ➡️ Breathe sigh of relief
8 ➡️ Remove strap, remove valve core, fill tyre with sealant and re-inflate 🎉🏆🎆

Once it's seated you should be able to inflate/deflate the tyre hassle-free 👍

Learn more MTB skills at https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-skills/mountain-biking-basics/ (link in bio) 

Finding turns with fab folk 😊Great Intro to Ski Touring day with Catriona and Pete yesterday. The sun put in an appearan...
02/03/2025

Finding turns with fab folk 😊

Great Intro to Ski Touring day with Catriona and Pete yesterday. The sun put in an appearance in the afternoon and we enjoyed spring turns on the sheltered side of Cairn Gorm, with skis on from the mid station ⛷️

Short hike up with skis on backs (made so much comfier with trainers). And it was great to see bustle at the top, with the Funicular running again!

Although the Scottish snowpack is on life support at the moment, this goes to show there are some sweet turns to be found. Go look in the right places, work the forecast and time it well.

And take Fruit Pastilles 🍬

Availability and booking at https://arcguiding.com/activities/ski-touring-courses-scotland/


VisitCairngorms
VisitScotland
Fritschi Swiss Bindings
contour Skins
PANDA Optics
Osprey Europe
Salomon
Cairngorm Mountain Resort

Finding wildlife in the winter mountains ain't easy 😳Strong winds, rough terrain and rain and snow make things difficult...
26/02/2025

Finding wildlife in the winter mountains ain't easy 😳

Strong winds, rough terrain and rain and snow make things difficult for humans. Plus, the winter mountain environment favours highly adapted animal species that are masters of camouflage and can cover big distances efficiently.

All in all, it's no easy task finding things like ptarmigan and mountain hare. And inhospitable conditions mean you have less time in which to do so.

That's why I pack a ton of safety gear, plenty of food, high-power optics and a very healthy attitude to risk when leading birding trips above the snowline ❄️

Learn more about wildlife watching and check out my guided days in the blog: https://arcguiding.com/blog/tag/wildlife-watching/

(Pic from this week in the Northern Cairngorms)

Windy days in the Cairngorms 🌪️The Cairngorms are experiencing big southwesterly winds just now - unfortunately, a bit o...
21/02/2025

Windy days in the Cairngorms 🌪️

The Cairngorms are experiencing big southwesterly winds just now - unfortunately, a bit of a death-knell for our snowpack.

When we get winds from the south, they're usually pretty punchy. Current windspeed near Cairn Gorm Summit is showing a steady 78mph, with gusts to 96mph.

For context, that rates as number 12 (the highest rating) on the Beaufort Scale.

This scale was devised by Royal Navy officer Francis Beaufort in 1805 and is used globally. Number 12 is classed as 'Hurricane Force'.

There's no way I'll be guiding in those windspeeds! To achieve anything, we would need to drop height and pay a lot of attention to our route choice, shelter points, personal gear and comms. And even then, the southerly direction can sometimes mean the wind is even stronger LOWER DOWN the hill 🙄

Stay safe out there.

Check out my guide to winter hiking in Scotland: https://arcguiding.com/blog/scotland-highlands/winter-hill-walking/ (link in bio)

Goggles for mapreading? 😎Here in the Scottish Highlands, we consider ski goggles essential for winter navigation. With r...
19/02/2025

Goggles for mapreading? 😎

Here in the Scottish Highlands, we consider ski goggles essential for winter navigation. With regular gale force winds and driving snow or sleet, its pretty much impossible to navigate without them.

But check the tint! Some colours - especially reds and pinks, can make it almost impossible to see contour lines on the map. And that makes it super-tricky to judge avalanche hazard 🧐

These
Dual Vision Toric low light lenses have been great in the recent savage cold winds and spindrift 🌨️🌬️

Learn more on a guided ski touring course, or in the blog: https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-skills/learn-ski-touring/


Landscape of fear 🐅The recent illegal releases of 4 lynx into the Cairngorms was, IMO, highly irresponsible and, in this...
14/02/2025

Landscape of fear 🐅

The recent illegal releases of 4 lynx into the Cairngorms was, IMO, highly irresponsible and, in this case, bordered on animal cruelty. However, the presence of large carnivores in the landscape highlights an important ecological concept (one we here in the UK have largely forgotten).

This concept is the 'Landscape of Fear' and comes from the term 'ecology of fear', first coined by ecologist Joel Brown in 1999. It is a conceptual framework to help us think about how species interact with each other in the environment. Specifically, predators and prey.

The ecology of fear concept describes how the presence of only a very few apex predators within the landscape can have enormous positive 'trickle down' effects on many other species.

In this concept, just the sight/sound/scent of a single apex predator is enough to keep many herbivorous prey species alert and moving, out of fear. This in turn makes the herbivores grazing behaviour much more irregular and widely spread, ie: much more natural.

As a result, tasty native tree saplings escape heavy overgrazing and stand a much better chance of growing into new native woodland. The deer population starts to behave much more naturally, with overall herd health increasing to boot. And all this in turn benefits just about every other animal and plant species in the forest (often in ways we don't expect).

This is why I and many others believe lynx reintroduction would have far bigger benefits than many people realise. It's not straightforward by any means, but it should be done with respect for the lynx, landowners and the law.

Learn about our fantastic wildlife and the exciting rewilding projects underway in the Cairngorms on my guided trips: https://arcguiding.com/activities/wildlife-tours-scotland/ (link in bio).

Tips to stay warm on the bike? 🚲Biking through winter is a great thing. But cold puddles and chilly wind can sap your fu...
11/02/2025

Tips to stay warm on the bike? 🚲

Biking through winter is a great thing. But cold puddles and chilly wind can sap your fun as fast as your body temp!

I always try and help bike clients stay at their optimum temperature, to keep them focussed on the riding. 

For example 👉

⚡If removing layers isn't an option, back off your effort to reduce sweating

🧥 Open cuffs and jacket vents on climbs to get rid of condensation

🧤 Full finger gloves, liners, pogies, handwarmers can all help keep your fingers toasty

If you're struggling to stay toasty, check out these tips from the blog: https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-gear/staying-warm-bike/ (find out about MTB guiding here too)

Dig in ⛏️If you're a skier or winter hiker or climber, you'll know how quickly the weather can deteriorate. If you can k...
08/02/2025

Dig in ⛏️

If you're a skier or winter hiker or climber, you'll know how quickly the weather can deteriorate. If you can keep heading in the right direction, you will often be OK.

But what if that's not an option? Problems include:

⚠️No headtorch or flat batteries

⚠️ Injury

⚠️ Storm conditions

⚠️ Avalanche hazard

⚠️ Being lost

In this case, the safest option might be to seek shelter until conditions improve, or help arrives.

Learning how to create an emergency snow shelter could easily save yours or someone else's life.

Learn more about winter mountain skills and check out my courses at:
https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-skills/winter-mountaineering/ or click link in bio.


More than just sticks⛷️Let's talk about ski poles. They are really important for rhythm and posture while making turns, ...
05/02/2025

More than just sticks⛷️

Let's talk about ski poles. 

They are really important for rhythm and posture while making turns, especially on steeps. 

And if you're a tourer, you'll definitely need them to help with skinning. Oh, and poking the snow. And bashing your bindings, signalling to your mates, walking on difficult terrain, putting on skis, judging slope angle...

Have I missed anything?

Learn more in the blog and check out our ski touring guided days: https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-gear/choose-poles-ski-touring/
Or click link in bio...

To make the most of winter conditions you'll need the right boots 🥾My beloved La Sportiva Nepals finally gave in the oth...
02/02/2025

To make the most of winter conditions you'll need the right boots 🥾

My beloved La Sportiva Nepals finally gave in the other day 😩 I'll keep them, and probably try and get them resoled by Lancashire Sports Repairs . They're old and heavy, but super reliable and fit great.

As a replacement, I bought a new pair of Mountain High GTX's, which have been absolutely brilliant. Light, stable and comfy - exactly what I'm looking for in a boot for Scottish winter.

Shoutout to the team at for great service, products and chat 🥳

Read more about winter hiking and mountaineering in the blog https://arcguiding.com/blog/tag/mountaineering/, or check out my winter skills courses: https://arcguiding.com/activities/winter-skills-courses-cairngorms/





Fantastic days birding in the snowy Cairngorms ❄️🔭We were mainly in search of ptarmigan, easily one of Britain's toughes...
31/01/2025

Fantastic days birding in the snowy Cairngorms ❄️🔭

We were mainly in search of ptarmigan, easily one of Britain's toughest wildlife species. And, wow, we certainly found them.

In fact, a covey of 7 male and female ptarmigan in winter plumage, at close range, hanging out with red grouse 😀

As well as great wildlife views, we enjoyed spectacular scenery, blue skies, almost zero wind and great company.

Check out https://arcguiding.com/activity/wildlife-tours-scotland/arctic-cairn-gorm/ or learn more about Scotland's wildlife via https://arcguiding.com/blog/





Winter reset courtesy of   ❄️🌬️Cairn Gorm and the Northern Corries were looking alot better at the weekend than of late....
27/01/2025

Winter reset courtesy of ❄️🌬️

Cairn Gorm and the Northern Corries were looking alot better at the weekend than of late. Loads of (poorly bonded) windslab has been put down, with windward faces heavily scoured.

The upcoming week is staying relatively cold, so fresh snow should accumulate. Then milder temperatures will help with consolidation (and hopefully leave us with a bit more base).

📷 1 Looking down SE Cairn Gorm towards Loch Avon
📷 2 Thigh deep drifts in parts of Coire an t-Sneachda
📷 3 Cracks in soft windslab
📷 4 Fiacaill Sneachda
📷 5 Barometer reading around 950mb at midday 24 Jan (ie: pretty low!) as storm Eowyn tracked north of us

Hit https://arcguiding.com/activity-tag/winter-scotland/ for our winter activities.


Are your crampons sharp enough? ⚠️Scotland's supply of ice and neve has been severely depleted, but it'll soon form agai...
24/01/2025

Are your crampons sharp enough? ⚠️

Scotland's supply of ice and neve has been severely depleted, but it'll soon form again as sucks in cooler Arctic air this week.

Make sure your crampons are ready for the return of verglas and neve to the mountains. Crampons that have seen a lot of action - especially on rock, will be very blunt compared to newer ones.

Sharpening could take ages (and might not even be possible). So keep an eye and have a sharp set ready to go when it's icy.

Learn more in the blog and on our winter skills courses (link in bio).

https://arcguiding.com/blog/outdoor-gear/crampon-types/



Address

Aviemore
PH22

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+447548272970

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Sharing the skills and nature of wild places...

Based in the Cairngorms National Park, I guide and instruct throughout the Scottish Highlands and Islands and further afield. I work with a number of excellent outdoor providers and also run my own company Arc Guiding, which provides a wide range of adventure sports and guided wildlife trips throughout the year.