WINTER CLIMBING

What a great day out this was in the company of a really good guide, From the initial booking to coming off the mountain at the end of the day, everything went so well. Highly recommended

What an epic day! Casper (our guide for the day) was brilliant! Very knowledgeable and full of local mountain info. Day was able to be what we wanted it to be and more! Synergy even brought the sun out with them to make a perfect day!Easy booking and great comms!!Thanks so much guys! Definitely a returning customer!

Just had an amazing few days scrambling on Am Basteir, Sgurr nan Gillean and Sgurr nan Eag with Steve. If you want fun and adventure with a professional, caring and confidence installing guide then Steve is your man only thing to let you down will be the weather and Steve even managed to smile his way through that.

Spent 3 days in the Cullins with Andy from Synergy Guides, awesome time and was certainly put through my paces. They went the extra mile to provide pertinent training on bad weather days and am looking forward to getting back out with them for some winter progression.

If you want cracking day/days out then Steve is your man.His understanding and knowledge of the mountains is second to none and is always keen to teach many different aspects.
The tick list is there to do but Steve will introduce you to something “off piste”
and take you on that new journey!
I’ll be back for more that’s for sure, testament to his great work.

Brilliant few days with Synergy Guides! Booked 2 days to try and tackle some of the harder Cuillins during my Munro Round. Iain was great and quickly adapted the days to suit my skill level resulting in my best two Scottish mountain days. Excellent experience and will definitely use them in future!

Great experience with Steve & Ian doing Sgurr a' Ghreadaidh. They were very patient with us in testing conditions. Would highly recommend. 😊

I’ve been waiting to go winter climbing on the Ben for three years. I live in Brighton and have a family so my trips north tend to be planned weeks in advance - irrespective of the weather.

I was lucky to get a recommendation from another mountain guide to contact Steve. A gent, a scholar, a great climber and fantastic company.

While I know I can climb ... on warm, south facing, picturesque Italian multi pitch routes I had never climbed in Scotland on a proper winters day.

No messing, went for Gully Number 3 Buttress Direct III 4. Steve gave me the confidence - I knew I could do it.

Six pitches and and piece of p***. The climbing didn’t scare me and nor did the exposure - in fact I loved it - the weather did. As I belayed Steve on the last pitch it started to hail/ spindrift. On my own, Steve 25m above me, out of sight and no verbal contact. My axes, rope and legs up to my thighs covered in deep fresh snow. Did I say I had to climb without my glasses; funnily enough I had perfect vision that day. Felt the 5 nudges in the rope, set off and stormed the last pitch.

Can’t recommend Synergy and Steve enough. My best climbing day so far in 35 years. Looking forward to doing it all again; fingers crossed Green Gully next.

Cheers fella!!!

What a great weekend with a great instructor. Thanks Steve! Steve went out of his way to accommodate everyone in the group and make sure their needs were met so we could all get the most out of the weekend. I for one took a great deal away from it and look forward to putting my new found skills into practice!

Had an absolutely incredible time climbing Tower Ridge with Synergy Guides. Steve is an extremely knowledgeable guide and a truly accomplished climber. Tower Ridge itself was a stunning and fun route on the iconic Ben Nevis. Steve made it easy to achieve a real adventure in Scotland just a day after arriving from the U.S. without needing to bring any gear. I'd absolutely recommend Synergy if you're interested in getting into the mountains in Scotland and I look forward to some more climbing with Steve and Synergy in the future!

I've just returned from 3 days performance climbing with Synergy Guides and the experience was just sensational. The guides are so knowledgeable and always seem to get you to the best routes on the mountain. Steve Holmes was my guide over the 3 days and he was not only great company, but he introduce me to some superb terrain and developed my skills that will benefit me for years to come.I'm looking forward to planning my next trip later this season and will definitely be rebooking with Synergy Guides.

I booked Steve to guide me on some walking / scrambling in the Cuillins and couldn't have asked for a better guide. I would thoroughly recommend him from anything for an introduction to scrambling to completion of the full Cuillin Traverse. He is extremely competent, very experienced and great company. An awesome couple of days 🙂

Steve was recommended to me by a fellow hillwalker who knew I was looking to finish the last of my scary Munros on Skye.
Although it was short notice Steve was able to fit me in and I'm so glad that he did.
I met him at the Slig and was greeted with a huge beaming smile and a warm handshake. On the journey to the start, Steve reassured me that the route that we would take would be the most straightforward and safest and hopefully the most enjoyable for me.
On the ascent to the ridge and the dreaded An Stac screes, Steve constantly we went at my rather moderate pace. So once on a climb I was never out of breath or suffering from sweaty back syndrome. We had a couple of pitstops along the way and plenty of opportunities to look back at views when we got them.
The scary part of the climb up to the summit was made extremely safe because Steve used short roping and lots of encouragement to get me there. No I'm sure he has reached hundreds of summits but he made me feel as if I had done something very special and unique. I was so pleased with myself.
The descent was a reverse of our ascent route and it reassuring to spot familiar bits of rock and knowing what obstacles were to be overcome. By keeping my rope tight I was able to downclimb/ bumshuffle my way to safety. All too soon our day was over- I never thought I was say that about a dreich day on the Cuillin!
I would wholeheartedly recommend Steve to anyone, no matter what your abilities are. What he does in a very subtle way is encourage you, he breaks down the climb into stages so that you are aware that you are making progress and most importantly he gives you confidence and at no point do you feel that you are being a pathetic wimp!

Booked the Cuillin Ridge traverse with synergy guides end of May 2019, this was booked late however we were pleased Steve managed to organise this for us. Our guide, Ben, was very professional and competent, he made us feel safe at all times and was very knowledgeable. All in all a cracking coupe of days! Highly recommended !

Steve Holmes of Synergy Guides is quite a bit more than just your average mountain guide. We had had an amazing winter week climbing varied, interesting and challenging ice, and mixed routes - sometimes in wild conditions! It was like climbing with a friend - who happens to be a badass climber and is also very fun to hang out with!