A road day. The drive from Shimla takes you into Kinnaur and up to Kalpa, a village that overlooks the Kinner Kailash range. We arrive in the early evening and settle in.

• Evening briefing: a walk through the week, what ice climbing asks of you, and what each day involves.

• Gear check: instructors go through your clothing, boots and layering, so any gaps are fixed before Spiti.

The first half of the day is on the road to the base village in Spiti. We arrive in the afternoon and spend the rest of the day easing into the altitude and getting to know the equipment.

• Afternoon: a gentle walk around the village to help your body adjust to the altitude.

• Gear introduction: helmet, harness, crampons, ice axes, screws, ropes and carabiners. Instructors fit your boots, crampons and harness, and you practise putting crampons on and taking them off.

• Evening: basic knots (figure-eight follow-through, clove hitch and stopper) and a short talk on reading ice and what Day 3 looks like.

The one-day is built entirely around fundamentals. You start on gentle ice and end the day climbing a low-angle top rope, with a partner belaying you.

• Morning, movement: crampon footwork on low-angle ice (flat-footing, duck walking and front-pointing), going up, down and across. You also practise falling safely and recovering your balance.

• Midday, the ice axe: grips, swing, placement and removal. Self-arrest on a safe runout, and three-point movement on a gentle pitch.

• Afternoon, belaying: belay setup, brake hand and commands, taught on the ground first. Then your first top-rope climb on low-angle ice.

• Anchors: learn to build different types of anchors, under instructor supervision.

Anyone who needs more time on movement keeps working on it and joins the next session when ready.

The first full day on the crag where we climb. A short refresher in the morning, then top-rope laps on a moderate line, with feedback from the instructors after each climb on your footwork and axe economy. In the afternoon, you move onto a steeper line and practise resting positions, pacing and breathing on ice. Everyone climbs and belays in turn.

The same moves with less effort. Each lap has a specific focus: straight-arm hanging, efficient kicking, and reading the ice to choose your placements. In the afternoon, you climb varied lines with different ice character (brittle, plastic and aerated) and learn to adjust your swing and footwork to each. Short partner debriefs after every climb.

The advanced module. In the morning, you learn how a V-thread works and where to place one, then build one, thread it and test it, with instructors supervising each step. At midday, you climb with a V-thread as part of the rope setup and discuss when to use one and where its limits are. The afternoon is for top-rope laps on the steepest line the group is ready for.

The last day on the ice. You choose the lines, and the instructors watch and coach. The afternoon stays flexible: four days on the ice is tiring, and nobody has to take every lap. We end with a closing circle on what you learned, what to work on, and where to go next.

A day off. Sleep, eat and let your forearms and calves recover. If weather or ice conditions cost us a climbing session earlier in the week, this day is used as the buffer.

The drive back to Shimla via Kinnaur. The workshop ends on arrival to Shimla. Make sure you keep 1 Day of buffer while you are booking tickets from Shimla to your respective cities.

Experience: None required. If you’ve walked on snow or used crampons before, it helps, but we start from the basics.

Fitness: You need to be comfortable on your feet for a full day outdoors in the cold, and able to walk uphill on snow. A consistent routine of aerobic, strength (especially upper body, grip and core) and mobility training will make the week far more enjoyable. Unsure where to start? Talk to us.

Altitude: Spiti is at high altitude. Day 2 is built to help you acclimatise, but you should know the signs of altitude sickness and tell your instructor early if you feel unwell.

Health: Tell us about any medical condition, recent injury or medication before the workshop. It helps the instructors plan for you.

Mindset: Be willing to be cold, tired and a beginner for a few days. Ice climbing rewards patience.

Feet: Warm wool socks, with spares. Mountaineering boots are available on rent (see below).

Hands: Thin liner gloves, warm climbing gloves, and a spare pair.

Body: Thermal base layers, a fleece or mid-layer, a down jacket for belaying, and a waterproof shell jacket and trousers.

Head: Warm cap, balaclava or buff, sunglasses and snow goggles.

Other: Headlamp with spare batteries, insulated water bottle, sunscreen, lip balm and a small daypack.