The Winter Warrior

Anna Wells needs no introduction in the outdoor adventure world. Last year she shot into the limelight for being only the fourth person (and the first woman) to complete a round of all of Scotland’s munros in winter. Not only that but she matched the fastest time set by Martin Moran who completed the challenge in 1984/85 in an outrageously nippy 83 days. To match this feat Anna had to ‘move fast and light.’ She ran and snow shoed 282 munros between the 22nd of December 2023 and March 13th 2024.  

Previously well known on the international climbing circuit (including a fastest time on the Cuillin Ridge) Anna had to master the dark arts of winter mountaineering before setting out. Anna pioneered her own style of flexible route finding and tackled the hills with guile, peak fitness and an indomitable spirit. I caught up with her to delve into the details of her planning and approach as well as to try and find out just what draws her to the mountains.  

Since completing the round Anna hasn’t stopped for breath. Her social media pages are filled with daring adventures in the snow that include paraglide skiing. She is writing her book ‘Winter Munro Round’ and still finds time to study data science as well as run her guiding company ‘Rocks and Trails.’