Anyone who's used the excellent Mountain Weather Information
Service will be alarmed to read Cameron McNeish's online piece
this morning saying that the continued existence of the forecasts is
in doubt due to lack of funding.
The
MWIS reports are uniquely detailed and focus entirely on mountain
conditions, being put together by meteorologist and mountaineer Geoff
Monk and a small team with similar specialist knowledge.
We'll stick our neck out here and say that in our opinion it's
light years ahead of any other specialist mountain forecast we've
seen, including the rather limited Met Office ones, and it's the one
weather source we take really seriously.
As we understand it, Geoff's been running the service for the past
three years on a shoe-string with the hope that Scottish government
funding would materialise for an invaluable asset for mountaineers
and climbers. So far, that funding hasn't materialised and the lack
of funding means that Geoff may be forced to call a halt to the
forecasts.
Apparently the decision on funding is due to be made shortly, so if
you use and value MWIS, now is the time to send an e-mail saying just
that to the Sport Minister, Stewart Maxwell, at the Scottish
Executive.
His e-mail address is: Stewart.Maxwell.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
You can read Cameron's full piece at www.tgomagazine.co.uk/blogs
and access the MWIS at www.mwis.org.uk
Ayrshire Tiger
The UK's best mountain weather forecast from MWIS is set for severe reductions in the New Year thanks to a lack of funding south of the border.
