Avalanche Information Up And Running

With snow sweeping in at last, a lot of us will be looking to the Sport Scotland Avalanche Information and climbing condition forecasts as a prelude to a weekend walking or climbing in the Highlands.

The good news is that the service us up and running again for the winter, with forecasts for five major climbing areas - the northern Cairngorms, Lochaber, Glencoe, southern Cairngorms and Creag Meagaidh. The bad news is that the climbing conditions today are basically pants, though they're supposed to improve soon.

On top of all that, the SAIS is now using updated computer-assisted forecasting to help predict conditions. As we understand it, the computer compares data from previous years to better understand what's likely to happen, together with assessments from trained on-the-ground operatives made on a daily basis.

Apparently there are also moves to present the forecasts in graphic form in the near future, presumably for the more intellectually-challenged ice climber who is unable to read, or simply can't be bothered to... Hmmm... Sounds like me. Also see this story on Ananova.com