Scottish mountaineering organisation working to improve readiness for the cold stuff.
With winter looming - erm, despite this week's mild temperatures - the
Mountaineering Council of Scotland
has launched a
free
Winter Safety programme aimed at helping you get ready for
the cold stuff.
The programme includes free Winter Safety Lectures and a range of web
pages with comprehensive guidance on mountain safety in winter. In
addition, the MCofS also funds the invaluable Mountain Weather
Information Service, which provides free detailed daily forecasts for
the main Scottish mountain areas along with other regions at weekends.
The body also urges mountain users to check the Avalanche Information
Service funded by sportscotland with daily avalanche reports available
online and elseswhere from December onwards.
Ten Fatalities, 387
Rescue Call-Outs
MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser Heather Morning said: “Last year (2008)
there were 387 mountain rescue call-outs in the Scottish mountains, of
which 142 were in the winter season. There were also sadly a
total of 20 fatalities during the year, ten of which occurred during
winter.
'Folk heading out onto the hills in winter should aim to take advantage
of the advice and information on offer, to ensure a safe and enjoyable
day on the hill.”
Heather went on to say: “As well as making sure you have an ice axe,
and crampons that fit, remember that winter days are shorter and
colder, so a headtorch with spare batteries is essential. A
simple bivouac shelter is also a very good addition to the kit you
carry in your winter rucksack.”
You can find the MCofS Winter Safety programme at
www.mcofs.org.uk
where there's a mix of handy information, links and even a self-arrest
video - above - taken from the excellent Winter Essentials DVD.
The Mountain Weather Information Service is at
www.mwis.org.uk and the avalanche
forecasts can be found at
www.sais.gov.uk.
