Get Ready…Scotland is in full-on winter conditions.
Winds today were very light, snow was fresh and deep – in places – where the snow is driffting its up to your thighs…
Wind blown surfaces very icey – conditions for walking excellent.
Have a merry Christmas.
Cheers
Stuart
23
Dec
09
Ben Lawers full on winter…
Winter has definately arrived in Aberfeldy and the local mountains.
Snowed-in yesterday, all traffic came to a hault for 12 hours, roads now open, traffic flowing, roads good.
Conditions on the mountains are brilliant, loads of fresh snow and still falling – at road level 15cm, on the hill 2ft from 600m driffitng up to 1 metre in many places above 800m. Temperatures very cold – averaging around -3 in Aberfeldy and -4 to -5 at 900m. Remaining vey cold to well after Christmas.
On the Ben Lawers range all North, North East and South East facing aspects have a solid rock hard snow base from 800m, with recent fresh snow avalanche conditions are considerable on all aspects – for local hills be particularly careful when travelling on the aspects mentioned above.
Climbmts staff have been out ski touring, small party climbed arrow two days ago. This route is mainly water ice at Scottish Grade III, 5 pitches, 10 minute walk from the Lochan na Lairige Dam route starts at GR:595392, East face of Meall nan Tarmachan.
Course bookings still available for all courses.
Get booked now, loads of weekend course options available.
Will post more info soon.
Cheers
Stuart Johnston
The weekend of 6-7-8 February 09 was spent in the highland village of Braemar, our host for the weekend, Braemar Search and Rescue team. This course was one of three annual avalanche training programmes for Scottish mountain rescue team members. The weather and snow conditions were perfect, in fact it’s not been so good since the winter of 94.
I was helping with the delivery of the training programme under my role as national training officer for Scottish mountain rescue. Braemar team trainers and members delivered the main content of this programme and it showed how much experience those guys really have with avalanche rescue they not only regularly practise for it they actually do it for real.
In all this season 87 mountain rescue team members have received avalanche search & rescue training, our three national courses are titled:
Level 1 “The basics done well”A course for those who search in small teams in often high risk snow conditions the course mainky covers safe route and search travel, avalanche survival using transceivers and probing techniques.
Level 2, “Avalanche Improver”This course refreshed skills in safe travel, avalanche casualty care, scene management, Search dogs and the multi agency approach to avalanche rescue.
Lvel 3, “Avalanche Search & Rescue”A course designed for those involved with avalanche incident control and deployment of rescue resources, top end search management techniques and caualty management and extraction, scene searching techniques, search dogs and multi-agencies, this course included practical exercises including table top and in the field.
Some pics of the course participants in action.
08
Jan
09
