The key element to using and interpreting weather forecasts is developing self-reliance and doubt. Start thinking for yourself: Winter climbing (in particular) has seen a surge in popularity and information but this comes with a price. Homework still has to be done, mistakes will be made which form the basis of “experience” but let’s hope [...]
Category Archive — Articles
The importance of Synoptic Charts
Synoptic charts… Do you really need to know about these? Yes, you do (if you don’t already).This is pretty basic stuff at first, apologies if it’s a bit obvious.
The principles are pretty simple (GCSE Geography gives the basics) and a quick overview can be found on the BBC Sailing website plus David Pedgeley’s Mountain Weather. [...]
Ski Mountaineering Equipment: An Overview
When you are on the piste the focus is always on getting the most from your downhill runs. Ski mountaineering, in comparison, is all about using skis to travel efficiently in the mountains. This means that the gear you use is going to be very different to what you might use on the piste.
The [...]
Jump Start Your Rock Climbing Season with a Spring Trip
An article on how a climbing trip in the spring can help jumpstart your rock climbing season.
Scottish Avalanche Information Service
What a cracker: an absolute goldmine of a website. This website builds nicely on the information from MWIS and the current condition of the snowpack to provide an expectation of what is likely over the following 24 hours.
As with the other weather and conditions websites, prior knowledge when reading the forecasts really helps me understand [...]
Getting the most out of MWIS
As I’m sure most of you are aware, the Mountain Weather Information Service is a tremendous website that has enhanced our capacity for understanding weather and conditions on the hill before we leave home. This has a catch though: as we have more information this tends to reduce our interest in verifying the forecast and [...]
Ski Mountaineering: Some of the Unique Dangers and Skills
This article, the second in the series on ski mountaineering will discuss the unique challenges that you might come accross whilst mountaineering with skis. It will also suggest ways to safely prepare and overcome them.
Introduction to Interpreting Weather Forecasts
As a climbing nerd and increasingly chair-bound researcher, many a wistful hour has been spent avoiding work on my dissertation & thesis with the altogether more entertaining task of studying the internet for weather related information. Embarrassingly, I think it highly likely that I have spent more time digging around on this topic than actually [...]
An Introduction to Ski Mountaineering in Scotland
This article is an introduction to a series which will hopefully introduce all the basic elements of ski mountaineering in the UK.
Continental Water Ice – In Britain?!
Plastic, blue water ice is not something you would usually associate with Scotland. For almost all of us ‘Scottish winter climbing’ will evoke memories of insecure placements in barely frozen snow ice, spindrift down the back of the neck and dubious protection.
