The Mountaineering Council of Scotland

Issue 28 September 2005

SAFETY & TRAINING NEWS Find Out About Avalanches in 2006 This coming winter, the MCofS will be running a series of one-day “Avalanche Awareness” courses based in the Cairngorms. Aimed at the general winter hill goer, the courses are non-certificated and will be suitable for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of snow and avalanches, learn which areas to avoid and improve their understanding of reports and forecasts. Each course will consist of an indoor introduction to avalanche theory followed by a practical session on the hill. The courses will be delivered by qualified and experienced personnel at a ratio of 1 tutor to 4 participants. Basic winter skills will NOT be covered. The course costs £35 per person and the dates are as follows:- Saturday 14th January 2006 Sunday 15th January 2006 Saturday 21st January 2006 For more information please see the website or send a SAE to the office.   Navigation on Ben Nevis Thousands of people climb Ben Nevis every year and the vast majority make it back down safely. However there are accidents every year and the information in a new leaflet produced by the MCofS aims to reduce the number of incidents which occur due to errors in navigation. The information in the leaflet has been taken from an article originally published by MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser Roger Wild in Climber magazine. The leaflet is on the MCofS website and copies can be obtained by post from the MCofS Office.   WINTER SKILLS TRAINING COURSES Glenmore Lodge Winter Skills Courses Over 100 course places £50 discount off the normal price for all members of the MCofS. Sponsored by sportscotland and Glenmore Lodge. For general enquiries or to check availability please contact: Glenmore Lodge Tel: 01479 861 256 Course Dates Friday 6th – Sunday 8th Jan 2006 Friday 13th – Sunday 15th Jan 2006 Friday 20th – Sunday 22nd Jan 2006 The courses are two days long, the dates show the evening of arrival (Friday after 1800hrs), and departure is tea time on Sunday. There are two levels of course; they will run concurrently on the same dates. We cannot guarantee sufficient snow to cover all aspects that we would like to but we will offer relevant training and you are guaranteed some individual tuition. Introduction to Winter Hill Skills: Cost £115 Covers basic skills of navigation, winter safety, avalanche avoidance, walking with axe and crampons, ice axe self arrest, and much more (conditions permitting); it will not involve any use of ropes. The staffing ratio is 1:6 Introduction to Winter Mountaineering Skills: Cost £160 Training in winter skills at a more advanced level involving basic rope work and looking at winter belays (conditions permitting). You should already have some basic winter walking skills; experience of rope handling is useful but not essential. It is not a winter climbing course but is aimed at developing the skills of winter walkers looking to take on some of the classic lower grade mountaineering routes and ridges in winter. The staffing ratio is 1:4. COURSE ADMINISTRATION Cost includes accommodation on Friday and Saturday nights on a twin room sharing basis, all meals from breakfast on Saturday to tea and cake at 1700 on Sunday, instruction, hire of equipment and transport during the course to the hill and back. There is no evening meal provided on Friday, bar meals are available from the Glenmore Lodge bar from 1700 to 2100 hours. The course however will start with an evening brief on Friday at 2000 hrs followed by equipment issue and crampon fitting. Ideally you should therefore aim to be at the Lodge and fed by 2000 hours on Friday. The courses are only open to those 18 years of age and older. EQUIPMENT An important note about boots. As you will not be following paths and may be on steep and hard snow to provide some realism to the training, it is essential to be properly shod. If you have your own good quality rigid soled 3 – 4 season boots and a well-fitting pair of crampons which definitely will not come off, you will be able to use them. Otherwise, you will be supplied with plastic rigid soled winter boots and crampons. Secure footwork is the cornerstone of safe winter travel and it is one of the skills that will be covered on the course. Rigid boots with soles in good condition are essential for secure footwork. This is a major safety issue. You will need to bring an OS 1:50,000 map sheet 36 of the Cairngorms. (A 1:25,000 is not appropriate for navigating in this area under winter conditions), a map case or waterproof map, a compass of the Silva type 4 or similar quality, a head torch and batteries and lastly, several pairs of winter mitts and waterproof outer mittens. You should have your own basic warm winter clothing fleeces etc. We can supply waterproofs, ice axe, boots, crampons and any other technical equipment. BOOKINGS and CONDITIONS These courses are only advertised in this magazine and are only available to MCofS members. Please complete the application form and return it to Glenmore Lodge with the full payment. Any cancellation before six weeks of the start date of the course will result in the loss of a £35.00 administration charge, the remaining course fee being returned. This fee will also be charged should you decide to change your booking to a different person, date or course level. Cancellation within six weeks of the course will result in the loss of the full course fee unless the place can be sold to another MCofS member, in which case the fee less the £35 administration charge will be refunded. If the Course is cancelled for any reason Glenmore Lodge will refund the course fee in full. Applications will only be accepted on the attached application form (or photocopy) with a membership number or club details. Applications must be sent to Glenmore Lodge not the MCofS. Cheques made payable to “Glenmore Lodge” please. Should you wish to stay overnight on Sunday this can be arranged subject to availability on a B&B basis, there is no evening meal on Sunday but bar meals will again be available in the Lodge bar. Please tick the box on the application form and add £20 to the course fee. If we are unable to fit you in due to our other course bookings we will refund you this charge. Insurance for cancellation, curtailment and personal accident is available from Glenmore Lodge at a cost of £11. If you would like that please indicate on the application form by ticking the box and adding £11 onto your cheque. Affiliated club members and group bookings. Clubs are advised that we can only accept individual bookings (with payment). Group bookings have caused problems in the past and we can no longer deal with these issues. Club secretaries should ensure that all the information on this page is passed to their members and not simply the booking form. It is essential that members understand what the course will cover.

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