Issue 10. December 2001
SAFETY & TRAINING NEWSWinter Skills Courses Glenmore LodgeA final reminder of the winter skills weekend courses for MCofS members over the Christmas holiday and into January. What better way to walk off the mince pies and hone those skills? How can you not be tempted remembering those cold clear days of Christmas last year? Full details and application forms (please send direct to the Lodge) were printed in the last issue of the Scottish Mountaineer and also on the website www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk. Water Hazards VideoAfter a dry day's filming in May (nice for the sun tans - not very indicative of water as a 'hazard') we were very nearly faced with the opposite problem in October. Kate Ross and I stood on the bridge over the Etive and watched kayakers walk away from the river, such was the height of the water. It was the same over in the east in Glen Feshie - any attempt at demonstrating practical river crossing would have been followed by a watery ride. However the water had dropped sufficiently next day for us to be able to get some excellent footage of river crossings at the Pony Bridge at Stronetoper, and the following day we had beautiful GV's ("general views") over in Glen Etive - rainbows, clouds, sunlight, autumn colours - where we also managed to get some feature shots. Of course we still need the big water shots and they will prove the most elusive. The filming we have done so far has been greatly helped by patient and tireless MCofS volunteers who in return for 'choccy' biscuits and coffees have allowed themselves to be enticed into getting wet, not just once for the cameras but over and over again. Just before we did this second stage of filming, we had a sobering reminder of the need for such a resource when another walker died in Knoydart trying to negotiate a swollen stream. We hope that the availability of a non commercial video will be a valuable resource for anybody wishing to learn a bit more about dealing water hazards. Winter Experience Lectures 2002Check out our interactive lectures, in collaboration with TISO, with Pete Hill and Stuart Johnson. The dates and details are as follows:
Clachaig Lectures - Winter 2002These excellent lectures at The Clachaig Inn will cover talks on avalanche awareness, winter skills and mountain rescue. Along with real ale and good pub grub what better wau to spend a relaxing evening:
Lectures are FREE (but donations to the cause of mountain safety will be gratefully accepted, and touted for on the door). We are hoping for an upturn in fortunes as a great season last winter was interrupted by FMD. Mountain Safety Adviser leavesAnd finally, after three and a bit years at the coal face, I am leaving the MCofS. It has been a fascinating experience working for the MCofS - with a great learning curve to start with (the first week of my job coincided with the Aonach Mor avalanche accident!), and great strides forward in some areas especially the liaison with universities. As in so many voluntary organisations, the job suffers when resources are short, and in my case it was time that was short. Fortunately the hours of the post will be increased to ¾ time, which will provide a boost to the work that can be achieved within a year. And what am I going to do? Well, more climbing of course - that goes without saying - and I will retain some responsibility for a time-limited period for the Water Hazards video, which will hopefully be complete in spring 2002 (in time to warn folk of the snow melt!). See you all out on the hill at some time! Virtually HillwalkingSportscotland have produced a CD Rom with the support of The University of Edinburgh Department of Geography and Ordnance Survey. The idea of a virtual hill walk was originally conceived in the forerunner to the Scottish Mountain Safety Forum (the SMSG) and a pilot scheme proved it was possible. This resulting CD is a self-learning aid to map-reading and navigation and is endorsed by the SMSF. Kate Ross, Chair of the SMSF and past Vice President of MCofS and chair of the MCofS Safety & Training Committee explained, "This exciting new concept provides an excellent aid to teaching navigation. By using a real mountain, Dreish, the OS map and photos of the actual view of the journey, the learner is able to relate the map to the ground, in a changing landscape, as she or he progresses along the route. Essential techniques and additional hints supply the user with practice in the art of navigation". The CD runs inside a web browser as if it was a website and users will need Microsoft Internet Explorer v4, v5, v5.5 or v6, or Netscape v4. It is available FREE from:
Sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9DQ. Tel: 0131 317 7200 ACCESS & CONSERVATION NEWSAccess Legislation - Updateby Mike Dales
East Kilbride Walkers Access Meeting. The coming together of ten clubs attracted an audience of 85 people. Concern was expressed from the floor, and from all members of the panel, of the draconian clauses contained in the draft Land Reform Bill. There was a noticeable, and welcome, lack of party politics between the two MSP's, who were publicly expressing their support for our views. It remains to be seen what effect their views will have on Ministers and civil servants currently working on the Bill, but the most important aspect for the MCofS is in raising the awareness of each MSP of what the issues are. The MCofS would like to thank those clubs that make up East Kilbride Walkers, and those who organised the meeting. The politicians certainly felt the strength of opinion that came across during the debate.
Meetings with MSP's The MCofS has also met with Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace. Both Mike and President John Donohoe felt that Mr Wallace was in a listening mode. We expressed the mountaineers' points of view on a range of issues and explained our vision for the future should we achieve good, or bad, legislation.
"Open Scotland" - Access Petition - 15,000 Signatures On Wednesday 24th October the delegation of outdoor recreation bodies handed in a 15,000-signature petition to John McAllion, convener of the Parliamentary Petitions Committee of the Scottish Parliament. By way of raising awareness of the issue, the MCofS joined other recreationalists in an outdoor relay that carried the petition from Dunfermline Abbey to the Scottish Parliament. Kev Howett led a climb in Rosyth quarry and Mike Dales kayaked across the Forth, whilst cyclists, disabled ramblers and horse riders covered other legs of the relay. Details of the wording of the Open Scotland petition can still be found at www.e-petitioner.org.uk.
What Now! As the Bill goes through Parliament, we need volunteers to attend the Parliamentary Committee discussions and feedback to MCofS. Anyone willing and able to help should get in touch with Mike Dales at the office. Proposed Shieldaig Hydro Scheme - UpdateThe latest word we have is that an application will be made in late January - at the earliest! Once again, we can only advise members to watch our website.
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