As the days grow shorter, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland has announced a series of winter safety lectures around the country.
Heather Morning, MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser, will deliver the talks, which will provide advice for people taking to the Scottish mountains in winter conditions, and will look to improve people’s awareness and knowledge of topics such as navigation, equipment, route choice, avalanches and weather conditions.
With a lifetime’s experience in the mountains, Heather has been a professional mountaineer for 20 years and for the last 12 years has been an active member of the Cairngorms Mountain Rescue Team.
The lectures will be illustrated by beautiful photography and full of anecdotes, with a focus on how to make the most of the mountains, offering practical advice on how best to prepare for a winter expedition and how to adapt skills and techniques.
The main series of lectures is being delivered in partnership with outdoor shops Tiso and Cotswold, who will be providing venues for the talks, and funds will be raised for the Mountain Safety Trust.
The lectures will take place as follows:
• 26 November – Cotswold, West End Retail Park, Glasgow
• 27 November – Cotswold, Rose Street, Edinburgh
• 4 December – Tiso, Longman Estate, Inverness
• 5 December – Cotswold, Guild Square, Aberdeen
• 10 December – Tiso, Highland Gateway, Perth
• 11 December – Tiso, Rose Street, Edinburgh
Talks at both Cotswold and Tiso will open at 7.30 p.m. The talks at Tiso stores will be free to attend, although a donation bucket will be passed around for the Mountain Safety Trust. At Cotswold there will be a nominal £2 charge for tickets, which will go to the Mountain Safety Trust. Places should be booked in advance for all the talks as demand is expected to be high, and those wishing attend should contact the relevant shops direct by email.
There will be a further two talks in February, both at the Mountain Café, Aviemore and sponsored by the Munro Society. Heather Morning will deliver the first lecture on 12 February, while the second, on 19 February, will be delivered by ‘Heavy’ Whalley, a mountain rescue legend, who put in 35 years with RAF Mountain Rescue and is still active in sharing his knowledge and expertise.