Fort William Mountain Festival 2019 programme announced

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Helen Webster

The Fort William Mountain Festival 2019 programme has been announced with a mix of inspiring presentations, world-class film screenings, mountain skills workshops and exhibitions, to be held from Wednesday 20 to Sunday 24 February 2019. Rod Pashley, Chairman of The Highland Mountain Culture Association, organisers of the Fort William Mountain Festival, said: “Celebrating the wild landscape that surrounds us in Fort William and Lochaber is the inspiration behind the Mountain Festival. The mountains and glens influence our culture in many ways, whether it is the beauty of the landscape, our engagement with it or the opportunities we find in it.…

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Dates released for Banff Mountain Film tour

Posted on December 6, 2018 by Helen Webster

The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is celebrating its 10th year of touring the UK and Ireland, bringing over 100 adrenaline-packed shows to almost 60 venues from January – May 2019. Scottish dates are first, kicking off in Edinburgh on 19 January and then showing at Glasgow, Stirling, Inverness and finally Pitlochry on 2 February. The Tour features two different collections of brand-new films from the world’s most intrepid filmmakers, starring pioneers and explorers tackling extraordinary expeditions in the wildest corners of the planet. “We’re thrilled to have reached 10 years of bringing the Banff Mountain Film Festival World…

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Kinloch Hourn Road to remain closed until mid-2019

Posted on December 5, 2018 by Helen Webster

Highland Council has confirmed that the road to Kinloch Hourn is not likely to be re-opened until the middle of 2019 following a massive landslip in November. The road gives access to a number of Munros and Corbetts as well as the path to Barrisdale Bay from Kinloch Hourn. Over nine thousand tonnes of soil and rock swept down the slope just before the Loch Quoich dam on 10 November blocking the Glen Garry road that leads to Kinloch Hourn. The landslip took out the main power supply to Skye and most of the island was without power for a…

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Gear review: Walking socks

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Helen Webster

For most walkers socks are one of the most important but least considered items of kit. With us for every step of the way…

Posted in Accessories, Gear reviews, Magazine

More Scots heading to the great outdoors

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Helen Webster

Visits to the outdoors have hit record levels in Scotland, a new survey suggests…

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Gear Review: Alpkit Keeshond women’s fleece

Posted on November 20, 2018 by Helen Webster

Recommended Price: £55 Weight: 410g (size 10) This is a very warm and comfortable fleece from Alpkit. Most of the material is a high pile, fluffy fabric, with a much stretchier gridded fleece down the sides including armpits and around the cuffs. This combination seems to work well, with reasonably good wicking properties. A single chunky full-length front zip has a baffle behind it and there are two generous non-zipped hand warmer pockets. A smaller Napolean pocket at the chest will take a mobile phone or GPS but I don’t find this the most comfortable place to store these items,…

Posted in Gear reviews, Midlayers

Review: Berghaus Kanaga GTX women’s walking shoe

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Helen Webster

RRP: £125 (currently available at just under £100 in many places) Weight: 750g per pair (size 5.5) I’m a big fan of lightweight trail shoes, particularly for summer walking, so was happy to see whether this sturdier waterproof trail shoe from Berghaus would carry those lightweight benefits through to enable them to be worn for a longer season. The shoe is very traditional looking with a brown nubuck upper, small mesh panels and a traditional tongue and lacing system on top of a vibram sole. The construction is robust with no signs of wear at the flex point at the…

Posted in Footwear, Gear reviews, Magazine

Scottish Avalanche forecasts to start 14 December

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Helen Webster

The SportScotland Avalanche Information Service will start publishing its detailed forecasts for the Scottish Mountains on Friday 14 December. The six mountain areas covered are Northern Cairngorms, Southern Cairngorms, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh, Glencoe and Torridon. Each report covers snow, avalanche, and climbing conditions. The reports are available from the website or via mobile phone app. Avalanche hazard forecast will be issued at the weekends for the two highest mountain areas: Northern Cairngorms and Lochaber, in the run up to 14 December if conditions require it. With over 210 avalanches recorded in Scotland last winter the SAIS is again asking any…

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Gear Review: Rab Microlight Alpine down jacket

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Helen Webster

Price: £190 (currently on offer for less with various retailers) Weight: 420g (women’s 10) I’ve worn a Microlight Alpine down jacket both on the hills and in town for the past 3 winters. It’s a versatile jacket that has proved harder wearing than I expected and I anticipate having several more years wear out of it. The jacket has had a redesign for its 10th anniversary so I was keen to check out the new version as well as giving my long-term verdict on the original design. The jacket is made from an outer of water resistant Pertex Quantum material…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Mountain Rescue teams criticise search and rescue helicopter contract

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Helen Webster

In a joint press release four of the largest Scottish Mountain Rescue teams – Glencoe, Tayside, Lochaber and Cairngorm – have gone public with shared concerns about the level of support they receive under the privatised but publicly funded Search and Rescue Helicopter contract. We’ve included the complete text from the four teams below. “This weekend gone we saw the first real snows of winter hit Scotland’s hills. Heralding the start of the busiest season for the independent Scottish Mountain Rescue Teams of Cairngorm, Lochaber, Glencoe and Tayside. As the teams prepare to undertake difficult and potentially dangerous rescues in…

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