Following the success of the joint Walkhighlands/Mountaineering Scotland navigation courses over the last few years there will be a further 2 courses this summer. These single day courses will be held on 27 and 28 May at Arrochar and on 8 and 9 July in the Ochils. This is the chance to brush up on your navigation skills while meeting other Walkhighlands users on a fun and friendly day. Each course will begin with an hour of work indoors and then the rest of the day will be spent on practical navigation skills on the hill. The courses will be…

Entries are now open for this year’s Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival photo competition. Organisers are calling for entries under the following two cateogries: 1) My Adventures Since EMFF 2016! 2) The Wild Places of Scotland Entries close on 15 January and the results will be announced at the Festival being held this year from 4th to 6th February. For a prize, the winner can choose from: A weekend pass for EMFF 2018; or, a £50 donation to the John Muir Trust or Scottish Mountain Rescue. Full details of how to enter can be found here.

Scottish avalanche forecasts will start for the season on Friday, with the first forecast for 17 December. The Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) provides a daily avalanche hazard report for six Scottish areas – Lochaber, Glencoe, Creag Meagaidh, Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon. The service usually runs until mid-April but is dependent on the snow conditions. Anyone planning a hillwalk during the winter is advised to check the avalanche service in the same way as they would routinely check the weather forecast and plan their route accordingly.

The Mar Lodge Mountain Film Festival has now become an annual event and will be held in February next year with tickets now available. The National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate, near Braemar, makes a great backdrop to the event. The organisers of next year’s event say the festival will feature six epic films which showcase mountain landscapes, extreme ascents in far flung corners of the world and the stories of the people who visit them. Friday the 10th February is an ‘Explore’ night and will feature The Last Great Climb, a mountain epic depicting Leo Houlding and his…

As snow and freezing conditions provide a winter playground for thousands of hillwalkers, climbers and mountaineers, Mountaineering Scotland (formerly the MCofS) is reminding everyone to plan for the challenges of winter when preparing a trip to the Scottish hills. The organisation say an examination of the fatal accident statistics for the last year shows it isn’t just novices getting into difficulties. Sadly, 20 people have lost their lives so far in the mountains this year. Ten of these were either approaching, or on, a technical climb. Three died as a result of avalanche. Three of the others who died had…