The Aviemore Adventure Film Festival is set to return from 9 to 12 March this year hosting hosting a variety of films, talks, workshops and outdoor events. After a successful 2016 Festival, this year’s festival is even bigger than before, packed with a superb line-up of events for the outdoor enthusiast. For the first time outdoor activities and workshops will be included in the programme alongside the mainstay of inspiring talks from leading outdoor athletes and exhilarating film screenings from around the adventure world. The Festival kicks off this year on Thursday 9th March, with a day dedicated to celebrating…

Renowned outdoors writer Hamish Brown has been declaed as the winner of the 10th Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. The award will be presented to the 82 year old at the Fort William Mountain Festival next month. Hamish was the first person to complete all the Munros in a single journey, and wrote his classic ‘Hamish’s Mountain Walk’ about the adventure. He is the author of many other mountain and walking books, and is regarded as a pioneer in outdoor education. As well as his beloved Scotland, Hamish has had a long-standing love of the mountains of Morocco.…

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.