The programme for next year's Isle of Arran Mountain Festival has now been announced. Events will take place between Friday 16 February and Monday 19 May 2014. The programme includes a variety of mountain walks at different grades, a trip to Holy Island, wildlife walks, evening talks and a quiz. Festival organisers say, “The Arran Mountain Festival is an opportunity to meet like-minded people, discover a fascinating island and have unforgettable days in the safe hands of experienced local guides. With names to inspire the imagination, such as Ceum na Caillich (Witch’s Step) Caisteal Abhail (Castles) and the Sleeping Warrior,…

This year will see avalanche risk forecasts provided for Torridon. The Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) already gives forecasts for five mountain areas: Creag Meagaidh, Glencoe, Lochaber and the North and South Cairngorms. The Torridon forecasts will be run as a pilot this year starting with Christmas and New Year, and then some weekends and the mid term break in February. The exact dates for the Torridon forecasts will be 24 Dec – 29 Dec 2013,  Jan 1- 5th 2014,  and the weekends of 10-12th, 31 Jan – 2 Feb, 14 – 22 Feb 2014. Daily forecasts for the other…

Climbers and walkers are urged to take simple steps now to keep themselves safe through the autumn and winter. Days are already getting shorter and will seem shorter still when the clocks go back an hour this weekend. “A head torch is a crucial bit of kit for these shorter days,” says mountain safety expert Heather Morning. “It can make the difference between getting home safely and spending the night out on the mountainside, lost or injured.” Heather, Mountain Safety Adviser for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS), said: “Shorter daylight hours, dropping temperatures and the first dusting of snow on the…

The chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has praised the achievements of the Mountain Bothy Association in delivering public benefits through its work and called for more partnerships between the public and voluntary sectors. Andrew Thin, was addressing the AGM of the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) in Ballater on Saturday (19 October). He highlighted the growing importance of the voluntary sector in delivering public policy. Mr Thin, a MBA member since the 1980s, said: “The MBA is one of the finest examples in the UK of voluntarism and philanthropy in action, delivering huge public benefit. It is to be commended…

Mountain Aid will be running a series of free Winter Safety Talks next month. The speaker will be Mick Tighe, a professional Mountain Guide in Lochaber and for many years the national Training Officer to Scottish Mountain Rescue Teams. 21 November 2013 – Hosted by the Cioch Mountaineering Club in the Pitbauchlie House Hotel, Dunfermline at 8pm 22 November 2013 – Cotswold Outdoor Stores in central Aberdeen at 7.30pm 25 November 2013 – Cotswold Outdoor Store in central Edinburgh at 7.30pm 27 November 2013 – Glasgow University in Western Infirmary Lecture Theatre at 7.30pm The talks are free, at Dunfermline just turn up on the night, at all…