Category: Opinion

The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) is a UK-based service that provides detailed weather forecasts specifically tailored to mountainous regions. It aims to assist mountaineers, hill walkers, climbers, and other outdoor enthusiasts in making informed decisions about their activities in the mountains. MWIS offers forecasts for these 10 major mountain areas across the UK, in Scotland; The North West Highlands, West Highlands, Cairngorms, Southeastern Highlands, Southern Uplands. In England & Wales; the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales & North Pennines, Peak District, Eyri / Snowdonia, Bannau Brycheiniog / Brecon Beacons. The forecasts cover aspects such as temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation, visibility, freezing level and also provide information on specific mountain hazards. These forecasts are updated daily with 3 days of data and are available through the MWIS website. They are also available as a PDF download making these forecasts very practical for public display in Outdoor centres, Visitor centres and areas of entry into the hills & mountains. The choice between MWIS and the Met Office depends on the specific needs and preferences of the user, particularly in the context of outdoor activities such as mountaineering, hiking, and other mountain-related pursuits. Why use MWIS? Specialises in providing weather forecasts tailored specifically for mountainous regions offering detailed and focused forecasts. Provides specific details such as freezing levels, snow conditions, and high-altitude weather patterns, these being crucial for safety and planning in mountain environments. Where possible they use wording that indicates the impact of the weather on the user, and particularly when there is the possibility of severe conditions, they try to include this eventuality in the forecast as a probability, even when the risk is low. Forecasts are prepared by meteorologists with a deep understanding of mountain weather patterns and local terrain. This specialised knowledge allows them to offer insights

So why do we need to learn the skills of navigation using a map and compass? GPS is becoming more advanced and accurate, so is using a map and compass becoming obsolete? GPS, and the many apps we can download to help us route plan and navigate, can be a welcome aid when venturing out to the hills and mountains. It's simple, just choose a route, click a button and off we go. We follow the arrow on the screen and we know exactly where we are, with little chance of getting lost, it's reassuring. Actually it is so quick and accurate that I think we need to ask the question ‘Is it negligent to go out without it?’ I am old school, I love the map and compass, however even I have now succumbed to always carrying some form of GPS. There are so many advantages to GPS, most importantly, safety. Using location apps such as OS locate, can give you your accurate grid reference number at a touch of a button. Planned routes can be shared with your ‘check in’ contact. In all of our courses we talk about GPS and the value of using them. In fact we also provide specialist GPS courses and ultra running preparation courses where a large element is using GPS effectively. So what are the advantages of the map and compass?  The obvious one is it doesn’t run out of battery, break or suffer in limited coverage areas, of course we can, and should, always bring a battery charger. But it is so much more than just this. To use GPS effectively you really will benefit from an understanding of maps and terrain. There have been several fatal and near fatal incidents recently where people have blindly followed a route they found

We have run women’s only courses and events for over 25 years. The conversation has evolved, so we ask ourselves is it still ‘relevant’ to continue to run women’s only courses? The outdoor industry historically has been heavily dominated by and tailored for men, thankfully, this is now changing, slowly, however women are still the minority. So we ask ourselves what are the main barriers? Psychological - Women tend to have different motivations, they are less competitive than men and generally thrive in a supportive environment. Research suggests that when it comes to personal development, men and women need a different approach (Ruth Sacks, University of Westminster). When participating in a mixed group some women say they feel under pressure to perform, to not display emotion and can often be reticent to ask questions or take the lead in a male dominated environment. Physiological - The physiological needs of women are different. Some women can be embarrassed with basics such as going to the toilet. Many tend to ‘hold on’, so as to avoid undressing to relieve themselves. Menstruation can also be embarrassing and making allowances for this can be difficult to discuss among men. Menopause and the symptoms associated with this such as hot sweats, forgetfulness and clumsiness, can be another cause of embarrassment, misunderstanding and are difficult to express in a mixed group. I have been lucky enough throughout my years playing and working in the mountains of being surrounded by some great male climbers and mountaineers who have been incredibly supportive and encouraging. I have had so many positive experiences, however, of course there have been some negative ones too. I grew up living a very outdoor life, so I have always been comfortable sleeping, eating and peeing in the open air! However when I started to