NEWS IN BRIEF

Hi everyone. It's been a wee while since the last newsletter. Due to circumstances beyond my control (primarily, the weather) there hasn't been much positive to write about so I've held off until there is. A distinct lack of winter lead to cancellation of much of the winter courses. I thought I'd cancel and refund rather than try to go through the motions on small patches of snow as others were doing and deliver an inferior quality course. Hopefully next year. Following a cracking April, the weather as been somewhat damp which has caused problems with climbing and abseiling courses. These are some of the few courses that are best run on dry days. On top of that, I've now crocked my knee which has meant the cancellation of a week on Skye. But now that the moans are over, lets look forward to an Indian summer and to bucketloads of snow and a cracking winter, but in months to come. I'm continually flattered at the recommendations and commendations that I receive from clients. I've always run my business on a personal basis and shied away from employing assistance. Having been running a business as a professional mountaineer since 1995, I still think I've got a huge enthusiasm for educating people and passing on that enthusiasm to them. It's also amazing how often I bump into people who have been on courses in years gone by & to finding out what adventures they have all had since. Keep in touch & keep practicing your "Skills for the Hills"
NATIONAL NAVIGATION AWARD SCHEME
This year, Mountain Skills has been accredited by the national Navigation Award Scheme to deliver and assess awards at Bronze and Silver. These are not in themselves a leadership qualification but aim to help people get maximum pleasure in the outdoors through the development of skills for finding their way safely in the countryside. The National Navigation Award Scheme is supported and endorsed by Mountain Leader Training UK, the British Orienteering Federation, and Sports Leaders UK.  It is a Special Interest Group of the Royal Institute of Navigation. I'm hoping that by running these courses or offering them as part of the standard Mountain Skills Course, we can encourage people to further their personal performance. Certificates and merit badges will be issued to all successful candidates. If any Clubs or Organisations are interested in arranging bespoke courses, please get in touch. Further details of course content etc. can be found at www.nnas.org.uk

MOUNTAIN WEATHER

Most of us keep a regular eye on the mountain weather and I think I'm right in saying the Mountain Weather Information Service is probably the most oft used source of weather prediction. I'm glad to say that the MWIS has now been awarded funding from the Scottish Executive to continue and improve the current service. As most of you may know, the MWIS gives pretty impressively accurate forecasts for the main mountain areas of Scotland. If anything, they may perhaps be slightly pessimistic but I'd rather that the other with impending bad weather on the way. It's good to see the Scottish Executive supporting a valuable service such as this given the not insubstantial amounts of money that us hillgoers bring to the Scottish economy. I wonder if the MWIS can do anything about the poor summer weather? For your information, MWIS forecasts can be found at www.mwis.org.uk

ABSEILING
I've seen a substantial increase in the number of enquiries asking "Mountain Skills" to facilitate Sponsored Abseiling sessions. "Mountain Skills" is insured to run such events and usually hold these on the local sea cliffs where access to top and from bottom of the cliffs is no problem. There are no ownership and insurance issues on the seacliffs which some have encountered in trying to arrange abseils down buildings. I have also heard that a certain element of the rescue services have told enquirers that Sponsored Abseils on the seacliffs are not permitted. I'd like to clarify that this is not the case. As always, our emphasis is on safety and helping participants to achieve their goal and raise money  for worthwhile causes. This year's fundraisers were Archway, St Fitticks Church & Aberdeen Cyrenians.

MOUNTAIN SKILLS EVENING CLASSES
October sees the commencement of the ever popular Mountain Skills Classes. I've been running these courses since 1994 and am always pleased to encourage others to equip themselves for a lifetimes enjoyment from the hills. Although the courses are primarily aimed at those with little or no mountain experience, many more experienced participants have found the courses worthwhile. This year, participants will also be offered the opportunity of testing themselves to attain the National Navigation Award Scheme Bronze Award.