I’m just back from
Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms where those nice folks from the Mountain
Training Association (MTA) laid on a winter training package for members of the
Association. A number of different
workshops were available and I opted for 2 of the (for me) more technical
subjects: avalanche awareness and security on steep ground.
Saturday was spent in the
company of Mark Diggins, Co-ordinator of the Scottish Avalanche Information
Service (SAIS - http://www.sais.gov.uk )
ably assisted by Keith Miller. A font of
knowledge and widely-acclaimed expert on the white stuff, Mark gave us a
morning of classroom theory before taking us up into Coire an t-Sneachda with
snow shovels and probes to investigate the snow pack. All very useful stuff even if the weather
limited our scope for travelling higher into the mountains.
All Snowed Out - Time for Tea!
Sunday was even
worse! Strong winds and blizzard
conditions closed the ski road for the day and effectively closed the mountains
too. Nevertheless, Sam, Richard &
Andy did their best at substituting the practical side of things with some
useful classroom discussions. We did
venture out in the morning, walking through the forest from the Lodge in search
of the nearest available steep snow.
However, as soon as we popped our heads above the tree-line, Sam’s
anemometer recorded a sustained wind speed of 84mph and we beat a hasty retreat
for the classroom!
Scuttling Back to the Classroom!
A big thank you to Belinda
Fear from the MTA for organising the weekend and for all the instructors who
took time out to help provide this valuable opportunity for some continuing
professional development.
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