Page 57 - 2018 AMA Winter

No footprints in front of me – Ochil Hills
summer of scrambling can affect the fit. Remember if you think you need your crampons on because the slope is getting steep you should have had them on already!! If you have a small bivvy shelter it should be in your rucksack year round. Make sure you have either a laminated map or good quality map case as a soggy map is a disappointment for all of us, make sure your compass is working well and doesn’t get a bubble in it when it is cold and high up ( it happens). Maps and compasses on watches or phones are NOT to be relied on.....you may notice a pattern emerging here.....keep the mobile phone for emergencies not for looking at mapping software. In addition keep the phone in a waterproof bag in an inside pocket to try to extend battery life. Carry a flask with hot drinks even if, like me, you are normally a juice person, there is not much comfort in half frozen peach juice and Heinz Tomato is very warming ( other soup is available!!) and an extra chocolate bar is a must to maintain energy levels (that is my excuse anyway!) Last but not least make sure your rucksack is waterproof and if not get a big drybag to put inside it (or a new rucksack for Christmas!!)
WEATHER TO GO ON NOT!
Make sure that you know what the weather is forecast to do on the day you are intending to go – right? Wrong – well half right, it is vital that you check the weather for the week preceding the big day - why you might ask?? If it has been raining solidly for 3 days you might not want to plan a route which involves multiple burn / river crossing even if your chosen day is sunny.......and if it has been snowy and / or windy in the
preceding days this will have a huge effect on avalanche risks ( windslab produced snow pack is probably our biggest enemy and the condition we need to be very aware of), you may need to change your route choice and perhaps even your day choice!! Make the most of online weather forecasts (make sure they are specific to
‘Being able to interpret Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) snow forecasts is a must, if you don’t know how to – find out!!’
the mountains and it goes without saying that in snow conditions checking and being able to interpret Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) snow forecasts is a must, if you don’t know how to – find out!!
DON’T BE ALARMED – GET UP EARLY!! WHAT’S THE TIME MR WOLF – IT’S DARK O’CLOCK!!
First rule of winter wanderings is get up early and get back early, if something unexpected happens you have a bit of leeway to sort things out while it is still light. Mountain Rescue teams spend a lot of time training in the dark and navigating in the dark, why do we endure this fun filled experience? – easy - lots of hillgoers get benighted in winter and although completely uninjured need to be escorted off the hill and we need to know how to operate in the dark. Make our live a little easier get out of bed an hour early and you will see the descent route!!
I AM NOT LOST I AM TEMPORARILY UNSURE OF MY EXACT LOCATION.... While I am on the subject of descent routes it leads me nicely to the ability to navigate, I get asked often by lots of folks about the benefits of GPS, and they are undoubtedly a useful addition to our navigation skills tool box either on a mobile phone or stand along device, however before shelling out a couple of hundred quid on a GPS enrol yourself on a navigation course THEN buy a GPS. We all know navigation is a vital skill at any time of year but in winter you are more likely to encounter low cloud, sleet, snow and general lack of visibility so have a day out before the season gets fully underway and just brush up on the basics, make sure you know how many double paces you take to 100m and how long it takes you to walk a kilometre so you can pace and time if you are in a white out to get to a descent route or correct corrie etc. If you want to get really good join the local orienteering club to see what accurate navigation is about. The root cause of many Mountain Rescues is poor navigation followed by slip, trip or fall....
SO WHAT IS THE OVERRIDING MESSAGE:
Scotlands wild places are a special, life affirming place to be in the winter, there is nothing better than being the first person to walk through a snow field, however they will bite you on the bum (sometimes literally!!) if you don’t prepare a little and make sure you have the skills to enjoy all that winter brings.
Stay safe and enjoy
Ochils MRT training Scottish Highlands
A Grand Day Out - Tower Ridge
ARMY MOUNTAINEER / 57