SAFETY & TRAINING NEWS
- Mountain Weather
- Mountaineering Instructors
- Student Safety Seminar Report
- Clachaig Talks
- Winter Skills DVD
- Avalanche Card
MOUNTAIN WEATHER
Part 3: Snow
By Alison McLure
I feel a real sense of excitement on that first crisp morning of Autumn, when the frost sparkles on the grass, like fairy dust. It is the thought of winter just around the corner, when the mountains become a different kind of playground from the summer. Dreams of clear blue skies and snowy mountains as far as the eyes can see; snowflakes gently, softly falling overnight. The skis are checked, the summer climbing gear is changed over to ice screws, deadmen and warthogs; always with the hope that this year we will see lots of snow. Reality usually hits sometime in October or November when battling against the wind and the short days through thigh deep snow, very little visibility and snow stinging against any bit of exposed skin or it just starts chucking it down with rain.
There is a lot of good literature concerning snow once it has landed; will there be an avalanche, what are the conditions under foot/ski for climbing or skiing? But, what about before the snow reaches the ground? What weather conditions form snow? Why are the snowflakes those wonderful hexagonal shapes with no two the same? How do we know if it’s snowing on the hills, when it is raining at home?
Whether there is snow or not depends, of course, on whether it is cold enough. You would think that snow would form at zero degrees Celsius; as usual with the weather, it is not as simple as that! The air temperature must be no more than 2 degrees Celsius for the snow to reach the ground. Surely then the snow will melt; well…. no; the air around the snowflake cools as it starts to melt (due to the latent heat of fusion, if you really want to know!), so it keeps the temperature down and it can keep on snowing after you think it would have turned to rain. This effect (evaporative cooling) also means that if it rains for a long time with the temperature a couple of degrees above Celsius this can gradually turn to snow. This happens more often over mountains than at low level, because of the simple fact that there is more precipitation over the hills. As an example, between 1961 and 1990 snow fell on the Cairngorms an average of 100 days in a year, compared to 20 or less near the west coast.
Air rises when it hits the mountains and rising air cools. This means that the temperature drops at around 2 degrees Celsius per 300 metres (1000 feet) of ascent, on average. So if the temperature is around 6 degrees Celsius at sea level, you can still expect snow on the tops of Munros. These calculations are very rough, since there are so many variables, but you can get a rough idea of what is going on.
The temperature, clearly, is crucial in telling whether it will snow or not, but the type of cloud will determine what kind of snow there will be. Clouds are pretty complicated things and there is quite a science behind how snow is formed. There are two basic ways: a mix of super-cooled water droplets and ice crystals in the cloud knock into each other causing the water droplets to freeze and stick together instantly, which creates the six sided flakes we know and love.; the other way is for tiny water droplets to join up with each other and then freeze. These will fall out of the sky as hail or as snow pellets. This variety of formation processes means that snow can fall out of blanket frontal cloud and from showery clouds (cumulus or cumulonimbus). It also means that snow can be fine and powdery, when it is cold and dry; or large with lots of flakes together, when it is “wet” and close to freezing.
Whenever the subject of winter weather comes up, the question of how climate change will affect the amount of snow is on my mind, but I will leave that big question to another time. Whatever the type of snow, I am certainly hoping for plenty of it in Scotland and, if not, I am off to Norway again to live out my dream of winter wonderland!
Mountaineering Instructors Part 3
Instructing in the Summer Mountains (Mountaineering Instructor Award)
By Shaun Roberts (Course Director, Glenmore Lodge)
With a moment to spare I sit to admire the view from atop the sandstone ridge of Liathach; blessed with a clear day Beinn Alligin and Beinn Eighe demonstrate so clearly the uniqueness of this area of the highlands. The mountains here stand separated by huge ancient rivers that shaped the Torridonian sandstone and have long since dried up, leaving a landscape Tolkien would approve of. Crossing the main difficulties of the ridge I can see a small party moving together. The leader is short roping the party; a technique that requires skills of judgement gained only by a long apprenticeship in the mountains. I can also see that the leader is making a decent job of it, there being a good balance between safety and flow of movement. All this is just as well as the ground they are moving on is not a place to slip. My job today is to assess the leader’s performance. As an instructor at Glenmore Lodge I have the pleasure and responsibility of organising many of these days. I know the effort this particular candidate has gone to in preparation for this assessment.
Most people undergoing such assessments have personal experience on the mountains and crags which typically span 10 to 15 years; they will know all the major areas in the UK and often have experience of many mountain ranges and climbing areas around the world. Nine days of training at one of the National Centres will have been totally dedicated to the award. There can be no doubting their efforts to get to where they are. After all that preparation, the job of my colleagues and I now is to create the optimum ‘conditions’, including using the best locations the Highlands have to offer, to enable the candidates to demonstrate just how good they really are.
The week so far has consisted of one day of personal climbing, one day of rescue problems on a crag, one day of teaching climbing to two students, and a mountain day consisting of taking the same two students over complex mountain terrain. Finally there is a half day devoted to their skills of navigation. The areas we use are a varied mixture of roadside and mountain crags most of which are multi pitch and often with complex retreats. Today we are in Torridon, although we have other groups operating the same day in Glencoe and tomorrow we will all be local in the Cairngorms.
Come the final afternoon I will be sitting down with all the assessors to discuss the performance of all the candidates. We need to make sure that each candidate is seen by more than one assessor and I need to make sure that I get the details of each of my assessment days recorded in a clear fashion. We take a holistic view of the whole week and know that each individual has strengths and weaknesses. The assessment team, which consists of a team of instructors with several decades of outdoor experience between them, will then decide on the results.
We are hoping for the best results for each candidate. Although we have not shared in their personal experience, we probably did their training and a quality training course will set the candidate up for a good consolidation period and therefore a good assessment result. The training course has changed over the years to meet the requirements of the modern mountain instructor. It’s a nine-day programme, deploying the most experienced staff and one that we are very proud of at the Lodge. A third of the course is spent in or around the Glencoe area, in keeping with our belief that training should take place in locations that inspire. From start to finish we aim to run a course that develops each individual and stimulates the imagination for what is possible as a mountain instructor. The diversity of the training reflects the diversity of the job. Several hard skills are required: climb effortlessly at VS 4C, manage a combination of rope systems, organise stances, solve problems on climbs using technical rescue skills, short rope over scrambling terrain, and navigate in complex mountainous terrain. Add to this a varied list of soft skills including an ability to coach individuals, assess risk and manage situations, empathy towards your students, and managing student’s aims and aspirations.
So to be a good MIA you have to be a good mountaineer and a people person. There is no greater example of when all these skills come together than when we are teaching a student to lead climb. It would not be good enough for the instructor to be just a skilled climber; they must also have the soft skills to help the student deal with the psychological nature of the sport. Coaching a risk sport such as rock climbing is a unique and rewarding challenge. After 14 years of working as an MIA I am still learning new aspects of the job, students still surprise me, and I still stop just to look at the view. If there is a better job out there I haven’t heard of it yet.
Having just lowered their students down a short steep step, the candidate that I am observing today takes a short break for a brew. The students are unable to take their eyes off the superb view as the aspirant instructor talks knowledgably about the geological history of the area and how these mountains came into being. I find myself ear wigging to ensure I don’t miss any gems of information and hope this candidate can keep up what is turning out to be a good performance.
For a list of Mountain Instructors contact the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI), Siabod Cottage, Capel Curig, Conwy LL24 0ET. Tel: 01690 720 314. Email: enquiries@ami.org.uk Web: http://www.ami.org.uk/
For information about courses at Glenmore Lodge contact: Tel: 01479 861 256
Scottish University Safety and Good Practice Seminar
November 2005 REPORT
The weekend was a great success with 37 delegates attending from 12 Scottish university clubs. The first day dealt with a wide range of issues including:- Liability; Training opportunities and experience; Qualifications; First aid; Care of equipment; Incident management; Duty of care; Scrambling and hazard awareness; Holding a fall and Search & Rescue Operations. The new Winter Essentials DVD was shown on Saturday evening and it was so popular that delegates stayed to watch all the additional chapters instead of going to the bar!
The second day took place out on the hills and crags and covered:- Hillwalking; Steep ground; Hazard awareness; Scrambling and Rock Climbing. The seminar could not have taken place without the generous support of all the volunteers who gave up their time to promote safety within the university clubs and encourage safe practice on the hills.
The MCofS would like to congratulate all the club delegates for their huge enthusiasm and to thank all the volunteers for their invaluable assistance:- Derek Bain; Nick Barr; Malcolm Creasey; Alan Crichton; Terry Doe; Fraser Fotheringham; Allen Fyffe; Jon Garside; Alan Halewood; Nick Halls; Ian Hodgson; James Hotchkis; Nick Jones; George McEwan; Fergus Murray; Martin Searle.
Lectures 2006
Open to the public
The Clachaig Inn in Glen Coe will again be hosting a series of MCofS lectures during February and March.
The speakers are Wes Sterritt and Tom Rupar (SAIS Avalanche Observers on Creag Meagaigh), Roger Wild (MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser) and Mike Pescod (IFMGA Mountain Guide based in Fort William).
Wes, Tom, Roger and Mike will be talking about Avalanche Awareness, Winter Mountain Navigation and Winter Mountain Safety. The lectures start at 8pm.
The Clachaig lectures are FREE (but donations to the cause of mountain safety will be gratefully accepted, and touted for on the door). Along with real ale and good pub grub, the talks are a great way to have a relaxing and informative evening.
February
7th Wes Sterritt Avalanche Awareness
14th Tom Rupar Avalanche Awareness
21st Roger Wild Winter Mountain Navigation
28th Roger Wild Winter Mountain Navigation
March
7th Mike Pescod Winter Mountain Safety
14th Mike Pescod Winter Mountain Safety
Winter Essentials DVD
£12.99 to MCofS Members
The film follows three winter mountaineers and two climbers on a day out in Glen Coe. 11 other chapters cover Navigation, Avalanche Awareness, Crampons, Ice Axes, Self-arrest, Belays, Emergency Procedures and Clothing & Equipment.
Produced by the MCofS, BMC and MLTE with generous support from the Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust.
Winter Essentials is available from all good retailers priced £14.99 (£12.99 for MCofS members direct from the office).
Avalanche Card
to carry in your rucksack
£3.99 (+SAE) to MCofS Members
The MCofS and Avalex produced this small plastic coated aide-memoire for anyone venturing out into the winter hills. Read it all before you go and become more aware of avalanches; carry it in your sac’s top pocket and if you need to refresh your memory on the hill you can identify the most prone areas, the warning signs, the weather’s affect, safe route choice and travel techniques as well as a ‘walking Rutschblock’ test to help confirm the snows stability.
ORDER YOUR COPY USING THE MCofS PUBLICATIONS FORM
PC Digital Mapping Made Easy!
Bill Park’s review of the Anquet Digital Map for Cairngorms National Park in the December issue of the magazine mentioned that a two-part article on the subject would be starting in this issue. However, problems with Ordnance Survey copyright costs have meant this will be delayed until the May and August issues.
In meantime, Bill has offered to hold sessions for any group that would like to organise their own event if they can arrange a suitable venue. Clubs and groups should contact him by email to see what can be arranged at: bill.park@lineone.net
Bill will also be running the session on Digital Mapping again at the MCofS Annual Gathering on June 17th at Glenmore Lodge.