This evening I attended the first evening of the Mountain Rescue Council of Scotland Level 2 Avalanche course, which will run for the duration of this weekend. This evening we were privileged to have two lectures, the first by Graham Moss of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service, which was an excellent look at current thoughts on how and when to be assessing snow pack conditions, with more focus now being on assessment from your base and on the move throughout your mountain journey, and less so on relying on hasty pits and rutchblock tests. Would be ace to get the chance to head out with the guys who compile the forecasts, who are no doubt a wealth of information and no doubt have some handy hints and tips on what to be looking for.
The second lecture was a rather lively yet morose look at avalanche rescue, likely survival and a summary of real events and tragedies from Davey Gunn, formerly of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team. It was rather sobering, but also an interesting insight into the thought processes of a team leader, and how in the heat of the moment the right decision, in order to safeguard the team, might not be the one taken, often due to the heuristic nature of man. More on that tomorrow hopefully!
The plan is to get out on Aonoch Mor, split into teams and spend the day in some horrendously windy conditions and get to grips with the ins and outs of the unique Scottish snow pack...roll on 6.30 tomorrow....ciao!
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