The Inchree Blog

New Year week in the Highlands

  Just now is good time to be taking a trip to to the Highlands with the fine, settled weather we're currently having in Lochaber. The high pressure area currently dominating the UK looks set to continue throughout next week along with the lovely frosty conditions.

We've got availability in our Lodge dorm and private rooms from the 1st onward, with chalets available from the 3rd. You can always turn up off-spec, but a quick 'phone call on 01855 821287 or 0772 0068111 always helps.

Climbing conditions are currently very good, if a little thin, with great ice reported on Ben Nevis & the back of Aonach Mor. See the usual guides websites for daily updates on conditions.

No skiing yet at Nevis Range or Glencoe unfortunately. With no sign of snow next week, it'll be more into January before this potentially changes.

We'd like to wish all guests, past & future, a Very Happy New Year & Successful 2009.

Mountaineering Council of Ireland, Scottish Winter Meet 2009

....A note for any readers based in Ireland - The Mountaineering Council of Ireland (MCI) will be running its annual Scottish Winter Mountaineering meet at Inchree, between the 15th and 22nd of March 2009.

Courses will be run in basic to progressive winter mountaincraft, and offer an informal and sociable way of developing your skills. The Scottish meet was restarted last year after a lay-off of several years, and was a great success. There's an information evening organised at the Great Outdoors Shop, Chatham St, Dublin 2 on Tuesday 13th January 2009, starting at 7.30pm to answer any questions you have, and hopefully to help inspire you to participate in the meet. (Entry free.)

Full details on the courses can be got from the MCI's website, or by contacting Tim Orr (MCI Training Officer) on (Ireland) 016251115 or tim@mountaineering.ie

Avalanche Forecasts Begin for Season

 The avalanche forecasts for the 2008 /09 winter season have now begun. Provided by the Scottish Avalanche Information service (SAIS) and updated daily, they give essential info for the winter hill-goer. Areas covered are Lochaber, Glencoe, Creag Meagaidh & Southern & Northern Cairngorms.

Lochaber and Northern Cairngorms reports begun on 16th December, with the rest starting on the 22nd.

Ben Nevis Navigation Card - available to download

Some years ago Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team produced a laminated card that gave very useful info on how to correctly navigate off the Ben Nevis summit plateau. This was after a spate of accidents involving folk straying into dodgy ground like Five Finger Gully whilst trying to leave the plateau in bad visibility.

The card is still in circulation, however some of the info on it is now out of date - the original card describes the marker poles on the plateau that were erected to aid navigation. (They were subsequently cut down some years ago by a mystery purist who carried an angle grinder up!)

With a bit of slashing and pasting in Photoshop I've redone the card as a download,  and it can now be downloaded as a PDF here. 

I recommend printing it off on the best quality settings on your printer and using card rather than paper. (Epson matt heavyweight is good.) Fold it over so the writing is on the rear and then put it through a laminator on a hot setting. (Use a 120 micron-thick laminating pouch.) You'll then have a handy waterproof navigation aid to refer to.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland have also published a comprehensive leaflet, 'Navigation on Ben Nevis.' It can be viewed here.

 

Fort William Mountain Festival, 6th - 13th March 2009 - Programme now available

  The programme for the Fort William Mountain Festival 2009 is now available from the Festival Website. 

Now in its 6th year, and firmly established as one of the UK's leading mountain festivals, the 2009 festival will feature a packed schedule of big-name lectures, films, workshops, exhibitions, and much more. Taking place during what's traditionally the most reliable time of the winter for climbing and skiing conditions in Lochaber, its an ideal period to visit and combine days on the hill with the evening programme.

Inchree Centre is pleased to be be a supporting sponsor for the Festival for the 4th year running - we still have chalet and room accommodation available for over the Festival period.

Scotland Outdoors Magazine

Scotland Outdoors Magazine is a relatively new publication, produced by Big Bend Publishing in the Scottish Borders. As the name suggests,it highlights the very best of Scotland’s natural diversity from its dramatic coastline to the high tops of its iconic peaks.

Feature-led and backed with inspiring photography, it explores one of Europe’s greatest natural playgrounds with articles on adventure travel, outdoor sports, wildlife, ecology and conservation, plus the people and issues that shape Scotland’s outdoors.

The in-house team of writers and photographers are supported by a network of contributors, many of whom live and work in the outdoors as wildlife rangers, mountain guides and outdoors instructors.

Scotland Outdoors isn't available to buy off the shelf in newsagents - it can be found through a network of around 80 stockists such as outdoor centres and hotels. We provide complimentary copies to browse through here at Inchree, so make sure you pick it up off our rack the next time you're in - it's a great read, packed with interesting articles and beautifully presented.

More info from the Scotland Outdoors Website.

One-stop Web Page for Weather, Climbing & Skiing Conditions this Winter

Just a reminder that our webpage www.inchreecentre.co.uk/camera/webcam.htm has all the links you need to websites for checking out West Highland mountain weather, avalanche, climbing, skiing, canoeing and sea-kayaking conditions.

Our webcam is currently being moved to a better position giving a panorama view over Loch Linnhe & the Morven Mountains, and should be back on-line next week.

New Beer Tax Hike - A Kick in the Teeth for the Great British Pub

Last Thursday (27th November) saw the launch of a new campaign to save the pub by opposing plans to further increase beer tax, Axe The Beer Tax.

Britain's pubs are under severe and sustained pressure. Sales of beer in pubs are now at their lowest levels since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and 36 pubs are closing every week. More than 44,000 jobs were lost from the industry between 2000 and 2005 - and further redundancies are inevitable. CAMRA has predicted that up to 7,500 pubs could be lost by the end of 2012.

The situation is being made worse by the impact of the wider economic slowdown, and the Chancellor's announcement of yet another increase in duty this week - on top of plans to increase the tax on beer above inflation next year and for the next three years. The Chancellor increased beer duty by 9% in March this year and by a further 8% on Monday last week.  

With tax already taking up a third of the price of a pint of beer, further hikes can only accelerate the decline of the pub.

Pubs play a vital role in the social life of communities up and down the country - and are an essential part of promoting a more responsible drinking culture. It is time to stand up for a Great British tradition and save the pub.

This campaign aims to give a voice to ordinary British pub-goers and consumers, and send a strong message to Whitehall and Westminster that we've had enough.

Please join our campaign. Go to www.axethebeertax.com and sign up as a supporter.

Best regards

Jonathan Mail
Head of Policy and Public Affairs
CAMRA, The Campaign for Real Ale
jonathan.mail@camra.org.uk