Learn Skills for the Hills with help of Mountain Aid

AN EVER- GROWING number of Scots are escaping to the hills to enjoy mountain adventures each year.

With spring just around the corner, more than 30 of Scotland’s leading outdoor organisations will join forces next month for an event aiming to equip all those who love the Scottish outdoors with the skills they need to venture out safely.

Held at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow on Saturday March 25, Skills for the Hills is organised by the Scottish charity Mountain Aid, in conjunction with Mountaineering Scotland.

It is set to inspire, educate and entertain the many who head onto the hills, be they summer hill walkers, all-weather climbers or mountain bikers. It also seeks to encourage the many more who don’t know what they are missing and signpost some of the ways they can get started.

The event will be officially opened by outdoor broadcaster and journalist Cameron McNeish, who has been a patron of Mountain Aid since 2010. He will also deliver a keynote lecture on the day.

A varied programme of talks will also give practical advice from expert speakers including Heather Morning, mountain safety adviser with Mountaineering Scotland, a representative from SARDA (the Search and Rescue Dogs Association) and survival skills personality from Backwoods Survival School Patrick McGlinchey.

There will be interactive skills work stations covering mountain weather services, navigation, first aid for the hills, avalanche awareness and forecasting.

Skills for the Hills takes place on Saturday March 25 from 10am to 4.30pm.

Full details of the event programme can be found on the Mountain Aid website at www. mountainaid.org.uk