The next stage of a Welsh mountain safety project has been launched.

BMC Cymru / Wales, Mountain Leader Training Wales (MLTW) the Met Office and Plas y Brenin (PYB) are working in partnership on a mountain safety project.

A number of years ago, and in response to some high profile mountain accidents, the Welsh Assembly Government provided funding to the Met Office to produce mountain specific weather forecasts. In recent years it became apparent that due to the wider availability of these forecasts from the Met Offcie and other forecasters, the funding was no longer necessary. 

The funding is being wound up this year, but currently being used to set up something very different in a joint project managed by the above organisations and with input from MLT and MLTE.

1. Snowdonia specific daily ground condition reports on the Met office website. Complied by National Park Wardens, simple ground condition classifiers will be used in the winter, such as Frozen Ground, alongside associated hazards and advice on how to manage them.
2. Mountain Safety videos on the Met Office website. Making use of footage from the existing BMC / MCS / MLTE DVDs, three short films provide awareness on hazards and advice on equipment and further training.
3. Mountain Safety and Information smart phone apps are under development and being tested now. The reason for this approach is to reach a particular demographic of 20 – 30 yr old men who live in urban environments, and are users of such technology.

Phases one and two are both up and running and phase three should be launched soon. There will be a formal launch of the whole project at Plas y Brenin this year, but word of mouth is a great way to get people aware of these important developments.

Publicity material is in the final stage of being designed and translated into Welsh for the leaflets. A facebook page will be created to house the clips and links to relevant organisations, enabling an online presence of the project into the future.

« Back