GLENMORE Lodge, Scotland's National Outdoor Training Centre, already has a fantastic worldwide reputation for its training of mountaineers, but the opening of a new facility there yesterday will still enhance that.
The world's first permanent artifical avalanche tranceiver training facility will offer year-round training in dealing with avalanche scenarios.
Constructed at a cost of approximately £10,000, the 500 square metre facility provides potential rescuers with an artificial, highly realistic and easily accessible facility that enables would-be rescuers to simulate various avalanche transceiver search scenarios at any time of year and whatever the weather conditions.
It's another valuable string to Glenmore's bow, with winter mountaineering, and ski mountaineering in particular, increasingly popular activities in Scotland. Last year alone, the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) recorded over 329,000 people accessing its online avalanche reports, over a four-month operational period, across five key Scottish mountain areas.
An individual's chances of survival diminish rapidly the longer they are buried in an avalanche. Companion rescue, therefore, forms the focus of a successful recovery. Increasingly individuals are carrying transceivers which can both transmit and receive a signal on a common frequency. In this way any members of the party not avalanched become rescuers. Groups therefore have a need to be practised in their use.
Anything that can make people safer on the hills in the snow is to be welcomed and the facility will be of use to the centre's 750 plus winter course participants, mountain rescue teams, ski clubs as well as individual winter sports enthusiasts.
IT's great to see that a serious bout of campaignig to bring the London 2012 Olympic torch though Strathspey next summer has paid off, with the announcement that the flame will be taken through the streets of Aviemore, home to many Olympic athletes, and also through Grantown and Carrbridge.
The torch's procession across Scotland's is important as it connects people, albeit in a minor way, with what will be happening hundreds of miles down south later in the year.
There was, and still is, a danger that London 2012 is not going to bring much benefit, sporting or otherwise to our neck of the woods, but the fact the games are being held in the UK should still be a source of pride.
Congratulations to support worker Caroline Wright and her family from Advie after she scooped £100,000 in the new Health Lottery. While it won't change their lives such a substantial amount of cash in these recession-hit times will pay off their debts and allow them to do things they could previously never dream of. When there is so much gloom and doom in the news these day's it's a joy to report on such a happy story. Let's hope the Wrights benefit as much as possible from their good fortune.
