Being male, stuck on mobile phone can be risky on Scotland’s mountains, says expert

Unable to look beyond your mobile phone, being male and unfamiliar with avalanche forecast can be highly risky on Scotland’s mountains, said a female climbing expert of the country.  

Taking up the role of chief instructor at Scotland’s national outdoor training centre, Glenmore Lodge, earlier this month, Heather Morning has urged visitors to “think winter” this springtime.  

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This comes as police in Scotland said on Friday that mountain rescues have increased by 40% in recent weeks as climbers have been misreading treacherous conditions on the peaks. In this month, seven people have already been killed on the hills.  

Based in Aviemore, which is 50 miles north-east of Fort William, Morning, said, “Into March, we get longer daylight hours, and down in the glen here it very much feels like summer. People aren’t switched on to the fact they might still need an ice axe and crampons up high.”  

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“Inevitably, we see fatalities of people stepping on old hard snow, taking flight and rattling off into rocks or off cliffs. Loss of life is complex, but there are definitely some trends. Virtually all fatalities on the Scottish mountains are men. Men over 60 are the demographic that get into difficulties,” Morning added.  

(With inputs from agencies)