Keep smiling and Be safe in our winter wonderland!
With the first snow of the season blanketing the valley last month and the temperature dropping significantly, winter is well and truly here. For some members of our community, like the mountain rescue teams, this means the busiest time of year - so how can you make the most of the wintry weather and ensure you keep safe? We asked a couple of local heroes for their advice!
A day in the life of snow plough driver Tom Moody, Cairngorm Mountain
I get up at around 4.30am and I’m out on the mountain, in my piste grooming machine, by about 6am. I don’t mind being up early, you just get used to it and I’ve been doing this job for 40 years! My job is to make sure that the tracks under the ski lifts are smooth with no snow drifts, so it’s safe. Often the visibility is not good so you have to have your wits about you and know the lie of the land. I’ll be out there until about 10am doing the tracks and flattening out the pistes before they’re safe enough to open. I like that every day is different and I’ve got the mountain to myself. It’s just me, my machine and the radio getting on with moving the snow.
Always take a Map and Compass
Don’t rely solely on your mobile for navigation
Julian Fennema is the training officer for Braemar Mountain Rescue Team. He implores hill walkers never to underestimate the might of the Cairngorms mountain range, particularly in winter, when navigation becomes much harder and navigational issues account for about 25% of the team’s call outs. “So many of the things you use to keep yourself on track disappear in winter, like burn lines, crags, etc. They’re just not there anymore! You have to rely on your navigational skills,” he says. “Visitors can underestimate the Cairngorms, which has a very different weather system and a slightly more brutal environment than the likes of the Lakes or the South Downs.”
Heed local weather warnings
Wear prop Footwea
