The Cairngorm Ranger Service have started a new initiative to help reduce contamination by human waste by parties snowholing in popular areas on the Cairngorm plateau. If you do decide to undertake a planned snowholing trip you might like to take advantage of the offer of free bags, BDH and disposal. Here is a news release for more details.

Our next Social Meet is well under way, with the date set for 2nd - 4th May, though we've yet to confirm the venue. We'll have a range of skills sessions, which have proven to be very popular. Alternatively you can just set out with other women from the Meet. Want to read how these things work?

There's a whole new spring programme on the go, read about it here.

For many years now Chicks Unleashed have had the support of ZeroG. This company was set up by a friend of ours who is an inspiration in her dedication to producing a brand of climbing equipment that is innovative & extremely competitive in price. My favorite is their sets of wires and I use them all the time. Over the years, Cathy Casey has supported a vast number of climbing businesses, charities & communities. If you'd like to read more please click here.

'Tis the season to be continually trying to keep up to date with what the hills are doing. So here's a list of what you'll need if your bedroom window doesn't overlook the Scottish hills.

WEB CAMERAS
Cairngorm summit camera
picture is taken daily at 0915 and goes live at 0945

View from Ptarmigan restaurant, Cairngorm.
Remeber to click on the image to check the date on it; it fairly often doesn't work

Data from Cairngorm summit weather station

Graph of the wind speed & direction temperature at Cairngorm summit

Visit Fort William's webcam of Ben Nevis

The King's House (Glencoe) webcam of Buachaille Etive Mor

FORECASTS
Geoff Monk's Mountain Weather Information Service
detailed forecasts for 3 days
Cairngorm National Park
West Highlands
North West Highlands

The Met Office
They also do an incredibly useful rain radar

BBC weather forecast

AVALANCHE FORECASTS
The Scottish Avalanche Information Service has lots of really useful information for understanding avalanches, sfaer travel, how they forecast and archives.
Creag Meagaidh
Glencoe
Lochaber
Northern Cairngorms
Southern Cairngorms

..AND FINALLY
When I'm not near the hills but am due to go, this is where I go to find out what people have been doing. It builds a picture along with all the stuff above, even though I don't necessarily know who's written it or what their judgemnet is like.
UK Climbing's winter forum.