The Mountaineering Council of Scotland is sporting a new-look website to help it appeal to a wider audience including skiers and kids groups. According to Grough, the new site has been designed with input from high profile climbers such as Dave Macleod. The site has always been a good resource for any interested in Scotland’s mountains, but the new fresh look and much easier navigation should make it better for most visitors. We’d like to see it get more interactive with comments and forums but at least they’ve got an RSS feed and outdoors people can stick that on their Google homepage or news reader to keep up to date with MCofS news.

Read the full article on Grough

It may turn out that by the end of this summer with hindsight we will all laugh at this article but the BBC took it seriously enough to put it on their evening news. Apparently the cold winter we’ve had will have killed off midges in their billions in Scotland. Why? The long periods of cold have frozen the ground in midge infested areas deeper than usual and for longer than usual so the eggs may be killed off. There are probably still trillions of them that will live on but it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?

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Cocona fabrics have launched what they claim is the most breathable 100% waterproof fabric yet. Better than that they’re looking for 1000 active outdoors types to test them out a jacket for them, free.

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Outdoors Magic has a good article full of tips on how to maximise the performance of your sleeping bag and keep warm inside it on cold winter nights. One tip I would add is that many sleeping mats are too short for me so I put my rucksack under my feet at the end of the mat to keep my feet off the cold ground.

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Like the idea of rock climbing but would like a more gentle introduction? Via Ferrata could be for you. This article on Live For The Outdoors documents a first time trip to the Dolomites to try out the famous iron way.

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Outdoors Magic has put together a collection of mountain flypast videos from youtube and other sites. Some great footage of Glencoe in there.

Click here to view videos

Don’t risk your life by trusting walking poles to keep you safe in the winter hills. This article discusses how walking poles are pointless compared to crampons in winter conditions in the hills.

Read the full article here