With the UK mountain areas starting to open up, after the COVID-19 lockdowns, people are starting to venture back into the hills. Now, more than ever, the mountains are being visited by people whose hill skills probably aren’t quite as sharp as they were before!

If you are planning a day out, remember to ask yourself 3 questions before you set off:

• Do I have the right GEAR?
• Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
• Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?

These are the key messages from the brilliant Adventure Smart initiative, and you can click on their site for more information, weather forecasts, and skills. To help spread the word, the little legends of MiniMRT, the children of team members of Langdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team, are helping spread the message, with their films. Eagle eyed previous guests may well recognise a couple of friendly faces!

• Mini MRT safety film about the Adventure Smart questions; watch here.
• Film from Mini MRT about checking weather and adapting; watch here.

Getting out of lockdown is hard, and we’ve also been working hard producing a range of our own skills films, so you can get your mountain skills back that bit quicker. There are two areas that we have focused on;

• Knots and rope work. We’ve produced a fully updated page on this, showing you the key knots, how to tie them, and an explanation of what they are used for. To link to this page, please click here.
• Mountain Navigation. Each week we are publishing a short instructional video on our Facebook page, so you can refresh your skills. To view the most recent, click here. We’ll add the series to our website.

Here is our YouTube film summarising the main rope work skills…

So, it’s time to dust off you mountain boots, and to sharpen your skills, then to get back into the hills. Just remember to choose your objectives carefully, and to gradually build up back to your previous level. There’s no corners to cut, and remember both to #BeAdventureSmart and to safely enjoy your days out in the mountains.

Have a great time, and stay safe!