A Scottish Government agency has been accused of putting the lives of mountaineers and snow sports enthusiasts at risk by axing funding for a respected weather forecasting service.
The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) has been the most used and trusted source for planning walks and climbs on the country’s famous peaks for more than a decade.
But now the not-for-profit service could be axed at the end of the year after SportScotland decided to withdraw its annual support of £36,000.
The move has sparked fury in the climbing community, with more than 1,500 people signing a petition calling for a rethink in the space of just 24 hours.
But SportScotland branded the claims “misleading”, and pledged to ensure that “reliable, authoritative forecasts” would continue to be provided.
The MWIS, which is read by millions of people each year, has been providing detailed mountain forecasts for the last 13 years, and began receiving Scottish Government backing in 2007.
Within the last two years, the MWIS, SportScotland and the Met Office began discussing a collaborative project aimed at ensuring the long-term future of the mountain forecasts.
But, in July the lead forecaster at the MWIS, Geoff Monk, was told by SportScotland that its funding would be pulled at the end of the year.
Mr Monk, who previously worked for the Met Office, said he had received more than 100 e-mails from supporters yesterday morning after he revealed the cut.
“The funding withdrawal by SportScotland, following their previous decision to collaborate with MWIS, together with the Met Office, was a real shock and jeopardises the safety of those who use the mountains every day,” he said.
“All we want is for MWIS to continue to provide a consistent, quality service so that mountain users can enjoy the mountains safely, fully aware of what the weather will throw at them.”
He added: “The service will be cut at the end of the year if we don’t get this funding. There’s a lot of time and effort goes into it.
“We clearly want MWIS to continue. I’m not giving up.”
Fort William-based mountaineering guide Alan Kimber was among those to contact Mr Monk to offer his backing.
He said: “Cost-saving could be at the heart of this, so I hope that whoever takes over mountain forecasts in the UK can also help save lives in the way that Geoff Monk and MWIS
has over many years.
“Anyone who has listened to Geoff Monk will know how knowledgeable, enthusiastic and committed he is to forging links with mountaineers. Personally I don’t think he can be replaced.”
David Whalley was a member of the RAF Mountain Rescue for 36 years, serving as team leader of RAF Leuchars and RAF Kinloss.
He wrote on his blog: “Modern forecast pioneered by the MWIS were for specific mountain areas and were in my mind a huge step forward.
“I would imagine that this service has helped so many in the outdoors have a safer day.”
A SportScotland spokesman said: “This is a disappointing and misleading claim by Geoff Monk at the MWIS.
“Investment into MWIS continues until the end of this year and we have been involved in collaboration discussions for over a year with the Met Office and Geoff about building a resilient and development-focused mountain weather forecast provision for Scotland together.
“SportScotland has been investing in mountain weather provision since 2007 and this investment has established bespoke mountain weather forecasts as a critical part of risk evaluation for those who want to participate in outdoor activities in the Scottish mountains.
“Lines of communications with MWIS have always been open and remain so.
“SportScotland’s priority is to ensure there is a sustainable mountain forecast for Scotland through the provision of reliable, authoritative forecasts, which are relevant to outdoor activities and enable forecast users to make informed judgements about their chosen activities.
“This is precisely what we will deliver and we will ensure there is a continuity of this service.”
