The contradictory nature of Scotland's mountains is what makes them truly unique. Covered in snow and illuminated by sun, they can be as spectacular as peaks twice their height, yet they are easily accessible from all Scotland's cities. Although bumps compared with the great mountain ranges of the world, they can be as dangerous as any alpine glacier.
In summer, covered in heather, we refer to even the highest of them as hills and see them as familiar features of our countryside, touchstones of the changing seasons. Yet even in the long days of June, the unwary can walk into a snowstorm or be suddenly shrouded in cold mist on the high tops, where the climate is determined by altitude rather than latitude. Still they beckon. The crags and corries call to the serious climber, the well-worn paths to the most popular summits invite the hillwalkers and all can be rewarded with a panorama of hill, glen and loch that takes the breath away and places the short-term concerns of the human race in a geological perspective.
Both those who live here and those who visit Scotland seek out the wilderness for recreation. It is an essential part of what we offer the tourist. As more people lead ever more urban lives, they want to recover their link to the natural environment and the skills and self-reliance needed to negotiate it. A key part of the attraction is that there is an element of risk involved. That will be of little comfort to the grieving wife and daughter of the young man who perished in Coire an t-Sneachda at the weekend, but it reinforces the need to reduce unnecessary risk. The Mountain Weather Information Service is an important element of that and the extra £155,000 it has been awarded to bolster the work of the mountain safety adviser is welcome. The 10,000 hits a day on its website are evidence that its accurate, up-to-date information is valued. It appears that people are gauging the conditions properly, but not being deterred altogether: the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland reports that more people are spending time in the hills, but the number of call-outs has remained stable.
We want more people to enjoy our wonderful, wild places sensibly and safely. If the ambitious plans for a family adventure centre in Aviemore are realised, it will offer a new generation the thrill of mountain sports and an enduring love of the Highlands. More immediately, it should provide an all-season activity for a part of the country that has learned the hard way not to rely on mountain conditions, even when you want snow. This time it seems to have consulted the map and set the compass for sustainable tourism. It must hold the course all the way to the summit.
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