Our Month: Mountaineering Scotland in June

Our ClimbScotland team is advertising for someone keen to work with and inspire the next generation of young climbers through its RealRock sessions, which are designed to make outdoor climbing more accessible to young people by adding to the skills they have already developed through climbinbg inside. The team is particularly keen to encourage applicants from female instructors and/or instructors from BAME backgrounds. We are committed to improving diversity in the outdoors and we believe a big part of this is showing younger climbers a diverse variety of role models in instructing/coaching positions.

Find out more about the opportunity

Mountaineering Scotland strategic plan update

The review of the Mountaineering Scotland strategic plan has entered its next phase, and a consultation workshop was held with the staff team on 15^th June with some great contributions which were shared with directors and will be integrated into an updated draft.

As well as the recent members survey, we are also carrying out a non-member survey to try and capture the wider views of the mountaineering community, and engaging with some of our stakeholders to explore how we can develop our key partnerships.

Take part in the Walk – Climb – Ski Scotland survey

Competition climbing survey

The ClimbScotland team is also looking at opinions around a return for competition climbing, looking at what type of climbing and competitions are people interested in?

Take the survey here

Equality and diversity in the outdoors

Mountaineering Scotland staff attended an online symposium – Changing landscapes, actioning change - facilitated by Backbone, the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) outdoor organization, on Saturday 19 June along with around 90 other outdoor and environmental sector organisations and community groups, academics and individuals from the BAME population. This was an opportunity for the sector and BAME communities to come together, talk and explore the findings of a fact-finding questionnaire circulated by Backbone earlier in the year.

Discussions included the sector’s excuses for inactivity, barriers to participation, improving diversity within organizational structures (board, staff and volunteers), communications and a commitment from both the sector and communities to actioning change to improve access and opportunities for Black, Asian and Ethnic communities to nature and the outdoors at all levels. Mountaineering Scotland remains committed to achieving the Intermediate Equality Standard for Sport and working with our board, staff, partners and communities to help make the outdoors more inclusive for all.

Find out more about the equality standard for sport

CEOs seek clarification on car sharing

Mountaineering Scotland joined a number of other sports organisations in writing to the Scottish Government recently to seek further clarity on the advice in relation to car sharing under the current restrictions. We are conscious this is impacting on clubs and others who may want to share the cost of travel, and safely reducing the number of vehicles on the road will help reduce environmental impacts and pressure on car parking. This has to be balanced against the much higher risk of transmission indoors and particularly in a confined space such as a vehicle and at the moment the advice is against car sharing unless it is necessary - however this is where the ambiguity lies, as there is no clear definition of what constitutes necessary. We have had a response from Government and are working with sportscotland on an update to our guidance in the short term and understand car sharing will be part of the Governments review of physical distancing.

See our Coronavirus information page for updates