Fell top assessors complete first climb of season

Fell top assessors, from left to right, Jim Evans, Zac Poulton and Paddy Cave measure wind speed and temperature

Two new fell top assessors who provide vital reports about conditions have completed their first climb of the season.

New recruits Paddy Cave and Jim Evans will join Zac Poulton to ascend the summit of Helvellyn every day between December and March.

They gather information on temperature, snow depth and wind speed from 950m (3,117 ft) which forms the Weatherline service, which has been running for 37 years.

Mr Cave and Mr Evans first met two years ago while skiing on Helvellyn, and it was great to be able to put their skills to good use.

Helvellyn was selected because it is the most popular fell and has a large east-facing headwall that retains the snow and ice.

The roles are paid for by the Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) which also offers winter skills courses.

Mr Evans, who lives in Ambleside, has been mountaineering since he was 15 years old.

He is also a volunteer for Langdale Mountain Rescue Team and is a winter mountaineer and climbing instructor.

"I'm now in my 50s and I probably could have done with a report back in those early days," Mr Evans told BBC Radio Cumbria.

Assessor Zac Poulton took this picture in January 2021 looking south along the Helvellyn plateau

• LISTEN: The new fell top assessors

Mr Cave said it was "really great to able to use our skills".

"The reports themselves are incredibly useful.

"The valley level weather gives you very little reading on what the weather is like up in the hills at altitude," he said.

"It can be wet down in the valley but can be full winter conditions on the fells."

He added that the information gathered was vital to help people make plans.