Date set for new Scottish avalanche information season

Daily avalanche information reports for six mountainous areas of Scotland are due to be issued from 15 December.

Every winter, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) assesses avalanche hazards in Lochaber, Glen Coe and Creag Meagaidh.

The service also covers Southern Cairngorms, Northern Cairngorms and Torridon.

It provides information on the stability of snowpack on the mountains from December until mid-April.

Overhanging snow

Hillwalkers and climbers use the SAIS' reports alongside mountain weather forecasts when planning trips into Scotland's hills.

SAIS' most recent forecasting season, 2016-17, involved the service's lowest number of recorded avalanches in almost 10 years.

There were 90 avalanches between December last year and April this year.

In the 2015-16 season there were 207 avalanches and 305 in 2014-15, 350 in 2013-14, 129 in 2012-13, 154 in 2011-12, 178 in 2010-11 and 220 in 2009-10.

The snow slides that are recorded by SAIS occur naturally - often after a cornice, snow overhanging a slope or cliff, collapses - or have been triggered by walkers and climbers accidentally, or deliberately by ski patrols to make an area used for snowsports safe.