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Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS)
Providing avalanche hazard forecasts for Scotland since 1988.
The Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) provides daily forecasts and observations on avalanche, snow, and mountain conditions for individuals and professional organizations throughout the winter season, covering six of Scotland’s most popular high mountain areas. Established over 30 years ago, SAIS is now funded by Sport Scotland, the national agency for sport.
Based in the heart of the Cairngorms, the service is coordinated by Mark Diggins, an IFMGA mountain guide with more than 25 years of experience. He is a member of the British Mountain Guides Association and an honorary member of the Swedish Mountain Guides Association. Mark is supported by a team of around 12 forecasters across the Highlands. Each forecaster is a highly experienced mountaineer or climber, equipped with technical outdoor clothing and equipment from Mountain Equipment.
The dedicated SAIS forecasting team is active every day from mid-December until mid-April, even working through Christmas. They cover vast areas of remote and mountainous terrain in the Scottish Highlands, some of which share the same latitude as Southern Alaska and can experience severe winter storms. Forecasters often have to work in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, making it a perfect testing and proving ground for our products.
A day in the life of a SAIS forecaster
Kathy Grindrod has worked for the Scottish Avalanche Information Service since the late 90’s and is now a forecaster for the Northern Cairngorms area. Out in the mountains most days, whatever the weather, it’s far from a normal working day.
Tested to Extremes
How often do you really put your gear through its paces? We go out into the mountains prepared for the worst-case scenario, but we rarely need to truly test the limits of our garments.
The forecasters of the SAIS deal with the extremes of a Scottish winter day in, day out, as they deliver a vital service so we can be safe in the hills. The best gear isn’t a luxury for them; it is a matter of durability, comfort and best-in-class performance.
That’s why Mountain Equipment and GORE-TEX work together with SAIS to develop and test fabrics and garments to the extremes.
Equipped For Safety
Mountain Equipment provides Scottish Avalanche Information Service with products that protect them from some of the harshest conditions imaginable. Always on call, our gear is tested in some of the most remote and testing of environments.
