WINTER gear alone is not enough to protect inexperienced walkers on Scotland’s mountains this season, experts warn.

Mountaineering Scotland urged the public not to venture onto the country’s peaks without proper preparation as winter begins to bite.

While equipment like crampons and ice axes is readily available from retailers, the outdoors body warned this means little without the knowledge and skills to use it in challenging conditions.

The caution follows a number of deaths on the hills in recent years involving both inexperienced and expert ramblers and climbers.

Meanwhile, volunteer rescue teams have saved many others who have become injured, lost or unwell while venturing onto rugged and remote terrain.

Last month more than 30 people from five such teams were involved in the search for a man from the Glasgow area who was forced to spend the night in the Glen Strathfarrar area after losing his way.

He was successfully rescued when his orange survival bag was spotted against the landscape.

Mountaineering Scotland is now running a free winter safety lecture tour to aid outdoor enthusiasts, and is also offering advice in partnership with retailers Tiso and Cotswold, with daily snow warnings available online through the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service website.

The move is backed by Scottish Mountain Rescue. The organisation’s vice chair Kev Mitchell said: “We fully endorse the Mountaineering Scotland winter safety message and would encourage hillgoers to ensure that they have left details of their intended route and expected return time.

“People should also be aware of and use the latest navigation/location technology such as GPS or OS locate and other similar apps to avoid navigation errors. However, it is critical that a paper map and a compass are carried and that people know how to use them.

“If you require assistance on the hills, dial 999 ask for police then mountain rescue.”

Mountaineering Scotland safety advisor Heather Morning said: “Folk heading out onto the hills in winter should take advantage of the advice and information on offer to ensure a safe and enjoyable day.

“As well as making sure you have an ice axe, and crampons that fit, remember that winter days are shorter and colder, so a headtorch with spare batteries is essential. A simple bivouac shelter is also a very good addition to the kit you carry in your winter rucksack.”

Meanwhile, a weather station is to record conditions on the summit of the UK’s highest mountain for the first time in 113 years. Scientists from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) climbed Ben Nevis earlier this week to install the equipment.

Dr Barbara Brooks and her team installed the temporary device to record wind speed and direction, pressure, temperature, precipitation and humidity on the peak for the first time since 1904, when the Victorian observatory staffed by volunteer weathermen was closed.

She hopes to compare the results gathered with Victorian records to gain new insight into climate change and extreme rainfall, with initial comparisons to be made available at a free event at Edinburgh’s Dynamic Earth later this month.

Brooks said: “Thankfully, technology has moved on so there’s no need for our team to be stationed on the summit over the winter months.

“If we can prove that the technology works and the data is robust, we’re hopeful this could lead to a new, permanent weather station on the summit, which would be invaluable for meteorologists.”