An Inverness-based mountaineer has been appointed to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge to stay safe on the hills next winter.
Nick Carter will work with university mountaineering clubs to deliver expert instruction to a group often considered high risk.
The mountaineering safety instructor post has been funded by St John’s Scotland as part of a project with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland.
St John’s Scotland is a leading care charity and the biggest supporter of voluntary mountain rescue movement north of the border.
Mr Carter, 44, will team with university mountaineering groups during freshers week and offer free instruction during the winter weekends.
Mr Carter, a married father-of-two, runs his own guiding company, Alpha Mountaineering.
Born in East Sussex, he has been climbing since he was 12. He studied for a BA Philosophy at Liverpool University.
His first job was at the Outward Bound’s remote Loch Eil Centre and he holds the highest qualification in the British Mountaineering Instructor scheme. He has worked at the National Mountain Centre for England and Wales and at Glenmore Lodge, the Scottish National Outdoor Centre near Aviemore.
At home he made the first ascent of the grade 8 Hung, Drawn and Quartered on Skye. Abroad he has climbed in Europe, North and South American, New Zealand and Asia. He is credited with establishing new climbing routes in the Peruvian Andes and the Khumbu region of Nepal.
Mr Carter said: “This is a great idea from St John’s Scotland and something which is very much needed. In many university clubs even the senior members may not have the experience or perhaps the confidence to instruct beginners.
“I firmly believe that it’s important to catch people young and prepare them for a lifetime of safely enjoying the mountains.”
He said: “Watching what has happened in Nepal following the earthquake has been hard. I’ve worked with Sherpas in that area and know they’ve got wives and kids in the little villages that have been hit. I’ve walked through a lot of villages, so it feels very close to home.”
Heather Morning, the safety advisor with the MCofS, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for university club members to obtain qualified instruction during their winter meets, at no cost to the club or students, with the aim of enhancing their awareness of the skills and knowledge which will help them become more self reliant.”
John Ferguson-Smith, chairman of St John Scotland’s steering group on mountain safety, said: “I was very impressed by Nick during the interviews and have high hopes of what he will achieve.”