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For our second face-to-face CPD event of 2024 the British Mountain Medicine Society and UCLan's Centre for Mountain Medicine joined forces and foocused upon the weather! Here's what happened...

A grey, damp day was the backdrop for the BMMS UCLan Mountain Weather Day in December. Entirely appropriate for an event focused on the UK’s weather! Our guide for the day was Garry Nicholson - a senior meteorologist at the widely respected Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS). Between cups of tea and several biscuits, Garry spent the morning taking us through the science behind the many types of weather we encounter in the UK’s mountains. From graupel to verglas, sleet to snow, high winds to clear blue skies, Gary covered them all!

Our audience - numbering almost 20 - were drawn from a wide range of backgrounds. Mountain guides and outdoor instructors rubbed shoulders with all manner of health care providers. We had a wide range of experiences and were encouraged to share them. Garry expertly fielded questions and weaved our comments and stories into his fascinating presentation. With peels of laughter never far away we sped along and midday was soon upon us. 

Generous feedback included - "Lovely venue, liked beign near the [outdoor] pool and centre of the country."

For the tricky pre-lunch slot we were joined by Nick Wright, lecturer in mountain medicine at UCLan and long standing member of Lagdale Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team. Nick’s task was to guide us through the diagnosis and management of hypothermia. This was done expertly! All manner of equipment was unpacked and shared. Nick showed the way and gave us plenty of opportunities to swaddle ourselves in “burrito wraps” and get our hands on different warming devices. The session continued with a conversation about the management of hypothermic cardiac arrest and Nick described a series of cases that mountain rescue teams had encountered in the UK hills. We also spoke about CPR and the striking discrepancies between men and women (see this for more information). To finish, we got the opportunity to use an external chest compression device on a mannequin. Something many of us had never experienced before. For me, it was a sobering moment, highlighting the importance of getting the weather forecast understood before setting out into the mountains.

"A good excuse to come to the Peak for a holiday and a day of training"

A generous lunch was provided by Sue and her team from the Pool Cafe. The best hill food around! Over more chat and laughter, the rolls, fruit and cakes quickly disappeared and we were soon set for the afternoon session. 

For the last two sessions Gary returned, covering a wide range of meteorological phenomena raised by his audience. Lots on fronts and troughs. Not to mention questions like, “Is there any science behind - red sky at night … shepherds delight”? Yes, there is! “Red sky in the morning … shepherds warning”. Yes, there is! Plus lots more on windchill, verglas and even the “Foehn Effect”! Feedback from the day was brilliant - 4.7/5 Organisation, 4.7/5 Venue, 4.7/5 Catering and 4.8/5 Educational Value (mean scores from 10 completed feedback forms). Here's one last piece of feedback from an attendee that sums up the day...

"Excellent day. Made me feel a little stupid for having walked on this planet for 49 years knowing so little about weather creation..."

Thanks to Garry and Nick for their brilliant presentations as well as Denzil Broadhurst, Tim Halsey, Jon Naylor and Chris Smith for their help in running the day. Thanks also to those attended - Callum Baylis, Simon Chapman, Andy Clark, Kitty Duncan, Simon Fear, Carole Feldman, Caroline Hook, Helen Jefferies, Jim Moonie and Rachel Roberts.

Read here about our Facial and Dental Trauma Day.

If this is your sort of thing why not take a look at other posts on the blog. 

Better still, why not join the British Mountain Medicine Society! More information can be found here. 

For more on the University of Central Lancashire's Diploma in Mountain Medicine take a look at this.