Pupils learn about winter mountaineering with Fell Top Assessor

Primary school children have been learning about what it takes to become a winter mountaineer with a visit from one of the Lake District National Park Authority’s Fell Top Assessors.

Jim Evans, who recently started working as one of the Fell Top Assessors for the winter season 2024/25, is part of the team heading to the top of Helvellyn every day until Easter.

Fell Top Assessors take boots on the ground reports of conditions from the peak’s summit, which are shared through the Lake District National Park’s Weatherline service each day.

Jim will even be working on Christmas Day, climbing England’s third highest mountain to provide vital weather readings for avid winter walkers.

On December 10, he took time away from the heights of Lake District peaks to talk to students at Crosthwaite Primary School about what it takes to become a Fell Top Assessor, and the importance of being ‘adventure smart’.

Jim said: “It was great to help students at Crosthwaite Primary School with their project on climate, weather and seasons. They were really interested in our work as Fell Top Assessors and keen to know more about how we measure windspeed, temperature, wind chill and wind direction.

“Helping young people understand the importance of weather conditions, and how they can change as we climb into the fells, is a reminder of how dangerous it can quickly become if you’re unprepared while winter walking. Our Weatherline updates help people stay as informed as possible when heading out into the Lake District peaks.”

Matthew Jessop, headteacher at Crosthwaite Primary School, said: “We invited Jim to come and speak to our Year 5 and 6 pupils so they could interview him for a project on climate, linked to our work with Stanford University in the USA and companies ThingLink and Canva. The children are creating an immersive resource using various software, interviews and whatever else they decide to create a resource which people all over the world can use for free if they want to find out about the Lake District.

“Jim was brilliant, the children really loved hearing about his work and it was brilliant to have personal descriptions and experiences we can use as opposed to just data!”

Read the Fell Top Assessors’ weather reports on Weatherline: https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/.

As well as providing the important Weatherline service, Jim and his colleagues Paddy and Zac will deliver Winter Skills Courses throughout the season, guiding people up the mountain to teach the skills of snowcraft needed for winter walking in the fells and mountains of the UK.

If you would like to book a Winter Skills Course with one of the Fell Top Assessors, please visit the Weatherline website: https://www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk/winter-skills-courses