Winter is coming: where to check conditions before you go

Snow can arrive on the Scottish tops in October and stay into May, and the higher Lake District and Snowdonia fells see winter conditions for months too. Before a winter day, check the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) and the Met Office mountain forecast, and in Scotland the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS), which publishes daily forecasts from December to April.

Every TRXO walk page has a summit forecast for the highest point, but a forecast isn't the whole story: take an ice axe and crampons and know how to use them, carry a head torch for the short days, and turn back if it isn't right. The best reports are honest ones, so please post here if you find conditions very different from the forecast.