Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport Shona Robison has officially opened the world's first permanent, artificial avalanche transceiver training facility.

The facility - located at sportscotland's National Outdoor Training Centre, Glenmore Lodge in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park - is specifically designed to help develop the skills of winter mountaineers and ski mountaineers of all abilities.

Constructed at a cost of approximately £10,000, the 500 square metre facility provides potential rescuers with an artificial, highly realistic and easily accessible facility that enables would-be rescuers to simulate various avalanche transceiver search scenarios at any time of year and whatever the weather conditions.

Winter mountaineering and ski mountaineering in particular are increasingly popular activities in Scotland. Last year alone, the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) recorded over 329,000 people accessing its online avalanche reports, during a four month operational period, across five key Scottish mountain areas.

An individual's chances of survival diminish rapidly the longer they are buried in an avalanche. Companion rescue therefore forms the focus of a successful recovery. Increasingly individuals are carrying transceivers which can both transmit and receive a signal on a common frequency. In this way any members of the party not avalanched become rescuers. Groups therefore have a need to be practiced in their use.

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A keen skier and hill-walker, Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport, Shona Robison, said: "Snowsports generate £30 million each year for Scotland's economy, supporting over 600 jobs, and in 2011 - the Year of Active - we are keen to see people taking advantage of some of the fantastic terrain available in Scotland's mountains to enjoy winter sports.

"But we can't lose sight of the fact that lives are lost on Scotland's mountains each year. The opening of the avalanche training park - the first of its kind anywhere in the world - is a timely reminder to those heading out into the great outdoors in winter to plan ahead, check the weather and ensure they have the correct safety equipment and knowledge.

"The training park is a fantastic achievement and offering year-round training in dealing with avalanche scenarios, builds on Glenmore Lodge's reputation at the forefront in providing world-class training facilities."

Designed by Back Country Access (BCA), the avalanche transceiver training park involves four avalanche transceivers (simulating victims) being buried under the deep layer of woodchip that covers the park. Every beacon is connected underground to a central control box where one or more units can be turned on to emit a signal that is picked up by the avalanche transceivers worn by trainee rescuers.

Almost all avalanche training facilities operating around the world currently rely on snow to hide the transceivers, restricting the use of such training parks to areas or times of permanent snow cover. BCA have provided £4,000 of hardware (including transceivers and probes) as part of their ongoing support of Glenmore Lodge.

Bruce Edgerly, Vice President of US-based BCA, commented: "The avalanche training park we have helped put in place at Glenmore Lodge is one of the finest anywhere in the world. Well constructed, designed and easy to use, the innovative approach of using an artificial surface is one likely to be recreated in a number of locations around the world."

(GK)