If you are heading to the hills this summer you will need to be drinking lots of water. However if you are unsure wether to take a hydration pack (otherwise known as Water Bladder) or an old school bottle this page will help you!

After the avalanche on Thursday that killed 9 climbers and left 4 more missing the search continued for the missing. When, at 7pm that night, the 4 missing climbers turned up in Chamonix, unharmed, as they had changed their route at the last minute and ended up on a different section of the mountain. A lucky escape from the wall of ice and snow that killed 9 and injured 9.

Earlier today a group of 28 climbers (roped into two groups) got hit by an avalanche on a long glaciated slope on Mont Maudit. The route they were attempting is one of the most popular but equally dangerous (often considered one of the most dangerous climbs in the world). Nine died (three of which are British, two Swiss, two Spanish and two German) and nine more were injured and flown to hospital. The tragedy is one of the worst since 2008 (when 8 climbers died in similar circumstances).  Four more people are still missing (two are British) after a search had to be stopped due to bad conditions. It is expected to be continued tomorrow when it is thought that the bodies of the four other climbers will be found. However, they could have easily been ahead of the rest of the group and as a result not under the avalanche.

We wish the injured a safe and speedy recovery and our thoughts are of course with the families of the dead.

July is meant to be summer right? Isn't summer meant to be sunny? Well yes but not so far this time. And so far July is looking like a washout. Here are some tips that will keep you safe but will not affect your enjoyment of your adventure...

The South Pennines are situated in the heart of England and can offer great days on the hill but are relatively unknown in the hill-walking world. For this reason we asked Neil Collins of the South Pennines Campaign Network to tell us more about some of the hill-walking opportunities of the South Pennines and why he and many others think that the area should have National Park status. A special thanks to Georgina Collins for providing the great images in this article: for more pictures taken by her please visit her Flickr site at www.flickr.com/photos/georginah. Read on, I promise you will learn something...

Forecasters have said that May 2012 could be the coldest May in 100 years. This could prove disastrous to amateurs and mountain rescue at the beginning of the hiking season. Read on... 

Just a quick update to let everyone know the times that the beacons will be lit across the UK.

Earlier in the year Visit Britain launched the 'Britain You're Invited' campaign. The campaign will be a huge benefit to small businesses around the country and will encourage people from around the globe to explore the countryside and mountains of the UK.

To celebrate the Queen's jubilee around 3000 beacons (and counting) are to be lit across Britain and parts of the Commonwealth on the 4th of June at around 10:30pm. These places include towns and cities plus 60 beacons along Hadrian's Wall.