Helvellyn - daily weather recording

And you thought your job was an uphill struggle..........
Times November 06, 2004
By Russell Jenkins



THE job requirements are simple: the stamina of a mountain climber, the skills of a weatherman and, Lakeland villagers would insist, at least one “screw loose”.

Only the hardiest of souls need apply for the post of fell top assessor, a role which requires a daily trek to the top of Helvellyn, the Lake District’s second highest peak, to monitor weather conditions.

Applicants must be prepared to work a seven-day rota lugging a 40lb rucksack full of equipment to the 3,114ft summit. The contract runs from December to Easter, and Christmas is a working day. The pay for a four-hour day is a maximum of £7.58 an hour. The employers, the Lake District National Park Authority, acknowledge it is one of the most bizarre jobs.

But they insist that the information gathered above the clouds, where the Met Office cannot reach, has helped to save thousands of lives. Figures for wind speed, temperature, snow and ice are fed into the authority’s Weatherline service which is used by 200,000 walkers each year.

Helvellyn is one of the Lakes’ most popular peaks offering spectacular views from its flat summit. The average walker, starting off from Glenridding, would complete the walk in around six hours. Conditions, however, can deterioriate rapidly. In September a man aged 59 fell to his death.

Helvellyn is chosen because of its position, close to the centre of the Lakeland peaks, making weather conditions representative for the region. Peter Collins, 36, has been doing the job for the past two years. He starts his day around 11.30am and expects to reach the summit within 70 to 90 minutes. “If the conditions are bad, if there is deep snow, in particular, it can take longer,” he said. “I am doing the assessments of ground conditions all the way up. What I am looking for is, ‘Is there snow or ice? What sort of condition is it in and where is it?’ ” Sometimes the conditions defeat even the professionals. Mr Collins said there have been two days each year when it would have been foolhardy to persevere. He has recorded gusting winds of up to 82mph and a wind chill factor on the summit of minus 32C. Nick Chetwood, his fellow assessor, is bowing out after three years. Interviews are being held later this month.

Robert Teesdale, 31, a villager in Glenridding, who works in Shaman’s, the main store, said: “You would need a screw loose to do this job, or be seriously determined.”