Walkers are estimated to bring in almost £1bn a year to Scotland

Climbing and hillwalking should be at the heart of Scotland’s sporting efforts.

That’s the view of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland in its paper on a consultation of sport provision north of the border by sportscotland, the national agency, as it prepares its plans for the next five years.

The consultation was launched to canvass views on how the organisation should spend Scottish Government and National Lottery cash, particularly in view of the upcoming 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and their hoped-for legacy.

But the board of the MCofS S said in its submission that an overemphasis on team games misses the contribution non-competitive activities such as mountaineering, hillwalking and some forms of climbing have on people’s wellbeing. Many individuals, the council said, do not readily seek or enjoy team-based activities.

Equally, membership of climbing and hillwalking clubs provides the same cohesive value to participants as that enjoyed by team-sport members. “We believe that sportscotland’s strategy should recognise and encourage the many clubs which are not based around purely competitive activities,” the MCofS says. “There are more than 130 hillwalking and climbing clubs in Scotland which have differing origins and traditions, from employer-based clubs to groups of parents with children, and groups of friends.”

Scotland’s unique combination of progressive access law and stunning mountain environments provides a special place for adventurous pursuits such as hillwalking, climbing and ski touring and is estimated to provide a boost of almost £1bn a year from the 3.2 million visitors who come to Scotland for some form of walking.

The MCofS chief officer David Gibson welcomes members' views

Yet outdoor pursuits don’t conform to standard team sports’ norms of performance. “Taking hillwalking as an example,” the MCofS says, “an individual’s performance relates to fitness, navigational skills, appropriate nutrition, use of equipment, and self-reliance in what may be a remote location.”

And mountaineering, climbing and hillwalking are a bargain way of improving fitness. The report says: “MCofS believes that encouraging people to enjoy the natural environment through physical activity is a cost-effective strategy for the Scottish Government as it does not rely on extensive and costly provision of sporting facilities.

“We believe that whilst MCofS as an individual sport governing body may contribute to this step-change to the best of its ability, the achievement of a national step-change in how non-active people view outdoor sport is beyond the scope of an individual SGB.

“In the context of non-competitive, outdoor sports, we believe that a step change could be better achieved through a partnership of a range of sporting and other bodies which has the specific aim of co-ordinating the promotion of outdoor activities from school ages up. Such a partnership could include MCofS, Ramblers, Guides and Scouts, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, local authorities and other relevant organisations. We would be pleased to work in partnership with sportscotland and such organisations with the aim of implementing a co-ordinated approach to the promotion of non-competitive, outdoor sports.”

Scotland’s mountaineering body says newer pursuits such as sport climbing should get help from sportscotland. “MCofS recognises the importance of the 17 Commonwealth Games sports but believes that support should also be provided to elite athletes in emerging and potential medal sports such as sport and competition climbing,” its submission says.

Chief officer David Gibson says feedback from MCofS members on the consultation is welcome and can be provided via the organisation’s website.

sportscotland supports financially the Mountain Weather Information Service and the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service through the winter months and has provided cash for the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena at Ratho and the Aonach Mòr downhill mountain bike course.