Mountaineering body issues warning about magnetic fasteners
16/02/2018
It pointed out that magnetic closures are increasingly being used by outdoor brands as an alternative to Velcro or poppers in gloves and jackets. These could potentially cause problems for vital navigation equipment, such as compasses.
Heather Morning, mountain safety adviser for Mountaineering Scotland, said magnets are well-known for deflecting compass needles and revealed there is already evidence that this may have been the cause of a recent mountain rescue call-out.
She described an incident at Scottish ski resort Glen Shee, in which a group of walkers headed east rather instead of west, became disoriented by low cloud and ended up a considerable distance from safety. Nobody was hurt, but Ms Morning said the consequences could have been much worse had mountain conditions been more severe.
On this occasion, a magnetic fastener on a mobile phone case was thought to be the cause, but these fasteners are similar to those being used more frequently on outdoor jackets.
“Modern technology is great,” Ms Morning said. “But more joined-up thinking is needed between outdoor clothing manufacturers and mountain users to avoid potentially life-threatening consequences.”
The image shows a compass pointing in the correct direction (left) alongside a compass in contact with a magnetic glove, which points in a different direction (credit: Mountaineering Scotland).
Share this story:
