Jason Taylor faces a busy winter

Two men are preparing to begin the unusual job of climbing England’s third highest mountain every day to help keep members of the public safe.

The Lake District’s felltop assessors will begin work this weekend, making their way to the 950m (3,117ft) summit of Helvellyn to provide real-life recordings of the weather and ground conditions on the national park’s fells.

Each man takes it in turns to work a week on duty, making the daily journey to the mountain top in conditions that can include driving rain, snow drifts and windchill temperatures plummeting to –16C to check conditions underfoot and any risks, including avalanches.

Seasoned outdoorsmen Jason Taylor and Jon Bennett produce their daily reports from December until Easter for the Lake District’s Weatherline. The felltop reports are combined with weather forecasts to provide information to guide those walking or climbing on the Lakeland fells.

In a seven-day shift each man will ascend almost the equivalent Everest’s height.

The service, which is available both online and via recorded telephone messages, has been in operation almost 40 years. Both visitors and residents rely on the felltop reports for an accurate picture of conditions on the mountains, which can change rapidly.

Jon Bennett shares the task of making the daily ascent of Helvellyn

When it was threatened with closure two years ago, a number of sponsors came to its rescue, and there was an eBay auction offering a day with the assessors.

Head of Lake District national park visitor services Adam Thomas said independent funding was vital for Weatherline’s future. He said: “We can’t overestimate its value. We have some of the world’s most spectacular mountains and keeping those venturing on them as safe as possible is paramount.

“For our communities and farmers, it’s also a much used and valued service.

“Assessors’ reports are combined with Met Office mountain forecasts to give the fullest possible picture.

“We get incredible feedback from grateful users.”

Mr Taylor has travelled widely in destinations as far-flung as Bhutan and Bangladesh, Iran and India, and is in his fifth season. With a second baby due in January, the Mountain Leader and navigation trainer from Kirkby Thore is expecting a hectic winter.

Ambleside’s Jon Bennett, a winter mountaineering and weather buff, has been doing the dream job for seven years and says it’s awesome being the eyes and ears of Helvellyn.

The felltop reports will begin on Friday on the Weatherline website and can also be accessed by phone on 0844 846 2444.

A yellow warning of high winds has been issued by the Met Office for the period from early Thursday morning to late evening, with an attendant risk of severe windchill on the Lake District mountains.

Gusts may reach 90mph and temperatures on the tops will drop to –4C in the evening. It promises to be a day when Helvellyn’s two main ascent ridges, Striding Edge and Swirral Edge, are best avoided.