Sites: Keep a weather eye on conditions at the summit

Andrew North has all the latest on mad cows and mountaineers

Climbers' Site: Planning some hardcore climbing in Scotland? Despite, or perhaps because of, the number of people who have perished on its unpredictable crags, climbers still flock to places like Glencoe. If you want to know about conditions and routes on these and other popular Scottish ranges, check the Scottish Climbing pages (http://www.tardis.ed.ac. uk/mikedlr/climbing/). They are still adding material to the site, so it is worth checking again if you don't find the information you need.

It also has links to a whole range of useful Scottish sites, including an avalanche warning service. For those who want to climb elsewhere, there are links to climbing sites covering the rest of the British Isles and Europe.

Green Site: Hundreds of environmental organisations now have their own Web sites, because they believe they are reaching out to an especially sympathetic audience. But because there are so many green sites, it is not always easy for this audience to find its way round. The Envirolink Network (http://www.envirolink. org/) provides a map.

It has links to hundreds of environmental groups across the world, including a large number of British sites. There is also a Green Marketplace, where companies with acceptable green credentials can sell their wares and an environmental news service. Each week, Envirolink's 'What Soars, What Snores' section reviews the latest green sites and events in cyberspace.

Holy City Site: Virtual Jerusalem (http://www.jer1.co.il/index. html) has been established to mark the city's 3,000th anniversary. It offers a busy mixture of tourism information, events listings, a daily Israel news service and a letter from the mayor, although it was not the easiest site to get around.

But this site is more interesting for what it leaves out than for what it includes. Incredibly, for a place that is central to both Islam and Christianity, there is little mention of this side of its heritage, except for a page attacking Palestinian claims on the city. Nor is there any mention of the Arab quarter in East Jerusalem or the Dome of the Rock, the third-holiest shrine in Islam.

Solid Site: Building a girder bridge? Maybe you just need a good, solid RSJ (rolled steel joist to those in the know). Perhaps it is time you paid a visit to Steel Web, the iron and steel industry's very own Web Server (http://www.indconnect.com/ steelweb/). Steel yourself - sorry - for the excitement of a service featuring major steel corporations, steel news, steel products and services, information on steel exhibitions and conferences and links to other steel organisations around the world.

"SteelWeb will keep you informed regarding the activities and developments in the industry," says the site. "Why not add us to your bookmark or hotlist in your browser for faster access in the future." Why not?

Mad Cow Site: The only thing I did not find on the Web about Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy and all matters barking beef was the sound of a mad cow going moo! In other words, if you are investigating this most British of fiascos, there are a lot of sites to choose from.

But hear it from the horse's mouth - or the cow's - first. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries has established a BSE information page (http:// www.open.gov.uk/ maff/bse/seindex.htm). It includes all government statements, background information and publications, and a chronology. The Internet magazine Britannia has compiled a fairly comprehensive Mad Cow Disease collection, with a selection of articles and links (http://www.britannia. com/news/madcow.html).