The future of the group providing weather forecasts for climbers in Scotland is in doubt.

Funding for the Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) will be withdrawn by sportscotland in December under current plans.

It has promised mountain forecasts will continue although they may not be provided by MWIS, which Mountaineering Scotland called the "number one choice".

A petition calling on sportscotland to continue funding the service has gained more than 3500 signatures so far.

Geoff Monk, lead forecaster at MWIS, said: "The funding withdrawal by sportscotland was a real shock and jeopardises the safety of those who use the mountains every day.

"All we want is for MWIS to continue to provide a consistent, quality service so that mountain users can enjoy the mountains safely, fully aware of what the weather will throw at them.

"MWIS has a stable, long-term future and the service will continue to be enhanced provided funding continues.

"We are asking sportscotland to come back to the negotiating table and commit to the continued funding of MWIS so its long-term future is secured."

His claim the decision could endanger lives has been dismissed by sportscotland.

A spokesman for the group said: "This is a disappointing and misleading claim.

"Investment into MWIS continues until the end of this year and we have been involved in collaboration discussions for over a year with the Met Office and Geoff about building a resilient and development-focused mountain weather forecast provision for Scotland together.

"Our priority is to ensure there is a sustainable mountain forecast for Scotland through the provision of reliable, authoritative forecasts, which are relevant to outdoor activities and enable forecast users to make informed judgements about their chosen activities.

"This is precisely what we will deliver and we will ensure there is a continuity of this service."

Mountaineering Scotland, which was involved in securing funding for MWIS in 2007, said: "A number of alternative mountain weather forecasts have been launched in recent years and are in use regularly by mountaineers and skiers, offering a choice and enabling comparison of forecasts.

"MWIS is not the only option available to users but it offers unique features that have earned massive support in the mountaineering community and made it the number one choice."