Mountain rescuers risk becoming an unpaid guide service, according to a team in the Lake District.
Scafell Pike, the right-hand peak, with its neighbour Scafell
Emergency teams say too many fellwalkers are unable to find their way on the mountains, and simply ring 999 when they are lost. The warning came from the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) after they were called to help another participant in the Three Peaks Challenge, stranded high on the Lake District fells.
Richard Longman, of the rescue team which covers England’s highest mountain, said it was the fourth time in five days its members had been called to help lost walkers. The latest followed a call at 5.50 this morning from a walker attempting to summit Scafell Pike but who had managed to make his way on to the wrong mountain.
He had set off from Wasdale Head at 1am but had taken a wrong turning on to Lord’s Rake, on neighbouring Scafell. Lord’s Rake itself is a rescue blackspot, with a large, unstable chock stone and the constant hazard of loose, falling rock.
The man was found by two members of the Wasdale team after giving an accurate description of his position. He was unable to find a way off the fell without their help.
Charity challengers on the Three Peaks route, during which walkers attempt to summit Ben Nevis in Lochaber, Scafell Pike in the Lake District and Snowdon in north Wales, have caused the Wasdale MRT many problems this year.
In the 12 months up to November, the team had responded to more than 100 calls and taken to the fells 73 times. Mr Longman said: “The team is becoming increasingly concerned about the inability of fellwalkers to navigate when they lose the path and their reliance on mountain rescue teams to provide a guiding service.”
He points out that Wasdale is not the only team affected. Last month, a spokesman for the nearby Langdale-Ambleside MRT said after a rescue: “This is the third incident recently and the N-th of many where the victims went up a mountain without any realistic possibility of getting back down without assistance.
“This is entirely preventable with sensible and simple preparation.”
The Langdale team had simple advice: “Don’t be too ambitious; set off early enough to complete the route before dark; take a torch, learn to navigate and, to quote Gordon Ramsay: ‘get some balls’.
“There aren't many hills in the Lakes that don’t have a simple valley route down that, in turn, won’t lead you to a road, village or town. It might not be where you parked your car, but that’s a minor inconvenience compared to the inconvenience of 18 team members giving up three hours of their lives to sort you out!
“This may seem harsh, but the problem is getting worse, and will almost certainly continue to do so.”
Today’s rescue on Scafell involved five members of Wasdale MRT and lasted five hours. All civilian mountain rescue teams in Great Britain are unpaid volunteers.
See also
Langdale-Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team
Andy
05 December 2007I am completely against "charity events" being staged in the hills and all the damage and problems it causes, simply using "charity" as both the reasoning and justification. It's high time that the organisers should be regulated and charged for the damage and inconvenience they create and due recompense be paid to those who have to fork out to repair footpaths, to those whose lives are disrupted by big events and to the rescue teams who are being co-opted by these events.
Richard Warren
07 December 2007Congratulations to Grough - we are starting to make progress in spreading the word about what MR is and what it isn't. As Regional Secretary for the Lakes teams and Chairman of the Wasdale Team we really do need a national campaign to educate walkers - Mountain Rescue England and Wales have endorsed a campaign to raise public awareness. I have agreed to lead on the campaign and the first initiative is with Where-wolf.com who are willing to partner MR(E&W) in our efforts to get the message across - visit their site and leave a message to say that you support the national campaign (we need to target the occasional walkers, encouraged to go on the hills by TV programmes)
Tim
07 December 2007I blame Julia Bradbury! In two series of fell walks I only recall seeing her use an OS map once, and she never went out in poor weather. I think people are being given an unrealistic impression of walking in the hills.
Pete
19 December 2007These three peaks clowns do not love the mountains, it is just an ego trip with them. They come to Wasdale, disturb everybody, defacate in all the bivi sites, urinate all over the summit then go home thinking what great mountaineers they are. In the middle of three peaks season the summit of the pike smells like a public toilet. Next time you sit down to eat your lunch up there, have a good sniff first. These dirty bastards should be banned.
Chris
04 March 2008I would like to slightly disagree with some of the comments above. It is always the minority who give the mainly respectful mountaineers a bad name. I have been fell walking, climbing and mountaineering now since I was a young boy and am considering partaking in the 3 peaks challenge this year. I have climbed most peaks in the Lake District and a great number of other mountains throughout the UK. I am always respectful to the mountains, carry the correct equipment and have NEVER called out a mountain rescue team. The 3 peaks is a challenge, yes, but the very fact it exists is testiment to the fascination and love that people have for the mountains and a respect for their power and magnificence. I agree that mountain rescuers are being used as a guiding service, but this shouldn't be the case. They are there to support genuine injuries and falls rather than guide people who are too ignorant or stupid to take the basics with them (map,compass,food,water,torch,spare clothing etc). However, the problem cannot be blamed on the 3 peaks challenge and to call all participants of the challenge dirty bastards is probably a little bit narrow minded. After all, Wainwright famously walked alot at night, probably getting caught short and has probably urinated on most of the peaks in the lakes... anyway, I digress - I still intend to take part in the threepeaks this year but will do so respecting both the surroundings/communities and people of the areas in which the challenge takes place. I urge others to do the same.