Mountain rescuers treat a casualty
Don’t become a mountain statistic this weekend. That’s the message from experts who warn that Snowdon and the mountains of north Wales and the Lake District are not for the inexperienced.
Mountain rescue teams, the police and the British Mountaineering Council all said conditions are unusually challenging at the moment because of the prolonged period of snow, ice and low temperatures. Only skilled, experienced mountaineers with ice axes and crampons should attempt the high summits.
The warning was endorsed by Britain’s first Everest summiteer, Doug Scott, who said “The mountains of Britain are wild and wonderful places. In winter, particularly, they can be dangerous places where all of us going there have to take more responsibility for our own lives.”
The plea was issued after four people died on Snowdon and numerous rescue missions had to be launched to help walkers and climbers in difficulties in Britain’s mountains.
Particularly perilous at the moment is the spot on Snowdon known as the ‘Killer Convex’. It is the scene of the latest fatality and other serious incidents needing the services of the area’s mountain rescue services.
A spokesperson for North Wales Police said: “This is where the railway line crosses the steep slopes above Clogwyn Coch. The railway sits in a step cut out of the mountainside which banks out during heavy snowfall.
“This means that the area of the railway line for about 1½km (1 mile) between the Clogwyn Tunnel and the Bwlch Glas fingerstone area becomes a steep and very slippery convex slope.
“This area is also very close to the 150m (500ft) cliffs of Clogwyn Coch where slipping or falling on these steep snow slopes have resulted in people being unable to stop themselves sliding down the steep slopes and falling over the cliff edges, usually to their deaths.”
The spokesperson said normally safe paths have been transformed into serious mountaineering routes.
“Conditions on the highest peaks in the country particularly in Snowdonia and the Lake District are unusually challenging at present with genuine winter conditions and significantly increased hazards compared to previous winters,” the statement continued.
Detective Inspector Gerwyn Lloyd of North Wales Police Mountainsafe, a joint venture between the police, Snowdonia National Park Authority and the North Wales Mountain Rescue Association, said: “Any hill walkers using the railway line to find their way on the mountain need to be aware of the risks involved and have the appropriate skill, knowledge, experience and equipment to ensure they can safely negotiate these slopes.
“If not, then people are strongly advised to turn back and not continue across the slopes.”
A joint statement endorsed by the NWMRA, the BMC, the Snowdonia national park, British Mountain Guides and the National Mountain Centre at Plas y Brenin said: “The conditions are currently so severe that the normally safe paths should only by attempted by mountaineers who are correctly equipped and suitably experienced for these extreme conditions.
“There have been many tragic incidents in the mountains in the past few days some of which have resulted in deaths or some miraculous escapes in both Snowdonia and the Lake District.”
The concerns are heightened both by the upcoming weekend and the school holiday which follows.
Plas y Brenin will also stage a free navigation course on Sunday 15 March, with the specific aim of improving navigation skills and raising awareness of the possible dangers to those interested in walking and climbing.
In the meantime, advice from the mountain experts is:
- Plan your walk properly. Make sure that you tell someone where you are going and what time you expect to be back
- Make sure that you have the proper equipment and know how to use it
- Be prepared to turn back if the weather gets worse
- Seek advice from experienced mountaineers and take advantage of the various weather forecasts available through the ‘Links’ tab at the top of this page
- If you are an inexperienced walker or just want to make the best use of your time then consider using a qualified mountain guide or instructor or attend a training course
- Do not underestimate the mountains and overestimate your own abilities.
Further information can be had by emailing enquiries@mountainsafe.co.uk.
