A two-year-old child was brought down from the summit of Wales’s highest mountain by train, after his father carried him to the peak in appalling weather.
The head of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team called the man’s decision to climb Snowdon with his son ‘almost unbelievable’. The train had only gone up the mountain to take essential supplies to staff at the Hafod Eryri summit cafe.
The incident happened yesterday, Bank Holiday Monday, as heavy rain and gales lashed the 1,085m (3,560ft) peak.
Normal services on the railway had been suspended. Staff had almost taken a decision to leave the cafe earlier in the day, which would have meant the train not making the journey to the summit.
Speaking to the BBC, Llanberis MRT chairman Elfyn Jones said: “It is almost unbelievable when you consider what the weather was like.
“I think, when the weather is so bad, with winds of 60mph and heavy rain, then a little common sense could come into it too.”
He said walkers should always get a weather forecast before venturing on to the mountains. The consequences of taking such a young child to the top of Snowdon could have been extremely serious in such conditions.
The previous day, nine ill prepared Three Peaks Challengers had to be rescued from the mountain when they got lost, with one lapsing into unconsciousness due to hypothermia. On Saturday, the rescue team went to the aid of a woman who fell at Bwlch Llanberis. A team spokesperson said she was properly equipped for the journey.
Bryn
02 September 2009121 call-outs for Llanberis Mountain Rescue in 2009 so far!
Annon
03 September 2009I think you have some of the details on this incident grossly incorrect and blown out of proportion. Please check your sources.