Snowdonia's mountains, such as Tryfan, are in full winter condition. Photo: Neil Cowburn

The calendar may say it’s spring, but in the mountains, it’s still firmly winter.

Authorities in Snowdonia warned that full winter gear – including ice axes and crampons – are needed by walkers and mountaineers heading for the peaks over Easter. The recent cold spell and further falls of snow on the district’s mountains mean visitors to the tops need to be prepared and properly equipped.

The message comes from MountainSafe, a joint campaign that includes the British Mountaineering Council, North Wales Mountain Rescue Association, Plas y Brenin, Mountain Leader Training Wales, Snowdonia National Park Authority and North Wales Police.

The plea to go prepared comes after a record 12 months for visitors and rescue incidents in Snowdonia. Many mountains are still firmly under winter conditions.

Tim Bird, of North Wales Police and also a member of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation, said: “Even though Easter is here, dangerous hazards remain on the mountains following the recent adverse weather. Snow and ice remain on the summits and visitors to the mountains will require ice axes and crampons.

“We want people to continue to come and enjoy the beautiful mountains of north Wales but we want them to do so safely and responsibly.

“Mountain rescue teams across Snowdonia have seen an increase in the number of callouts to people who have been injured, people getting lost, groups starting out late in the day, people getting caught out by the weather or individuals without the proper clothing or equipment.”

The message was echoed by Squadron Leader Spike Wright, commanding officer of the helicopter rescue teams in 22 Squadron based at RAF Valley, who said: “Understanding and acting upon the MountainSafe message is vital for everybody’s safety whilst they enjoy the striking landscape of north Wales. The rescue services provided by my flight will endeavour to offer this campaign the support it rightly deserves.

Group Captain Jonathan Dixon, RAF Search and Rescue Force commander, said: “The RAF SAR Force fully supports the activities promoting mountain safety, and we will continue to provide our services when requested to save lives in north Wales.

“We will also continue to work closely with all the emergency services and look forward to strengthening that relationship through the North Wales Police MountainSafe initiative.”

And in the Lake District, conditions on the felltops also require winter mountaineering gear. Although Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team’s April Fool’s idea of painting luminous descent routes on the fells raised a few smiles, there was serious intent in the message.

Too many people are still ascending the hills without the skills and equipment to cope with the winter conditions and get themselves safely back down again.

The Lake District fells are still in full winter condition

Even the experts can get caught out. On Wednesday, the Lake District national park’s felltop assessor Jason Taylor was forced back during his daily attempt to reach the summit of Helvellyn to gauge weather conditions.

Heavy snow falls, 70kph (44mph) winds and a wind chill of –15.4C meant a retreat from the 950m (3,117ft) mountain. Most Lakeland peaks, he said, are in full winter condition.

He said yesterday: “The winter certainly isn’t going out like a lamb. The lion’s roar is still very much with us. Snow continues to fall and more is forecast. There was a metre of new snow at 500m this morning and by the time I got to Red Tarn, it was very deep in places.

“The strong northerly wind is depositing large amounts of loose snow, making it very unstable underfoot and severely restricting visibility. Also, footpaths are covered, making navigation very difficult.

“Setting off from the valleys, people could easily think the hills presented no real problems. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth and they would soon find themselves in potentially very difficult terrain.

“We know Easter is a particularly popular time in the Lake District and there are a huge number of attractions, and safe walks, across the national park. We want people to come and enjoy our world renowned landscape, and to be safe.”

Recent heavy snow in the Highlands has resulted in all the areas covered by the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service having slopes with a considerable risk of avalanche.

The Mountain Weather Information Service is forecasting a band of wet weather, bringing snow to the hill and mountain tops, moving up across Britain over the weekend, before a slight thaw towards the end of the Easter period, giving way to drier weather as high pressure builds through next week.

All the weather forecasts, including the Lake District Weatherline, SAIS forecasts and reports, the Mountain Weather Information Service forecasts and Met Office mountain forecasts can be accessed via grough’s links tab at the top of this page.