The pair were rescued after getting cragfast on Tryfan's North Ridge
Two students who were rescued after getting stuck on a Snowdonia mountain were totally ill prepared, rescuers said.
The man and woman, wearing trainers and dressed in ‘town clothes’, became cragfast on Tryfan’s North Ridge yesterday after setting out about 2pm.
Members of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation were alerted after the pair rang 999 about 7pm. Chris Lloyd of the rescue team said: “They were unable to complete the scramble as it was beyond their experience and so correctly decided to retrace their steps down the ridge.
“However, they ended up on the top of cliffs above the Milestone Buttress. Despite the glorious weather conditions, they were reluctant to climb back up to a place where they could descend safely. So they made a 999 call for mountain rescue.
“Four team members were deployed on the hill once the team members on the A5 road had ‘spotted’ their location.
“Once located, team members set up a lowering system and the two were lowered to a footpath and walked off the mountain and to Oggi Base.”
Mr Lloyd said such rescues were placing a strain on the volunteers in the rescue team, who have already been called out 12 times more than at the same time last year – which was itself a record year for the organisation.
“These two young people were totally ill equipped for the scramble up the North Ridge,” he said. “They were dressed in town clothes and wearing trainers.
“This is the sort of rescue that members of the public think rescue teams carry out all the time. While this sort of rescue is in the minority, it occurs too frequently and is an unnecessary waste to team members’ time and resources especially with the greatly increased number of call outs.”
The team had earlier gone to the aid of a walker who fell while descending Pen yr Ole Wen on the opposite side of the Ogwen Valley.
The 60-year-old, described as well equipped and organised, fell about 6m (20ft) while coming down a steep and loose path on the mountain.
Mr Lloyd said: “He had walked over the Carneddau range from North to South on a glorious day.
“Just as he was completing his walk he took a 20ft tumble or so.
“He banged his head and lost his spectacles. Fortunately, he found his spectacles but felt a bit unsure on his feet, probably due to the ‘cartoon-style’ lump throbbing on his head.
“He wisely made the 999 call for mountain rescue.”
The Ogwen rescuers were alerted at 4.45pm. “A hasty team of four members was dispatched up the footpath,” Mr Lloyd said. “After examination and some first aid, he was able to walk down to the A5 road.
“He was then driven to Ysbyty Gwynedd at Bangor for a further check up. This was an unfortunate incident at the end of a really good day.”
The team has now responded to 56 incidents this year.
PeteStuart
03 June 2011This is a good reason to invoice for the cost of rescue. These type give seasoned walkers and climbers a bad name.
R Webb
04 June 2011Easy in this case, but where is the line drawn. What do you do with the Arthur's Seat sprains? Urban park!
Any move to charge numpties will hit us all hard in the pocket, we will need insurance to leave the road for the relative safety of the hill. and the tyranny of insurance must never be visited upon us. They will start forbidding things - like scrambling on Tryfan. Then there is the small matter of more pockets to line.
Insurance is playing havoc with orienteering right now.
Cure worse than disease.
Roy Smart
04 June 2011hmm, yes, as a hillwalker of 40 years it's difficult to see how such a regime against individuals can be enforced. The reality is that anyone can go on the hills, and even on short easy paths, folk can and get injured. "Help, 999, I've fallen going up a bracken hillside and slipped on rocks that I did not see and it's very slippery underfoot, broken ankle suspected". Rescue report : " trainers and camera, 100 metres from path, birdwatching ".
I think that Government should see it all as a cost on a department budget. Sport and leisure? Should it be a blanket overall insurance that the government meets against the benefits of outdoor leisure? After all, it's a free sport, exceptional there days.
Roy
Midlothian
slyspeed
05 June 2011There is a contrast between the two callouts mentioned here: the well-equipped gentleman who had an unfortunate accident which could just as easily have happened anywhere and to anyone, and the totally inequipped pair who were an accident looking for somewhere to happen, then decided to call out the MRT to save themselved the bother of having to climb themselves out of trouble. I say they should be named and shamed, as should anyone who wanders onto the hills with no thought for their own safety. It might just make a few more people think about where they are going and what they need to do to maximise their own safety and enjoyment.
Charging a fee for mountain rescues would lead to lives being lost as people would think twice about summoning help when they really need (and deserve) it. Rather, we should all give generously to support our local MRT's
Graham
07 June 2011I was stopped by two young men at the summit of Thornthwaite Crag last Saturday in thick cloud and stiff winds who asked me was I "going the right way?" Armed with no more than the Coast to Coast guide book, (no map, no compass, no idea), they at least had cagoules on, but were hopelessly disorientated and clearly lacking experience. They had assumed that everyone on the fell would be doing the same walk as them as is was "in the book"... and hoped to make it to Shap in vile conditons and no visibility using the book alone, or by following everyone else, (said book was itself becoming soggier and more illegible as we stood there in the driving rain!). I hope they took my advice to descend as quickly as possible and go buy a map.
Barely a fortnight earlier I was asked by a couple on the summit of Coniston Old Man in similar conditons if there was another way down as the ascent had been a bit steep, (as mountains often are). I gave them directions over Dow Crag at which point they asked if it would be signposted back to the car park? No map, no compass no guidebook.
A week before that I persuaded a large group of trainer wearing teenagers to turn back on their way up Rosset Gill at 5pm when they asked me if they were going the right way for "the biggest mountain". I ascertained this to be Sca Fell Pike, which would have seen them summitting after dark if at all.... Amazingly, one of the group did have a map and a rucksack but obviously no idea how to use it. The others wore a mixture of t-shirts, tracksuits, and in the case of one young girl; slingback sandals.
I am not in the least surprised at the number of vexing call outs the MRT are ebduring this year as there seems to be more people than ever wandering the high places wholly ill prepared. What is worrying is not just the lack of a map, but the complete ignorance of the possibility that they may even need one!
I dont know what more MRT can do to alert people to the need to go properly equipped given the number of times I have seen them attemptinmg to publicise this message. If it wasn't for the univeral use of mobile phones amongst those clueless to the dangers of the hills, I fear we may have seen a few fatalities already this year.
matt
25 June 2011im afraid that the problems with unprepared people in the hills is the result o the nanny state! health and safety in the mainstream make too many people feel that "we wouldnt be allowed here if it wasnt safe"
i do feel that it is all abit high and mighty from the experienced people though. We had many "adventures" when we were young and though we were always lucky and dragged ourselves out of the s**t it is hard for people to get the experience and on the first path to the mountains so to speak.
when i find dafties up the hill i will often ask them to tag along and try and give them some help and advice. changes my day but can be fun
Graham Robinson
29 December 2011I have read many times about the incredulous experiences of people being rescued for their shear stupidity in the mountains, I never thought I would have encountered it myself but to my horror I did, several weeks back late November 2011
Having taken three new climbing buddies out (fairly new to the hills) part of my introduction for them is to gain a greater appreciation of the weather conditions that will be encountered with this great past time, hence the need to go out in all types of weather conditions.
On the North face of Tryffan the predicted gales to be expected where between 60 to 85mph , it was truly a fight to stand still at times, along the way we met 4 climbers 2 individuals going hell for leather to get down and two who had lost their buddies, we decided it would be best for them to accompany us off the ridge as I had called the remainder of the day off for safety reasons.
Low and behold we were stunned “speechless” a man dressed in shorts and a thin long sleeved shirt, trainers with a day pack came wandering past heading for the top with an almighty grin on his face, he didn’t want to know about any of our concerns continuing on upwards!
Shaking our heads in disbelief 20 or so minutes later a young couple came sauntering up the south face in jeans and cagoules asking if this was the way to the top?
What do you do with people like that? The danger they put others in is simply shameful.
I would imagine the M. R boys give them one hell of a verbal bashing.
Graham Robinson