The authority warned mountaineers not to head for the snow-covered hills. Photo: Snowdonia NPA
The British Mountaineering Council has criticised a national park authority which urged hillgoers to stay away from its peaks.
Snowdonia National Park Authority said on Thursday mountaineers should stay off the slopes of Snowdon and other snow-covered mountains.
The BMC today said it was unprecedented for a UK national park authority to declare the mountains ‘closed’ due to winter conditions.
In a statement, the council, which represents climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers in England and Wales, said: “The responsibility for decisions around what a mountaineer does in the mountain environment lies with the individual themselves.
“Whatever the weather, mountainous environments always come with risks and hazards. Provided that mountaineers are well equipped and make appropriate judgements based on information, experience and ability, winter conditions in the mountains can provide fantastic adventurous experiences.
“It is unprecedented for a UK national park authority to declare the mountains ‘closed’ due to winter conditions. While the Snowdonia National Park Authority has no actual power to close the mountains in these circumstances – most of Snowdonia’s mountains are classed as open access or accessible by rights of way – this call still sets a potentially dangerous precedent by obscuring the role of individual judgement.
“The statement by Snowdonia National Park Authority also contradicts one of the two statutory purposes of national parks: to ‘promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the special qualities of national parks by the public’.
“The mountains are open – as long as you’re well prepared.”
Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team also distanced itself from the authority’s statement.
The team’s chairman Alun Allcock said: “The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team-Tîm Achub Mynydd Llanberis do not, and never will, endorse the advice given yesterday by the Snowdonia National Park Authority-Awdurdod Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri in relation to avoiding the mountains of Snowdonia at any time of the year.
“Hazards exist on any mountain, but it is not the role of our mountain rescue team to decide when these mountains are ‘safe’.
“As with all risk, changing mountain hazards can be mitigated by personal experience, route choice, equipment, weather and ground conditions.
“The ethos of mountain rescue was, and remains, that of ‘mountaineers helping other mountaineers’ and we will continue to turn out to people who feel they need our help without judgment.
“And, we’ll all be out over the next few days making the most of the conditions.”
Aspirant mountain guide Calum Muskett, who was skiing in the Carneddau on the day the authority issued its statement, said: “I enjoyed a morning ski in the Carneddau.
“Conditions were typical of this time of year in Snowdonia with accumulations of snow in some gullies and patchy snow cover on the rest of the mountain. Avalanche-prone areas can be avoided with careful route planning and any prospective hill-goers should check the weather forecast and equip themselves accordingly.”
The BMC spokesperson said: “While it is not uncommon for ski resorts, for example, to close following a high avalanche risk, these are managed environments.
“The ground conditions in the wider mountains are not managed, hence why it has always been the responsibility of mountaineers to assess the risks themselves and make appropriate judgements.
“In other parts of the UK this is assisted by specialist ground conditions and weather reporting such as the Lake District’s Weatherline or the Scottish Avalanche Information Service. The aim of these services is to provide hillwalkers and mountaineers with detailed, up-to-date information to make their own decisions.
“The BMC also has concerns with Snowdonia National Park Authority suggesting that Met Office snow conditions weather warnings are used by mountaineers to inform them about ground conditions. While included as a headline within Met Office mountain-specific weather forecasts, the Met Office themselves do not wish their own weather warnings to be used in this way.
“Mountain-specific weather forecasts should be used, such as the Met Office Mountain Weather or the Mountain Weather Information Service.”
Details of these services are available on grough’s links page.
The spokesperson added: “As the national representative body in England and Wales, the BMC campaigns to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hillwalkers and mountaineers, including ski-mountaineers.
“The BMC is supportive of national parks. The BMC’s Mend Our Mountains campaign has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds over the last few years to mend footpaths in popular walking areas.
“In Snowdonia, over £12,000 was donated to the SNPA to mend the Watkin Path in 2016 and the current campaign has so far raised more than £40,000 for the SNPA to fix two paths on Cader Idris.
“The BMC is a member of Mountain Safe, a forum of bodies including mountain rescue, Mountain Training, Plas y Brenin, North Wales Police, as well as Snowdonia National Park Authority themselves.
“Mountain Safe was formed to ensure that key safety messages were considered, balanced and appropriate, giving positive advice to mountain users on how to enjoy the hills more safely.
“Mountain Safe members are therefore disappointed that none of the group were consulted before Snowdonia National Park Authority issued this statement.”
A spokesperson for Snowdonia National Park Authority said: “The conditions on the mountain have been so extreme over the past few days that the authority has been trying to emphasise the importance of safety on the mountains.
“The safety of individuals accessing the mountains is dependent on the necessary experience and equipment to meet the conditions and the authority stresses these, and is up to the individual to make an informed choice.”
Jill Lemon
01 February 2019I agree that they should be able to close the park if the
conditions are dangerous. However, if someone decides to go up when the weather is bad they should do so at their own risk and be denied rescue services or pay a huge amount to pay for the rescue teams risking their lives to help them.
Richard struthers
01 February 2019What a joke .many experienced winter walkers/climbers have waited for this can you imagine the Scots closing mountains which are far worse than Snowdon there would be an uproar.get a grip
Rich
01 February 2019Jill Lemon, utter rubbish, you are 100% wrong, who are they to judge the skill and experience of others to make their own decisions ?
Barry (Lakes)
01 February 2019Mountain rescue teams are more and more thinking that they are the police of the mountains. It is not up to the MRT's to say what is safe and what is not. Lots of mountain goer's have more experience that the MRT's. People are free to go into the mountains as they see fit. Sometimes it not wise to head out there but certainly not because of cold weather. With crampons and axes it is perfectly safe as long as you have the knowledge of how to use them. In the summer I have seen a lot of people in the hills around me in flip flops and high heals....
Dafydd (Mountains)
01 February 2019Barry, have you even bothered to read what the rescue team has said?
"The Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team-Tîm Achub Mynydd Llanberis do not, and never will, endorse the advice given yesterday"
Please pay attention.
Pete G
01 February 2019Dafydd (Mountains)well said,some people clearly don't read the full article,thumb up bum mind in neutral
russell wright
02 February 2019maybe if they put some railings around it and some cushions around the bottom?
Margaret
02 February 2019Back in the 1970s a Scottish Chief Constable declared that the hills were closed, because of avalanche risk.
Bill Murray (Mountaineering in Scotland etc) put that gentleman back in his place.
Margaret
02 February 2019Those who understand mountaineering will know that -
'A hill or route itself is not dangerous . . . but a particular hill or route may be dangerous for a particular person.'
Michelle jones
02 February 2019Jill the entire point made was mountaineers helping other mountaineers. MRT spend more time helping tourists who think they know best. Everyone goes out at own risk mountaineers are more prepared but accidents happen so to say they shouldn't be rescued just shows your inexperience on winter climbs
David Steane
02 February 2019Many years ago, this highly appropriate view on the risk of mountaineering / climbing / hill-walking was written by John Grieve, long serving member of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team, in an article he wrote in the 1982 Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal. It was written primarily about climbers, but it's relevant to all who suggest that we should somehow stifle or prevent those who might end up being retrieved off the rocks by the aforementioned Mountain Rescue Teams.
John said:
"The right of anyone to go into the hills and kill himself [sic] in the name of his [sic] sport must be safeguarded."
Who is anyone to judge the expereince of an individual?
Certainly not the "nanny state" which is infiltatring every fibre of our existence...
I reckon the vast, vast majority of hillwalkers and climbers who venture out into the hills at this time of year - indeed any time of year - would agree with John Grieve.
Ken L
02 February 2019The mountains are there for everyone's enjoyment. It is for the individual to satisfy himself that he has the appropropriate skill set relating to navigation, route choice and understanding of the conditions, experience and equipment. He has the responsibility for his own safety. The MRTs are staffed by mountaineers (not the National Park Authority) for mountaineers and they will always aid those in need without judgement. Accidents can and sometimes do happen, even to the most experienced. Most rescues in the mountains take place not when snow-covered but in the summer when those with lesser skills or experience make wrong decisions. Thank you Snowdonia NPA for your advice but please leave it at that (advice) and stop at the dictatorial.
Mh
02 February 2019They are simply warning people of the dangers they cannot win, my daughter's father fell 800 ft to his death a year a go this month there was no snow on land and he was equipped, how dare anyone talk about money when rescue teams can save life's it could be your family in trouble! have a heart and less opinions
Margaret
03 February 2019I commented recently that commercial interests, governing bodies and government seem to be in a dilemma between heavily promoting the activity as a sport, while at the same time having to regularly remind people that it is in fact, unlike most sports, a dangerous activity.
Reinhold Messner wrote, “. . . it is not a sport, all mountains are dangerous."
Catherine Roberts
04 February 2019This mindset of authorities thinking they have our best intrests has to stop,before our children will miss out on the freedom of self exploration in the wonderfull environments and climates of Snowdon and many other mountains.
We have to stand up for our right of passage to go up these mountains ,its a simple freedom of choice.
Well said by David Steane on John Grieve's article.
Jhimmy
05 February 2019I ran all 6 Cheviot mountains over 2000ft on what must have been the hottest day on last year. The place was tinder dry under a burning sun and no wind. The streams I was going to drink from looked horrible (I did have a filter) to drink from. So I was sun burnt, extremely dehydrated and 2 hours slower then expected.
To put it bluntly, I was in more danger that July day then 40 years of winter walking. So lets ban hot summer days as well.
H Munro
06 February 2019There isn't a person or authority in existence will stop me going to the hills when I want.
OldManOfTheHills
07 February 2019For many hillwalkers and mountaineers the conditions in Snowdonia were just what we seek and enjoy. You cant ice or snowclimb in summer so the Park Authority advice is facile!
The advice should be that due to the conditions, ill equipped walkers are at severe risk of death or severe injury. (as opposed to normal risks for the experienced)
During the great freeze of 1981 there were Park wardens in the car park at Llanberis checking as we got out of car, and grunting approval or rejected on apparent kitted outness. It was still b cold and soup spilled from thermos froze before hitting ground but we did most of the horseshoe
welsh wolf
08 February 2019i had a fantastic day out in the snow on the glydders. took the right equipment, chose a non challenging route with backup options planned, stayed away from snow gulleys, told someone where i was going, left a copy of the route in my car, and turned back before the summit so i didn't run out of daylight. saw lots of other well equipped people safely enjoying themselves too. the only dangerous thing i saw was a cow of a woman on a low level walk down near the lake leaving her kid to run after her on black ice because she was too selfish to go at the kid's pace or hold her hand. poor little mite fell over several times before the bitch stopped for her. i've seen adults not looking out for their kids several times on the mountains and the poor things crying because they're cold or the route is too difficult, and it really pisses me off.
Ange Carter
16 March 2019Closed may be a bit of a drastic phrase. But even though mountains are dangerous in most conditions, extreme conditions equal extreme risk. As Snowden is a popular tourist destination it's in the public interest to emphasise the mountain danger in snow. I've seen tourists on Snowden and Hellvellyn in lightweight footwear with no pack etc
Whoever used the status "closed " over did it but there's only good can come from indicating snow or heat risk etc
Let's not over react as experienced, well equipped mountain people won't stay away and don't need telling, neither will Llanberis mountain rescue desert them if the unexpected happens. More positivity in discussion would be good. It's not disgraceful or disgusting that this status has been published just rather inappropriate but well intentioned.