12/09/2026
Important words from one of our local mountain rescue teams. Sir Edmund Hillary, Tenzing Norgay, and the rest of the 1953 British Mount Everest Expedition team used Eryri (Snowdonia) for their winter training. Think about that before heading up!
After 59 callouts in August, the busiest month in our history, we think it is time for a serious conversation about what is happening in our mountains.
Our volunteers carried out prolonged rescues in darkness and poor weather, dealt with serious injuries, heat-related issues, assisted people stuck in serious terrain and, sadly, attended incidents where people and animals lost their lives.
What concerns us most is the increasing number of people taking on difficult terrain while completely unprepared for what they are facing.
The mountains have not suddenly become more dangerous. More people are visiting them, and the way routes are discovered and accessed has changed.
Routes once mainly attempted by experienced hillwalkers and mountaineers are increasingly attracting people with little or no experience.
A photograph or video of Crib Goch can make an exposed Grade 1 scramble look like just another route to the summit. What it doesn’t show is how intimidating that ridge can be in cloud, rain or strong winds or how quickly a manageable situation can become a serious emergency.
We want people to enjoy Eryri. We understand the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in the mountains but accidents happen, even to experienced, well-prepared people. That is why we volunteer.
But enjoying the mountains also comes with personal responsibility. Too often, people simply don’t know that a route may require specific skills, equipment, fitness, experience and judgement and how quickly conditions can change.
Our callout numbers tell the story:
147 in 2020
237 in 2021
233 in 2022
308 in 2023
327 in 2024
359 in 2025
Around 440 projected in 2026.
This trend is not sustainable.
The answer cannot simply be more Mountain Rescue. There has to be greater focus on prevention and personal responsibility.
We will always respond when someone genuinely needs our help. The bigger question now is: how do we stop so many people from needing help in the first place?
Enjoy the mountains but please try to understand the environment you are entering and if the terrain or conditions don’t feel right, turn around.
