Tying-in and Climbing Helmets (You can learn more about this on one of our beginner's rock climbing courses in Yorkshire, the Peak District, the Lake District and Snowdonia.) In this…
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How to Secure Your Map in Winter Making sure that your map is secure in winter is a vital piece of preparation. Have you ever been concerned that your map…
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How to Pack a Rucksack in Winter Introduction Packing a rucksack for use in the winter mountains requires much more care, thought and organisation than it does in summer. Rain,…
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(Not very) Breathable Hard-Shells A breathable hard-shell jacket is one of the essential items of clothing/equipment that every mountain walker/climber should have, and it can literally be a life-saver. However,…
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How to Estimate Walking Speed Knowing how to estimate your walking speed is a vital skill in navigation and this tip will explain how you can do it. A key…
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Personal Clothing & Equipment – Trekking Expedition – Suggested List This kit list is a generic list for a trekking expedition to places like Kilimanjaro or Everest Base Camp or…
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Trad Climbing Starter Lead Rack This is a suggested list for a 'trad' starter lead rack to get someone started lead climbing. This, and much more, is discussed in detail…
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Clothing and Equipment for Rock Climbing Climbing shoes Base-layer top (Synthetic or synthetic/wool blend. Never cotton – “cotton kills”) Socks Trousers (possibly light soft-shell), flexible enough to allow…
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Rock Climbing Technique This is a combination of a book recommendation or review and a tip. A few weeks ago, John Kettle, a well-known Lake District-based climbing coach, released his…
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Trekking basics The recent expeditions to Kilimanjaro that I led included a number of people who were relative, or total, novices when it comes to backpacking and trekking. This was…
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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 2020237 in 2021233 in 2022308 in 2023327 in 2024359 in 2025Around 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.
A little bit of a change - a trip to Kyrgyzstan for an ascent of #peaklenin.Sadly no Lenin summits mainly because the weather played havoc with our rotations. However, everyone did summit Razdalnaya, which was good.@adventure peaks
