Climbers rescued in blizzard after scaling Ben Nevis in trainers

Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
They weren't climbers! (typical lazy journalists labelling)
They were idiot tourists whose moronic actions but others' lives at risk rescuing them!
 

Balagan

Thru Hiker
About a fortnight ago, French gendarmes stopped a Russian tourist who intended to climb Mont-Blanc with his 10 year old son. :banghead:
 

Balagan

Thru Hiker
Four people had to be rescued near the summit of Britain’s highest peak after getting caught in blizzard conditions without proper kit – with some of them wearing trainers.

https://www.itv.com/news/2020-02-10...blizzard-after-scaling-ben-nevis-in-trainers/
I think the most interesting part of the Lochaber Moutain Rescue statement is "What Three Words app took Team to within metres of their location". Sounds more like foolish hikers/climbers than numpty tourists.
 

Whiteburn

Thru Hiker
"Miller Harris, of Lochaber MRT, said the four people who were visiting Scotland from abroad...….Mr Harris said the people were on a day trip, rather than being experienced hillwalkers, and had no winter equipment such as ice axes or crampons and did not appear to have a map."
Says it all, numpties!
 

TinTin

Thru Hiker
I think the most interesting part of the Lochaber Moutain Rescue statement is "What Three Words app took Team to within metres of their location". Sounds more like foolish hikers/climbers than numpty tourists.
I just spotted that on the BBC report. I wonder if that particular app might give people a false sense of security. What I mean is they think that, even though they are ill prepared, badly equipped and stupid, they think it doesn't matter because W3W will bring in the cavalry.
 

WilliamC

Thru Hiker
I just spotted that on the BBC report. I wonder if that particular app might give people a false sense of security. What I mean is they think that, even though they are ill prepared, badly equipped and stupid, they think it doesn't matter because W3W will bring in the cavalry.
In my experience, it may be possible that people think they're ill prepared or badly equipped, but they never ever think that they're stupid.
 

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
"Miller Harris, of Lochaber MRT, said the four people who were visiting Scotland from abroad...….Mr Harris said the people were on a day trip, rather than being experienced hillwalkers, and had no winter equipment such as ice axes or crampons and did not appear to have a map."
Says it all, numpties!

I don't know where these folks were from, but my experience is that visitors from abroad are often completely unaware of just how close to the north pole Scotland (UK) is.
If you point out they are ~57deg. north you get a look of :wideyed:.
Because we don't appear to have a climate the same as Kamchatka/Hudsons Bay then they assume our weather is benign. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 

Baldy

Thru Hiker
If trainers are good enough for Seal team 6 they’re good enough for me :)

Seal team 6 wore Vasque juxt when they dealt with Bin laden.

Not many people know that.
 

Balagan

Thru Hiker
From Metro: "Following the disastrous incident, Miller has reminded climbers that ‘any walk up into the Scottish mountains at this time of year is a serious undertaking’. He said: ‘We would expect anyone that is a member of a climbing club to know that but for the general public who come up on holiday, it’s difficult to get information to them. People see it’s called a tourist path so they think it is an easy walk up.’"

So, it was tourists on the "tourist path". Maybe it should be called something else? ;)
 

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
And they want to encourage making the lakes more accessible to all.... Let's go up scafell... It's a tourist route and looks pretty... The snow can't be any worse than the time we went sledging on castle hill... Snow is snow isn't it?
 

cathyjc

Thru Hiker
Copy and paste from :-

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team
2 hrs ·
"Thanks to everyone for their messages of support to the Team - very much appreciated. The incident has created a huge amount of media/public/government and international interest and comment.
The casualties admit that they made a significant error of judgement and are extremely sorry for the results of their actions. The guys were just members of the public who perhaps were unaware of what they were getting into. Not being from the UK and with very limited English, a lot of the information available to mountaineers and hill walkers would not have been accessible to them, so perhaps there is an element of mitigation in respect of their actions, clothing and lack of equipment.
At present money from the Scottish Government is channeled, via Sportscotland, quite rightly so, into the Avalanche Information Service and for training and education through centers like Glenmore Lodge and agencies such as Mountaineering Scotland. Most of this will be targeted at people who are either engaged in the sport or have an interest in taking it up. Perhaps more thought needs to be given into how to inform the general public/casual tourist about how dangerous our small mountains are and how severe our weather can get and how it will catch-out the unwary and uninformed at any time of the year.
Unfortunately it takes incidents like yesterdays to raise the profile in the media and the message has definitely got out. So there is a positive from the incident. Therefore, let us just cut the guys a little bit of slack. For those who call for charging and insurance for mountaineers/hill walkers, be careful for what ask for, as where do you stop, insurance for fishing, rugby, football all of which have more incidents and injuries than mountaineering.
Mountain rescuers are all mountaineers who volunteer their services at absolutely minimal cost to the public purse. Insurance would lead to a professional service, which, for yesterdays incident would have required about 30 full time paid people on one single shift plus equipment etc to have been able carry out and then you have the admin, health and safety, bean counter et al - all funded by tax payer. Leave as is, as we have a world class voluntary mountain rescue service which delivers via public donations.
To ensure it is sufficiently funded, we need public donations so please give to a mountain rescue team. Not all mountain rescue is about mountains and many teams outwith the Highlands, and even those in the Highlands, do provide resilience cover at times of severe weather/flooding and when the full time agencies cannot cope with scale of an incident. This is also significantly funded by donations for mountain rescue but we are sure our supporters would not grudge some of their money going back to the communities which we live in and allow access to our mountains and countryside.
Finally, we would like to thank the guys from yesterday's rescue for making the donation shown in the picture attached. These were very young guys who without any prompting made a very generous gesture which is very much appreciated. Not everyone rescued appreciates that we are not full time or not paid to be at their beck and call.
Stay safe."

Donation - Whisky, 2x wine, chocs and £200.

So I think the guys concerned realise what a boo boo they made and are properly grateful for the MRT.
 

Dave V

Moderator
Staff member
Copy and paste from :-

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team
2 hrs ·
"Thanks to everyone for their messages of support to the Team - very much appreciated. The incident has created a huge amount of media/public/government and international interest and comment.
The casualties admit that they made a significant error of judgement and are extremely sorry for the results of their actions. The guys were just members of the public who perhaps were unaware of what they were getting into. Not being from the UK and with very limited English, a lot of the information available to mountaineers and hill walkers would not have been accessible to them, so perhaps there is an element of mitigation in respect of their actions, clothing and lack of equipment.
At present money from the Scottish Government is channeled, via Sportscotland, quite rightly so, into the Avalanche Information Service and for training and education through centers like Glenmore Lodge and agencies such as Mountaineering Scotland. Most of this will be targeted at people who are either engaged in the sport or have an interest in taking it up. Perhaps more thought needs to be given into how to inform the general public/casual tourist about how dangerous our small mountains are and how severe our weather can get and how it will catch-out the unwary and uninformed at any time of the year.
Unfortunately it takes incidents like yesterdays to raise the profile in the media and the message has definitely got out. So there is a positive from the incident. Therefore, let us just cut the guys a little bit of slack. For those who call for charging and insurance for mountaineers/hill walkers, be careful for what ask for, as where do you stop, insurance for fishing, rugby, football all of which have more incidents and injuries than mountaineering.
Mountain rescuers are all mountaineers who volunteer their services at absolutely minimal cost to the public purse. Insurance would lead to a professional service, which, for yesterdays incident would have required about 30 full time paid people on one single shift plus equipment etc to have been able carry out and then you have the admin, health and safety, bean counter et al - all funded by tax payer. Leave as is, as we have a world class voluntary mountain rescue service which delivers via public donations.
To ensure it is sufficiently funded, we need public donations so please give to a mountain rescue team. Not all mountain rescue is about mountains and many teams outwith the Highlands, and even those in the Highlands, do provide resilience cover at times of severe weather/flooding and when the full time agencies cannot cope with scale of an incident. This is also significantly funded by donations for mountain rescue but we are sure our supporters would not grudge some of their money going back to the communities which we live in and allow access to our mountains and countryside.
Finally, we would like to thank the guys from yesterday's rescue for making the donation shown in the picture attached. These were very young guys who without any prompting made a very generous gesture which is very much appreciated. Not everyone rescued appreciates that we are not full time or not paid to be at their beck and call.
Stay safe."

Donation - Whisky, 2x wine, chocs and £200.

So I think the guys concerned realise what a boo boo they made and are properly grateful for the MRT.

I saw this on MT Conditions FB Group, nice to know they did it without prompt and obviously realise how grave a mistake it was now.

I expect we have all seen people less than prepared and ill equipt setting off or on their way to somewhere that would better suite a guide, more experience and better equipment.

As one of the MT Rescue teams posted yesterday on another FB group it's also our responsibility to challenge people in these circumstances if we see them, explain the risks if they are unaware etc
 

gixer

Thru Hiker
If i fell and got injured and had to be rescued i think i'd be more miffied if it was said i was "wearing"trainers" than anything else :D
 
Last edited:

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
When I was a teenager, I was walking down from Sty Head into Wasdale on the main path. Coming in the opposite direction was a rather attractive lady in summer attire (it was a hot summer day). When I was nearer I saw that she had sandals with stacked heels on her feet. I don’t suppose she came to too much harm but my friend and I had a good giggle.
 

Balagan

Thru Hiker
Good to see the MRT people calling for some toning down of the comments by the internet warriors who have most probably never set foot on a mountain path. And for better information of the general public.

Not unrelated to the tourist path comment above, while looking that up I found a thread on UKC from a (British) woman who ended up summitting Ben Nevis in March 2016 wearing shorts and carrying no waterproofs or food, went into hypothermia and was lucky to be assisted by fully-equipped climbers. The thing is, she never intended to go to the summit, simply went on a short walk up the mountain and, finding it easy, decided to push on a little bit, and then a little bit more. And after 4 hours she was on top and in trouble.

I've no idea where the four came from but, from a Continental point of view, your mountains are just too small to look daunting from afar. ;) I actually mean this seriously, on this side of the Channel, 1500 metres is the altitude at which you expect to find the little old ladies and the grandads with their snowshoes.

The Visit Scotland website has a few warnings about the fact that it is never easy to bag a summit in Scotland and that people should be properly equipped and have the necessary skills. Yet, this is how they advertise "climbing" up to Britain's tallest mountain in trainers and jeans:

 
Last edited:

Baldy

Thru Hiker
Perhaps it’s time to change the name of the Tourist path. I’m sure these won’t be the last to take the name quite literally.
 
Last edited:
Top