This week, the Snowdonia National Park Authority called for mountaineers to ‘stay away’ from Snowdonia due to winter conditions. The BMC would like to clarify that the responsibility for decisions around what a mountaineer does in the mountain environment lies with the individual themselves.
This week, the Snowdonia National Park Authority called for mountaineers to ‘stay away’ from Snowdonia due to winter conditions.
The mountains are open – as long as you’re well prepared
On the same day that Snowdonia National Park Authority declared a high likelihood of avalanches as a reason for mountaineers to stay away, local aspirant mountain guide Calum Muskett was skiing in the Carneddau:“I enjoyed a morning ski in the Carneddau today. 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.”
Alun Allcock, Chairman of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, 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!”
WATCH: our BMC TV film on the joys of winter hill walking
VIDEO
Promoting personal responsibility
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 hill walkers 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 .
Watch: BMC TV films on winter conditions
VIDEO
About the BMC and national parks
As the national representative body in England and Wales, the BMC campaigns to protect the freedoms and promote the interests of climbers, hill walkers 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.
Thinking of heading to Wales this weekend?
FOLLOW: the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team on Facebook
CHECK: the Plas y Brenin live feed
CHECK: the Mountain Weather Information Service reports
WATCH : our winter skills video playlist on BMC TV
JOIN : Our Mountain Adventures Facebook Group to share your adventures and share conditions information
Take your winter adventure skills to the next level with #MakeWinterCount.
These popular events are back to help you stride out into the winter hills and mountains with confidence. We will be running three events this year, with in person evenings in London on 29th November and Manchester on 30th November, and a virtual event on Zoom on 1st December.
This event is brilliant for anyone who wants to learn more about winter hill and mountain skills. You'll go from bumbling about to striding with confidence to the summit after you've gained all the knowledge from our experts Sam Leary and Mick Jones .
Event content
The evening will cover everything the new winter adventurer could possibly need including:
What to wear
Planning your day
Reading the weather
Packing a rucksack
Boots, crampons & axes
Avalanche awareness
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