UKC

Me and my partner were out in Snowdonia today. We decided to do the Crib Goch route as we had wanted to do it in winter conditions. The ridge was great fun with enough snow to make it interesting. We then went on, ending up on Snowdon. We went out with the right gear/kit for the conditions. On reaching the Llanberis path there was a stark contrast to the people we met on our ridge scramble. It was mostly jeans ( wet ), trainers, fashion boots, no hats, gloves or head torches for the dark decent as it was getting on for 4pm. There was a couple with two kids dressed in cotton jogging bottoms and some lads who looked like they were from the pages of the Next Directory slipping and falling about on the compacted snow. The whole thing was shocking. No wonder mountain rescue teams are so busy at this time of year.

In reply to mrgleb:

It just goes to show you, you don't need fancy climbing equipment and Clothing.

In reply to mrgleb:

Social Darwinism...

In reply to mrgleb:

Good for you I'm glad you had a nice day looking down on people .

In reply to mrgleb:
Best not going there on here. I had a random bizarre meeting with some local lad and two foreign birds dressed dor a night out on striding edge yesterday the Chinese looking bird was sat down on the path shuffling on her bum and couldn't speak a word of English. The lad seemed completely off it. I think they has met the night before in the town and somehow ended up there still in there going out clothes. I mean if you can get away with it dressed like that then good on you but if I was dressed like that with no hat and gloves or warm clothing, I would have froze my nuts off. Luckily they did end up turning back when we looked back.

In reply to mrgleb:

Did you make an attempt to talk to these people to try educate them? I do sometimes. A bit of friendly advice is usually welcome and at least you are doing something rather than pointing at them and tutting.

In reply to Wesley Orvis:

They were on a night out. They all dress like that on a winter's evening. They are immune to cold.

In reply to mrgleb:
Always great to see.. People out in the hills

Despite what you think supposedly LLanberis MRT rarely need to rescue such people..

People can cope..

In reply to IainRUK:

Most people I know would tell me Crib Goch, the CYP Arete or any of the other ways up I enjoy are the real "idiots route" and that sensible people take the Llanberis path or the train

In reply to mrgleb:

You're saying there are inappropriately dressed people up on Snowdon in Winter?

Good to see some things never change

In reply to mrgleb:

German climbers used to call Brits 'Das Bluejeans' in the Alps back in the 60's due to our penchant for climbing big routes in Levis.

In reply to mrgleb:
I spent around 5 hours around the summit of Snowdon on Sunday and was suprised how well dressed everyone was. I got back to my car in Llanberis at 6.45pm and only turned my headtorch on briefy the one time.

Suprised you don't mention some idiot flying their quadrocopter on the summit, or someone else with a kite - what do they think the Summit is? their local park?

In reply to Wesley Orvis:

Soz about that. I'd been out in Keswick and had necked a bucket-load of shrooms then met these funny looking folks who fancied doing a bit of snowy scrambling.

Dont worry though because just after you had left I twisted my ankle a bit and got tired and so I called for these friendly folks with a stretcher who seems really chuffed to help me and my exotic friends down that little hillock.

In reply to Bulls Crack:



Too true.
Same goes for Ben Lomond and Nevis.

I will help people, only if they ask.

I usually Carry some spare cheap gloves , and extra food, but there are just too many folks inappropriately equipped on the popular spots , and most ( in my experience) just don't appreciate unsolicited advice !

In reply to mrgleb:

Been to Arrochar twice in last few weeks. Once it was okay as the weather was terrible. Next time the weather was dry, but misty. Have seen some people who didn't look equipped either, wearing jeans, trainers, etc. Couple of men had only one small rucksack and a dog! I am surprised I haven't seen MRT that day as it was quite misty and the navigation might have been difficult.

We climbed Beinn Narnain that day. We've seen another group ahead of us and given their pace, we just followed their footprints as we assumed they are just experienced walkers. We stopped to put crampons on due to icy conditions and then noticed that they got lost, not so much away from the cliff. All the way to the top, I haven't seen any prints of crampons or axes. Instead of that, there were few obvious slips. I'm glad they made it to the top, though. We should have overtaken them somewhere midway if we didn't stop.

In reply to mrgleb:
I remember heading up Lochnagar a few years back on a beautiful summer evening. It was about 7pm. There was going to be a moon, and we were in the middle of an anticyclone. And it was about May 25.

So I set off for the summit of this 3700 ft mountain in Merrrills trainers, cotton shorts, a t-shirt, and a thin blue fleece. No rucksack or bumbag. As spare equipment, back up etc, I was carrying... my car keys. I had no food (I'd already eaten). I had no water (there are plenty of burns on Lochnagar). I had no map or compass (I knew the mountain perfectly well already, and having seen the forecast, I knew there was zero chance of mist). I had no headtorch (like I say, it was late May, a cloudless sky, and the moon was rising; anyway, I go for walks in the dark all the time).

Between the Loch Muick car park and the first col I must have passed about 8 groups of walkers in stout boots with woolly hats, enormous rucksacks, walking poles, Ron Hills, etc etc etc. The number of disapproving looks I got as I bounded past them was quite amusing. Though no one actually gave me a finger-wagging, it was quite clear that they didn't think I should be heading uphill "so late in the day", especially not without the kitchen sink.

They were all English, needless to say.

I was back at the car by ten, before it was dark really, and in bed by 1130pm.

In reply to mrgleb:

Good to see that people are still getting out to burn off that extra helping of Xmas pud

In reply to mrgleb:

Only the other day in about one inch of snow my neighbour and I were feeding sheep on't moor at an altitude of several meters and nearly a mile from the nearest Sainsbury store. As usual we were wearing wellies, overalls and old dirty jackets, flat hats and no gloves. Needless to say we had no rucksacks as it was difficult carrying the feed anyway.

We were surprised by the number of walkers, runners, joggers, mountaineers, skateboarders, skiers, and BMC staff passing by tut tutting about our lack of appropriate kit and asking if we needed any of their as conditions were dangerous with the snow and the minus three at night and would we need mountain rescue. They marched past in crampons, ice axes, sat navs, walking poles, hydration packs, spare gloves, fleece hats, helmets, overtrousers, and Gortex everywhere. They all had spare this and that etc., Three of them wanted to put us in their survival bags incase we got hipotherma or whatever its called. By gum, ecky thump!!

In reply to Dave Perry:

I remember chatting on the train between Rannoch Halt and Spean Bridge, to the shepherd at Luibeilt, Robbie Campbell. In pursuit of his sheep he walked up all the hills on Rannoch Moor all year round, snow and shine, day and night, in wellingtons.

He got the idea of goretex, and he did carry a walking pole. But he had no idea why hill-walkers wore these big clumpy heavy blister-causing hill boots, and didn't wear wellingtons instead.

And I couldn't tell him, because unless I'm going to be using crampons I don't wear hill boots either; I wear running shoes.

In reply to Sophie G.:

As you infer, just 'cause you look like something out a TGO feature article, it doesn't automatically confer mountain sense on you.

Some winters back, as one of a group of local students, we went up onto a quieter part of the Carneddau in search of sledging snow, equipped with fertiliser sacks and estate agents 'for sale' boards. These items apart, most were not dressed for the mountains in the manner of fully experienced rambling hikers. Looking for suitable snow, we trudged higher and yet higher, disappearing into thick clag long before we found a spot.
In that moment, I sensed, more than saw, a figure just beyond us, and began to focus my attention there, gradually aware that it was something more than one person standing still. As 'they' hadn't moved for some time, I went over to investigate, and offer help if needed. I noted that the 'leader' of the 'shadows' seemed unaware of my approach, and appeared engrossed in trying to stop himself being garrotted by the cord of a mapboard which twirled about his neck in the wind . I asked one of the others if they were OK, as they looked cold and dejected. At that moment, the leader, fully clad in top end mountain gear, startled by the voice, looked up.

It was a pure 'Captain Mainwaring' moment- the look of total disdain as his gaze registered my apparel of boiler suit and wellies, and the 'for sale' board I held at my side. Just at that moment my fellow sledgers made their presence known as they shot noisily into the view of this 'all the gear, no idea' leader. Even though he had yet to free himself from the menace of the twirling mapcase, he looked appalled, and hurriedly marshalled his group away.
We met up with them later, lost. One of his followers told us that he had taken them to a remote part of the mountains to teach them navigation.

In reply to mrgleb:

I took my son over crib goch, wearing skinny jeans. Him, not me. He won't do cagoules. I wore sandals. We ran back down the llanberis track for fun. Weather was mixed too.
He was training for the London marathon at the time and I'd been over Crib Goch enough times, my sandals serve me well in many places.
Guess I'm saying, you never can tell.
It's one of the things I really like about Snowdon, that folk who don't ordinarily go walking up mountains will give it a go up the llanberis track. For some it will be a time they'll cherish and dine out on, for some it will spur them on to do more and purchase the necessaries as they go on, I suspect that most, if it gets too much in flip flops or Ben Sherman's, turn back with a few blisters.
Genuine question, what is the ratio of call outs to numbers on the hill?

In reply to llechwedd:
Map cases I gave up on a long time ago. They NEVER keep your map dry. The wrong bit of map is ALWAYS showing. Given half a chance, they ALWAYS prove their ability to moonlight as kites, or snowboards, or indeed, as you point out, garottes.

Pretty much every time I go for a walk with a map, the map is in a Co Op plastic bag. It doesn't do too well--it gets wet and manky. But you know, if there's any serious rain then it wouldn't do any better in a map case, and Co Op plastic bags are 5p each, not £15. And why, anyway, am I protecting a £7 map with a £15 case??

I don't believe in aluminium drinking-bottles either. Powerade bottles are not only cheaper by far; they're also no less waterproof, lighter, more hygienic, freer of funny tastes in the mouth, and utterly disposable. (Not disposable as in 'I throw them over the edge of the N face', disposable as in 'if I lose one I don't give a wet slap, I just get another'.)

In reply to mrgleb:

I dropped into The Vaynol Arms last week for a quick gallon. Imagine my disgust as I found myself surrounded by a bunch of sweaty weird-beards who were still wearing their Paramo and Buffalo outdoor gear. Is it too much to ask that they shower and get changed into some smart-but-casual slacks and T-shirts? They were in serious danger of hyperthermia and were it not for the copious amounts of cool liquid that they were imbibing I suspect we could have seen a nasty incident. It's no wonder emergency services are so busy at this time of year.

In reply to mrgleb:

In the great winter of 1884 I remember galloping along the Aonach Eagagh ridge on January 34th wearing nought but my trusty flip flops on my feet and adorned head to toe in week old newspaper. Setting off at four quarters past midnight my appearance must have caused quite a stir amongst the warmly dressed walking folk. They were one and all dressed in Mammut Nordwand apparel yet had ventured no more than half a furlong from their horseless carriages.

Fools the lot of them

In reply to Sophie G.:


Did you perform a formal survey, or was the braying enough for you to identify the outsiders?

In reply to Dr.S at work:

When you walk past a bunch of people and you can hear them talking about Locknagar, you feel you can take a punt

In reply to Sophie G.:

Of course, we should all judge other people by their pronunciation shouldn't we.

In reply to Rampikino:

What amused me was that they just didn't seem to have noticed how much more daylight you get in Aberdeenshire in May than in Yorkshire or wherever. They thought the day was over because it was 7...

In reply to Sophie G.:

This chap only needed a pair of trainers too.

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/commanding-officer-leads-tr...

SteveD

In reply to Sophie G.:

It's up to them when they want to end their day isn't it? Who are we to dictate how another group of people should use their time?

Comes across as it bit pompous and superior in my view.

In reply to Sophie G.:

Sunset almost 20 minutes later, it's like a completely different world!

Or, to put it another way - being in Aberdeenshire in the middle of May is like being in Yorkshire at the end of May. It's absolutely mind-boggling isn't it. No wonder the poor dears were confused.

In reply to deepsoup:

when it goes dark though monsters come out... its why all walks need to be over by darkness..

i'm always amazed how cautious people are about darkness, its just like walking in the clag, often much better visibility than on most scottish winter days.. yet going out in the dark is considered more dangerous..

In reply to Rampikino:
Sophie's generalisations are true, us English are completely oblivious to varying sunset times and never go anywhere without a rucksack, all 50million of us. All Scots can be neatly pigeoned holed as a Rab C Nebsitt or Frazer from Dad's Army type.

In reply to IainRUK:

I think this depends on how you got into it and who you go out with. It doesn't take much to "see the light" (pun partially intended).

Ultimately I don't think people always avoid walking in darkness because of the danger but often because it starts to become more mentally draining - having to concentrate that bit harder and because it starts to eat into pub/relax time.

Perhaps it's an inexperience/confidence thing.

In reply to Mike Stretford:


Now I think about it, you're right. And I'm sure my braying as I walk the easy path up Pen Y Ghent in midsummer with full goretex and carrying enough equipment for 2 weeks, can be heard all the way up there in Orkney. What are we like?

In reply to Rampikino:

quire right - do you know I've heard that in Winter in Scotland it gets dark earlier than normal - must be extra careful then!

In reply to Sophie G.:


... or how crap the Highlands are because they don't have nice paths like in the Lake District.

In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:

true, the quality of paths in Scotland does leave much to be desired, just look at the A9.

In reply to mrgleb:

Talking of walking when the sun goes down....I met an interesting guy whilst out on Cruach Ardrain the other day.
http://www.munromoonwalker.com/book#sthash.2Fqwhn0Y.dpbs

Not read it myself yet but it's now on my hit list.

In reply to aultguish:
That does look interesting, think I'll give that a go too.

In reply to Lobsbelow:


I first did Snowdon by that route as a kid, with my parents, wearing cords, trainers, and cotton jackets. We really had no idea what we were doing, and had thought we could catch the train down again. The heavens opened at the summit, and by the time we reached Llanberis we were all soaked to the skin.

That was the start of my lifelong addiction to the hills.

In reply to Sophie G.:


If they wanted to eat in a Scottish pub then they'd probably already left it too late to get back down before they stopped serving

In reply to Simon Caldwell:


why would they want to poison themselves?

In reply to Dr.S at work:
There is a twitter celebrity called @KTHopkins that seems to share a lot of your prejudices. You should get in touch and compare notes on the Scottish things that upset you .

In reply to Sophie G.:
I can remember looking at farm equipment catalogues in the 60's and wanting a pair of fully sprung shepherds' boots. They made ordinary "bendy"boots look quite tame.
(Still available, I see. £195)

In reply to alastairmac:

Pray tell, which Scottish things upset me?