UKC

Here's the BBC promoting Cader Idris ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-38487730 )

"Two walkers had to be rescued after they became "disorientated" at the summit of a 3,000ft Snowdonia peak.
Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team were called to the summit hut on Cader Idris after a man and woman became stuck at about 15:50 GMT on Saturday."

Rounding up from 2,930 feet I guess.

In reply to Chris_Mellor:

At least they spelled it 'proper'!

In reply to static266:

Is it not 'Mount Cader Idris'?

In reply to Run_Ross_Run:
or cadair, or meh who cares!
I can understand how youd get disorientated there if you had no outdoor experience at all as its fairly featureless, but still there are plenty of paths down, not worth of calling out mountain rescue (come on give me a downvote I know someone will)

"The weather was pretty much as forecast, so to head out ... without the equipment or navigational skills to cope is to invite misfortune."

In reply to Pesda potato:


Happy to oblige!

Why didn't the other walkers who had given them warm clothes not escort them off the hill? FFS ...another example of the lack of self reliance and an example of "lets just call Mountain Rescue. They'll sort my sh1t out."

In reply to Run_Ross_Run:

Whatever it is, it isn't 3000'

In reply to GrahamD:

The photo caption says "about 3,000ft (900m)". It's not quite 900m high either, but if the best we can do is cavill about a 70ft exaggeration in the summit height, I reckon there's not much seriously wrong with the article.

In reply to exiled_notherner:


The Aberdyfi SRT's report actually says:

"On reaching the hut, rescuers provided food and warm drinks before putting the walkers into more suitable clothing and then walking them down off the mountain."

http://www.aberdyfi-sart.org.uk/callouts

Perhaps the clothing folks in the hut had given them helped to warm them up when in the hut, but wasn't adequate for the walk off? We don't know exactly how badly prepared the rescued pair were: they had apparently got "soaked" so presumably they didn't have much in the way of effective wind/waterproofs on them.

As for there being "plenty of paths down": yes, there are, but if you're disorientated then by definition you don't know which path you're on, and there's a good chance that you could end up in the wrong valley and/or be at risk of straying on to some decidedly iffy ground. You're also cold and wet, it's getting dark and you don't actually know how to navigate. The correct thing to do in such a combination of circumstances is obviously to set off down any old path you happen to find...

Clearly the folk who had to be rescued were badly prepared, both in terms of clothing and equipment, and in their lack knowledge and experience. Asking for help at the summit hut seems sensible, in the circumstances, and the people there very likely felt (rightly or wrongly I don't know, but I bet no-one else on here does either) that they had provided all the practical assistance that they could.

You have to admire the way that some UKCers will take any opportunity to pile on when someone unknown to them makes a mistake. A disappointing contrast to this thread: http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=637611 - in that instance Sarah 'fessed up on here without hesitation and the response was generally supportive. For all we know the couple who got in to trouble on Cadair Idris feel the same degree of humble gratitude and awareness of their own mistakes as Sarah did. But it's more fun to assume otherwise, apparently.

In reply to Martin W: I kind of agree with you. I am much more furious when so called hill walkers/climbers call out mountain rescue when they don't want an uncomfortable night even though they are relatively well equipped and could endure the suffering, than I am for a couple of bimblers who set off without a clue and just a desire to climb a mountain. Despite the amount we moan these type of call-outs aren't that common and it does sound like they were in quite a desperate state.