11-02-2020, 06:05 PM
21
Re: Walkers in trainers rescued in Ben Nevis blizzard
Originally Posted by Roxy
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This makes me so blooming angry, our men have to put their own lives at risk to save these idiots. We all knew the storm was coming and going to be a bad one
..So Why?
11-02-2020, 11:39 PM
26
Re: Walkers in trainers rescued in Ben Nevis blizzard
I am an experienced hill walker/hiker/scrambler and this was a big part of my life from when I was very young until I became too injury prone to enjoy it. I have seen people go up mountains in trainers with no problems. I would not do this myself as I prefer proper foot and ankle support along with the grip you have from a good sole. But I have walked the peaks and scrambled in Snowdonia in poor weather wearing just DMs. These guys are being called idiots for wearing trainers. Well you can quite easily slip in a storm wearing decent walking boots. They look as though they were protected from the elements in their warm jackets etc. It was just foolhardy to go up given the weather forecast with no map and tbh I would not fancy any kind of mountain walk at this time of year. It's a form of dangerous sport. The weather can change at the best of times when you are up a mountain. Even with crampons, emergency supplies and the best gore tex accessories. If there is a storm warning you just do not go up at all. (unless you are an adrenaline junkie and I have known such people!)I've been in the lakes on a lovely sunny day but at elevation it can feel very different and very scary. My most frightening experience was scrambling in North wales in November/December with our university walking and climbing society. It was frightening because it was suddenly pea-soup foggy, we were lost and we were on boulders with a massive drop in between each (slippery) stone. We had a map but I guess these were more climbers than navigators. We survived but I was pretty terrified at times. Can you believe that I was more upset at staying in a primitive bunk house where we all slept in one room! Built in bunk beds from floor to ceiling and you had to climb up! These days we would have insurance and health and safety forms.
12-02-2020, 12:10 AM
27
Re: Walkers in trainers rescued in Ben Nevis blizzard
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla...lands-51447226Update
They were able to raise the alarm by calling the police and then use an app to give rescuers a location "within metres" of where they were.
Mr Harris told BBC Scotland: "If there hadn't been a phone signal, we would have had no idea what was going on.
"One of them managed to get back to the summit where they met our team and was able to confirm the location where his friends were.
"They were very, very cold and one was probably hypothermic and was having difficulty walking."
Mr Harris said the people were on a day trip, rather than being experienced hillwalkers.
They probably thought that Ben Nevis was just a big hill .....
I've never been to Ben Nevis but photographs lead me to believe that the lower part of the climb is mostly carved "steps":
but those disappear on the climb:
and, without a map, you could end up here:
12-02-2020, 12:38 AM
28
Re: Walkers in trainers rescued in Ben Nevis blizzard
When I was a child a neighbour's brother died skiing on Ben Nevis in winter. He was not an inexperienced tourist. Just unlucky. It's a notorious place for winter accidents and has fatalities most years. Just looking at Omah's photo I feel nervous of that climb in a high wind. But it's truly stunning and makes me yearn for that amazing feeling you only ever have at the top of a mountain. The few seconds of stillness and peace (apart from the blinking hikers taking selfies behind you!)
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