Mountain Safety
Mountains can be very inhospitable and dangerous places for the ill prepared. This applies to everything from the lowest of peaks to the daunting heights of summits such as Sca Fell Pike and Helvellyn.
Making mistakes on the Lake District fells can result in anything from minor incidents/accidents to serious injury or death. Read any of the Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams rescue reports and you will find numerous examples of human error leading to fatal or near fatal accidents or unnecessary call outs, many of which that could have been avoided.
In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of callouts involving people that have ventured onto the fells that have been ill prepared, ill equipped, lacking experience, under estimating the time it would take to reach their destination and get back safely to their cars, becoming lost or simply failing to notify friends and family that they have returned safely from their day out.
It is not our intention to frighten anyone off of venturing out onto the fells. In fact quite the opposite.
The fells are a wonderful area to explore, with places that you would never have known otherwise, especially from behind the wheel of a car, and where the views can be breathtaking. However, many fells are remote, with poor vehicle access - if any, and should be treated with due respect.
View across Ullswater from Sheffield Pike
With a little bit of common sense, extra care and thought when planning an outing into the fells, obtaining local weather reports before you set off and taking into account the true abilities of yourself and other members of your party, a safe and very enjoyable time can be achieved.
As a guide, here are a list of things to consider:
- Preparation
- Route
- Clothing
- Footwear
- Food
- Water
- Equipment
- Mobile Phones
- The capabilities of eveyone in your party
- The time of year
- The Weather
- Tell someone where you are going and expected time of return
Preparation is the most important part to planning a day out in the fells. It is at this stage that you will need to consider how long you wish to be out, the route (and alternative options should the day not go quite as planned), what you need to take with you in terms of food and clothing, check any equipment that will be used, make sure batteries are fully charged and spares packed, check that the correct map(s) are packed etc.
Try not to leave packing your rucksack until the very last minute. Inevitably this is how things become forgotten, and usually the most important items.
Planning your route is the next essential part to ensuring that your day out in the fells is a happy and safe one. Always take into consideration the least capable member of the group. This does not necessarily mean the least experienced. Age, health and fitness levels can also play a major role.
Once you have decided upon a route, take a little bit of extra time to research it (and alternative options). Whilst a map and modern day navigational mapping programmes can give you a great deal of information, so too can the internet.
There are many sites now that have detailed photographs, route descriptions and blogs based on the experiences of others. Google maps and Google Earth can also be a very valuable tool. These will give you a far better idea of the types of potential problems and actual type of terrain that you will encounter on the day.
Underestimating the time a walk will take, overestimating the capabilities of group members, not taking into account the variable weather or the terrain and becoming lost are some of the most common reasons for Mountain Rescure teams to be called out. Many of which that could have been avoided.
Please remember, unlike the Police, Ambulance and Fire services, Mountain Rescue teams are NOT government funded bodies. They are entirely funded by donations and all the members of the team are unpaid volunteers that very often attend an incident during what should have been normal work hours.
Cumbria Tourism has supported the Lake District Mountain Rescue Teams by helping to produce a 6 minute video which highlights these mountain safety issues. You can view the film by clicking this link - Mountain Rescue Video.
The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association (LDSAMRA - the umbrella body for mountain rescue teams in Cumbria) in conjuntion with Cicerone have also produced a new safety leaflet on mountain safety.
A copy can be downloaded by clicking on the link below:
'How to Stay Safe and Enjoy the Fells'
The leaflet is intended to help people make the right choices before going into the hills and provide information for what to do in the event of an accident. A very helpful addition to anyone's rucksack when they head into the fells.
In addition to the above, you can also register your mobile phone with the emergency services via a very quick and simple procedure.
Often in the mountains, a weak signal will not permit voice calls, but an emergeny SMS (text) message may get through. You can use your mobile phone to send emergency texts to 999 but you MUST register first for them to be fully acknowledged.
This service is not specific to Mountain Rescue situations but certainly worthwhile registering.
More information about this service can be found here:-
http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/index.php
http://www.emergencysms.org.uk/files/3649_esms_6.pdf
Another very useful link to staying safe out on the fells is shown below.
The website has been created by Kirkby Stephen Mountain Rescue team, and draws on the knowledge and experience of the members of this Lake District team.
http://www.safeinthehills.org.uk
Please spare a few moments to take a look. It covers all aspects of staying safe in the fells in far greater detail than we can cover here.
Whether it's a well-planned expedition or a spur of the moment decision to go to the hills, enjoy yourself and stay safe.