Ill-Prepared Cimbers Scolded by Mountain Rescue

Who: A father in his 50s and his 21-year-old son
Where: Cwm Idwal, Snowdonia, UK
Their mistake: Where do I begin? Read on…
What happened: A father and son decided to go on a dayhike up Cwm Idwal in Snowdonia. Maybe the father and son thought that the climb would be easy. They wore tennis shoes, didn’t bring a map, had one head lamp and one flashlight and they didn’t bring a rope even though one should’ve been used on the rock scramble to the summit. This is also the same route an experienced mountaineer died weeks before.

The father and son continued the scramble the summit, but got lost on the way up. At 6 p.m., the father called for help to report they have gotten lost and were stranded. Ogwen Valley Mountain rescue arrived around 10 p.m. They brought in a Royal Air Force chopper even though night had fallen and high winds were thrashing the area. The chopper was able to rescue the 21-year-old off the mountain.

Rescuers then used a rope system to reach the dad and escorted him off of the mountain. Authorities were frustrated that the so-called-experienced climber would attempt to climb the mountain with no map or guide. They were also angry that he started the hike so late in the day with only one headlamp and no rope for such a dangerous climb. This is Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue team’s 110th rescue this year. Last year, the team performed 78 rescues the entire year.

Read the story here.