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 Yep, it's the OMM now. Being reported on Five Live as well, apparently the first time it's been abandoned due to the weather. The forecast was awful, but to be fair, it's aimed mostly at experienced fell runners and if you cancelled events as soon as a bad forecast came up, half of them would never start. Let's hope everyone's okay, sounds nasty.
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 Dave - The news item has already been posted this evening - but no harm in launching a discussion about it. Fellrunners who enter the OMM (previously KIMM) are among the best in the world. They know all about bad weather and they know when to forge on and when to pack it in. While I've never taken part in it, I have observed it in the past, and they've gone ahead in hail, rain, sleet and snow. In fact, the winners one year (a Swiss pair) declared at the finish that they weren't expecting avalanches, but that's what they got while crossing Striding Edge. Incidentally, those guys actually went UP AND DOWN the sides of Striding Edge, rather than ALONG the rocky edge like everyone else! Mind you... if the OMM is having difficulty bailing out the bedraggled masses... then I suppose they should have had access to a fleet of coaches to get the job done.
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 I'm not denying that these guys are the premier league of Fellrunning but the facts are that today the weather as beaten the vast majority of them. If that report is to be believed there are several hundred stranded people some hypothermic. The weather over the last few days as been horrendously wet which on top of weeks of wet weather as left the fells and becks are saturated.....coupled with the forecast for today I just doubt the wisdom of letting it go ahead. Dave
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Grief that picture of the Seatoller road is quite something 
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 I was just about to put up a post about this, looks like I've been beaten to it. Just wanted to give my best wishes to any and all who're either caught in this themselves or know anybody who's been caught out. I hope everyone gets back OK. Regards, Rob.
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| Edited: 25/10/08 21:28 |
 Good luck getting in the soggy masses. We are all adults and chose to take part in these events.
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Strikes me the BBC reporting is c**p and sensationalist. "A charity event" .... what???? If they can't even get something as basic as that correct, what chance of reporting world events correctly. See here also for current opinions as well: http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?t=5133&page=6 Let's see what happens. If some finished ok, it was achievable. If some failed to meet the standards required (nature being the stronger), I'm sure they will be the last to moan. I'm sure many on this forum have been 'blown off the mountain' before, live and learn. Moley.
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 I retired from a KIMM in the early 90s with a sprained ankle. My brother finished it that year, but said I'd had the better option... knee deep snow drifts and gales on the Sunday, I just had sleet and hail to dewal with... The weather is almost always terrible, that's why they actually have it when they do! The mandatory kit list and experience required means you should have the kit, fitness and smarts to keep you going. Given the amount of horrendous weather that's been involved in the past I don't think it's unreasonable to have got things started: they're big boys and girls, and they do know what they're letting themselves in for. Pete.
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As far as I am aware nobody finished as the event was called off within a few short hours of it starting, which is why I questioned whether, given the conditions and forecast, it should have been started at all. We are talking about well over 1000 people here as far as I am aware. The rescue services have been stretched to virtual breaking point in tidying up this event. Dave
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The rescue services have been stretched to virtual breaking point in tidying up this event. Dave - is that based on anything that the rescue services themselves have said, or is it just something the BBC claims, bearing in mind they don't actually have anyone on the spot?
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...and think it is a charity event 
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Must have been rough up there for them to call it off as back when it was the KIMM I had one or two rough events,Galloway springs to mind.Hope everyone gets off the hill ok,at least they are equipped for a night out.
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 I don't think they should have called it off - for the reasons others have alreade stated. I've just come back from Langdale, having failed in an attempt to get to my club hut near Blea Tarn. I managed to get as far as the New DG before encountering a flood that I wasn't prepared to risk trying to drive through and then just about managed to get back to the motorway so I could escape and come home. The flooding is looking pretty bad even right near to the motorway. Hope everyone is OK up there - it's looking grim.
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I'll defer opinion until I hear from the local MRTs, but I did think that given the forecast - and weather on Thursday - this event should have been postponed. As I said in my forecast in Thursday (at which point I hadn't realisied it was the OMM this weekend) "With ground already saturated, some flooding looks very likely. Coupled with the low cloud and gales it is definitely not a day for the hills! " But, those taking part know what they are doing. Hopefully all will be safe.
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 We are all big boys and girls. The choice to pull out is always open to every competitor.
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 Lets hope they all have a safe return..
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 Absolutely, Mike. We're all consenting adults who choose to do something that some might view as riddiculous of our own free will. If I think that the conditions are so bad that I can't cope, I won't go - just the same as every other day on the hill. My usual OMM partmer (and sometime OMer, Andy) did the last seriously foul weather KIMM (Howgills) and finished well up the pack. He looks on it as a badge of honour that he finished. Since then we've had good weather (Black Mountain) and bad (most of the rest to varying degrees!) but part of the fun is working out the line between safety and speed. This year if we had been doing it after that forecast we would have taken *proper* waterproofs, a tent that weighed more than 980g, lots of food and a drybag as sack liner and sod the weight. We could have done well by not getting hypothermic and pulling out...probably better than we normally do as the layers of fat that slow me down could be put to good use  The OMM is a good event, run by sensible people. The guy at the slate mine (who seems to be enjoying the free advertising and media exposure) sounds like he's been helpful with shelter but his comments criticising the organisers are at best unhelpful. The main difficulty it seems is with the numbers of people involved - if it was the LAMM or Highlander no-one would have batted an eyelid. Also re mountain rescue the events normally organise their own cover eg the LAMM always has the Arrochar MRT guys up for the weekend wherever they are. I'm sure the foul weather plans are there, it's just no good plan survives contact with the enemy unscathed...
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