A body has been found on Crib Goch ridge after a 56 year old man went missing on Snowdon yesterday. According to reports, see bbc.co.uk website, the man had been attempting a 14 peaks walking challenge and did not have a compass or map?
Having walked up to Cribyn, Pen y Fan and Corn Du on Saturday in poor weather with minimal visability, I am constantly amazed by peoples total disregard for their safety and totally inappropriate attire and kit!
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 In case anyonce can't be arsed to search for it the article can be found here.
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And the article says he was "prepairing for the 14 peaks".
As for a map and compass? On Crib Goch. Not really that important. He may have had one and it had been lost, who knows at the moment.
Furthermore the article doesn't point to a cause of death. Maybe it was a heart attack. Who knows.
As for inappropraitly equipped people, there's an interesting letter in Trail about that this month. I know I've met people on Snowdon totally inappropriatly dressed, wondering "what this Crib Goch is like".
The other side of it are the "all the gear-no idea" monkeys out there. They have loads of kit, but they don't know how to use it.
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The similarity between this instance and my experience on Saturday is quite uncanny and potentially fatal for your inexperienced day-tripper. Let me explain.
On getting back to the car and taking refreshments etc. a car pulled up next to me and out jumped five people who on closer inspection were in my opinion, only adequately clothed to saunter along the national park roads or around a reservoir boundary. When the driver popped the boot, they all reached into get their daysacks etc. and I thought they would at least get waterproofs on. Nothing!
At this point I could'nt resist the temptation to ask if they were going to the top (Pen y Fan). To my amazement they said they were. This was about 15.10, Pen y Fan was 5km and it was raining quite heavily. It was during my conversation with one of the party that I felt he was slightly embarrassed by their equipment inadequecies, so I asked him if he had a map. You know the answer to that one, so I gave them my printed anquet map and explained in the nicest possible way that they were all going to get very wet and cold especially the ones wearing jeans and nothing more substantial than hush-puppy type casual shoes.
I explained the most direct route to them on the map and suggested that they go up and back the same way, bearing in my mind the visability was no more than 10/20 metres towards the top.
Ill-informed, casual, ignorant, naive; call it what you will.
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We've all met them. My mind is recalled to the four Germans on Snowdon with umbrellas, street shoes and and a "Ramblers Association Guide to Wales" for a map. The viz was about 40m rain was sogging down and the wind was building.
They asked about Crib Goch. I told them flatly "NO. Don't go there today."
The point of my ramble-on here is to say that sometime you have to point out to people that they shouldn't try something. I normally say that I wouldn't do what they have planned etc, etc, but it difficult to do it tactfully and not come across as a patronising tw@t. (I think I have often come across as the latter...)
Another point is that we are becomming risk averse, as a society, and so people will try and buck that trend by doing something dangerous. The problem is that we generally want everything now; not thinking of the consequencies and this can make people ill-informed, casual, ignorant, and naive.
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 eek Alex I don't believe you said that. A map and compass can be a bit useful. If he was training for the *15* peaks, there is a chance he was going West to East along the ridge, good navigation in poor conditions is crucial when coming off Crib Goch either via the North or East Ridges. Been there, got the (wet) T-shirt.
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The point is Mike, it's all supposition at this stage.
The chap shouldn't be criticised for not having a map when
a. he might not have needed one,
or
b. he could have had one but it had been swept away in an accident.
If you don't know the facts behind something then it shouldn't be reported as news as it could be easily mis-interpreted by people jumping to conclusions.
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Unless I've taken it out of contex Alex it was the "On Crib Goch. Not really that important" bit.
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Fair point. But when you are actually on the Ridge...do you really need a map?
There are only two ways to go - forward or back.
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Jonathon,
I was out with my wife on Saturday in the Beacons...didn't see you did I?
Spent the morning on the western side of Storey Arms, on Fan Fawr and then north along the ridge.
In the afternoon, came up the Taff trail, and then up & down Y Garn, finishing around 3-ish back at Storey Arms.
Whilst on the west ridge, I came across a dutch couple, wearing jeans, with no waterproofs, who asked if they could look at my map as they were looking for a lake and didn't know where it (or they!) were. I made sure to brief them carefully on the safest way off the ridge but they wandered off in the opposite direction. Still, at least they had hats on :->
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Guys let's not take this off-track shall we?
I posted the thread based on my personal reaction to the snowdon incident and my experience the previous day with the cavalier care-free group as previously mentioned.
Without wishing to 'over-gild the lily' I have'nt even started to mention the under-equipped individuals I passed on the way-up, the way-down and at the top.
I totally agree with Alex not wishing to sound like a patronising tw@t. The group seemed to be well spoken and genuinely decent folk who were very appreciative of my map and help and I did not feel it was my place to be judge, jury and executioner of their day-out. I just pointed out that they had a limited period of time and that they were in for getting cold and wet.
My observation, is that it is no wonder some people get into trouble and will continue to do so if they underestimate the numerous factors that need to be considered if a safe and enjoyable experience is to be had.
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Neil,
I was on the other side. Started at the Lower Neuadd Reservoir car park about 11.30 up to Cribyn, Pen y Fan and Corn Du then along Craig Gwaum taf and Craig Fan ddu to Twyn Mwyalchod and back to car park by 14.50.
If you saw a guy be ably assisted by a Dobermann, then that was me.
Weather was'nt particularly pleasant!
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 I think we've all missed out the important part here, someone has died on the hills. Ill equipped or not, we don't know, as the details are sketchy at best. We're all used to hearing of accidents far away, in the Alps, Andes etc, but this one is much closer to home. I don't know much about this case, it could have been bad planning, human error, whatever the cause is unimportant...My thoughts are with his family and Friends.
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Exactly Danny, a good point well made and with all the implications of blame in the article on the BBC, it can't have made things any easier.
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 The usual media take on hill-walking.
Even though the BBC article describes this gentleman as "an experienced mountaineer" and mentions that he lives in North Wales, the implication is still that the lack of "map and compass" might have been responsible for his death. Hardly likely on Crib Goch, as Alex says.
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 Well said, Marcus, Danny and Alex. Sympathy to both family, friends, and the MRT who had the unpleasant task of tidying up after. Best not to idly speculate on causes, and never good to speculate on blame.
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 This thread just made me think back to the time that I went up Helvelyn one autumn. To be honest I was overconfident in how fast I could go and went up underequipped - just in tracksters, boots, hat and a soft shell top. The weather on top was pretty grim and by the time I got back down I felt very glad indeed to see the car park at Patterdale. It was there that I met a young couple - a guy in jeans and t shirt, a girl in mini skirt and high heels! They asked me how long it would take to get to the top. I felt my answer was pretty patronising - that was until the guy said "this is Scaffell Pike, isn't it?" Some people need to be patronised.
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Bloody hell.
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 Only a hill: Yes; looked at from below,
facing the usual sea and freqeunt west.
Tighten the muscle , feel the strong blood flow, And set your foot upon the utmost crest!
There, where the relms of thought and effort cease.
Wakes on your heart a world of dreams and peace.
(Geoffry Winthrop Young)
Rest in Peace Snowdon walker.
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Was in Knoydart a bit ago and chatting to one of the locals who said the week before a guy had just died when walking on one of the Munro's (Ladhar). Has a knife edge ridge leading to summit. As I understand it he was fully equipped but fell off it, broke his leg and couldn't get himself out. But he hadn't told anyone where he was going, so it was only after a couple of days that the owner of the campsite where he'd left his tent had rung the local town to see if he'd turned up and then the MRT were contacted. Having not told anyone where he was going they didn't stand a chance of finding him in time.
Talking to some other walkers who were camping in the same place they said that when they went up summits in the area they left their packs halfway up and then continued. These were relatively experienced guys, but seemed to forget that most accidents happen near peaks and if something does happen, having a survival bag and some rations with you can greatly prolong your chances of survival until the MRT can get to you. At the time the weather on the summits was fairly poor as well. When I went up Ladhar the wind was moderate with precipitation fluctuating between snow and hail stones and visibility very poor. It's one thing leaving a main pack and just taking a summit pack with essentials but there does seem a tendency to forget that accidents will happen and instead of leaving everything, carrying a few little things can greatly improve your chances of surviving if stuck somewhere injured overnight or for longer. I don't think it's just inexperience but also complacency that's a problem. Hearing about these sort of incidents brings it home to you.
As Alex says though, we don't know the full situation with the Snowdon incident, and whatever the situation was, r.i.p.
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