The number of
mountain
rescues in the
Lakes
in 2008 was the
highest
recorded since 2004 according to a report from the Lake
District Search and Mountain Rescue Association despite a publicity
campaign to alert visitors to the hazards of the fells.
Teams recorded 464 call-outs in 2008, around 10 per-cent up
compared to 425 the year before, but fatalities on the fells actually
dropped from 28 in 2006 to 21 last year says the BBC. Not only that,
but according to the chairman of the Lake District Mountain Rescue
Association, Richard Warren, teams are increasingly being called out to
what he termed 'avoidable rescues'.
Teams have taken steps to try and reduce the number of incidents with,
for example, a poster campaign by the Langdale-Ambleside team stressing
the importance of using appropriate equipment on winter fells, a number
of releases by the Lake District National Park Association and even
this YouTube video:
The view of the association is that the increase is a result of
increased visitor numbers to the Lakes, but also that walkers are
increasingly ill prepared for the fells. Ged Feeney, the association's
incident report officer told the BBC that:
"It is becoming more and more apparent that people are going on to the
fells less equipped than they ought to be, with less experience and not
really knowing what they need to do."
Other factors are thought to include a decrease in self reliance and an
increase in the use of mobile phones, which allow people to call for
help in situation where they might previously have made their own way
to safety.
More positively, the Langdale team's winter campaign does appear to
have had a positive effect on call-outs with the erection of warning
signs in the Langdale Valley being credited with a
reduction
in rescues early in 2009.
More information:
www.ldsamra.org.uk
Climbing accidents keep rescue teams busy over holiday weekend.
