Mountain Rescues On The Up

There are several news stories around suggesting that mountain rescues are on the up with one team from Derby blaming the recession for the increase in call-outs.

Derby Team Blames Recession

According to the BBC, the Derby team, which covers the southern Peak District has received 34 call-outs this year compared to 25 over the equivalent period in 2008.  A spokesperson for the team believes that the increase is due to the recession, with more people holidaying in the UK rather than travelling abroad and going out onto the hills regardless of the conditons.

The team reportedly costs £18,000 to run every year - despite the members being volunteers -  and the team is concerned that if rescues continue to rise, their budget may be severely stretched.

Walkers Less Self Reliant

It's a similar story in North Wales where the BBC again reports a significant rise in the number of rescues with Ogwen Valley MRT quoted as saying that the number of call-outs this year is set to almost double. So far the team has attended 114 incidents compared to an annual average of 65. Meanwhile the Llanberis team has been called out more than 160 times this year compared to just 105 times in 2008.

The Ogwen team blames an increased tendency of walkers to dial 999 on their mobile phones rather than sort out the situation themselves and suggest that few of the recent call-outs involve actual injuries.

Interestingly, Ian Henderson of the Llanberis MRT believes that a lower percentage of walkers and climbers were getting into difficulties and the rise in call-outs is due to there being 'many more people on the mountains this year'.

Guardian View - Celebrity Mountains

Mountaineering journalist Ed Douglas covered the story in yesterday's Guardian newspaper and covers all the usual angles including the prevalence of mobile phones - a good thing as well as bad - and the cases of inexperienced walkers attempting what he calls 'Celebrity Mountains' with insufficient equipment or knowledge.

Encouragingly Douglas notes that the numbers of fatalities on the hills has remained more or less static, that regular climbers and hill walkers are 'better equipped and prepared than they have ever been' and that outdoor leader training in the UK is 'first class'.

The problem, he suggests, is the 'mushrooming numbers of tourists in the hills'. Rescuers, he says, need help, like the removal of VAT on clothing and equipment for MRTs and an information campaign to warn the general public of the dangers of moutains.

Interesting stuff. As Douglas points out, Mountain Rescue in the UK is traditionally a volunteer service and no-one wants to see that change, but if the increase in call-outs continues, the level of commitment needed may put volunteer rescuers off. Well worth a read.