Utter idiots

[Likethebattle]

Some inexperienced climbers had to be rescued from Ben Nevis today, some of them were attempting to climb one of Britain’s Highest mountains in fucking trainers!!!

What possesses these absolute idiots to see extreme snow and gales and think ‘ooh I’m going to climb a mountain?’ The helicopter couldn’t get to them so it was rescuers on foot who had to assist.

I know the son of a mountain rescue volunteer who had to carry a dead 6 year old child for several miles. His parents thought mountains would be fun in flip flops.

I never cease to be amazed at the selfless courage of the mountain rescue and lifeboat people. I would never put my life on the line for twats like this!! They are much, much better people than I am!

When we go on skiing holidays, we have to take out insurance to cover the cost of a mountain rescue if required. I can’t see why this cannot apply to climbers, skiers etc in the UK.
Or they get a bill.

Yeah, trainers are a stupid thing to wear up a mountain - if the weather is mild you wear fell shoes, not trainers or fucking flip-flops!

Felicity Beedle Ben Nevis is a mountain not a bloody hill or a fell, trainers should never be an option for climbing any mountain.

tricky where would you draw the line? an easy walk up Snowdon? a walk round Coniston? A kid scrambling up a 5 foot slope?

I think some people seem to think they have a secret "Bear Grylls inside them waiting to get out!" They all seem to think they are fit (most arent) and want to show everyone how its done ! They have no thought for the rescuers ,and no idea how quickly conditions change . I have never been climbing but would realise just watching a couple of episodes of Countryfile what the risks are FFS!

Fell runners generally have pretty specific footwear not just bog standard trainers!

I grew up in the Cairngorms and YANBU they are fucking idiots
The amount of people who just use phones as opposed to maps/compasses/ actual equipment

I like the idea of the card reader but I also think a photo & name & shame

I went up Ben Nevis one very fine spring, but the last 200 metres were still snow covered. We also had a short blizzard at the top, we had to stop for it to pass. I wouldn’t attempt a small fell in this weather, let alone Ben Nevis.

People do not respect how quickly the weather/conditions change a mile up. But to go up in these conditions beggars belief.

When my husband did the Yorkshire three peaks, a few of the younger lads decided to do a drunken midnight jaunt up Pen-y-ghent. They all came down fine and I know it’s a very small peak but all it takes is a slip and you’re suddenly in big trouble.

Not sure what the stats are, but I notice that quite a few of the people that get rescued from Ben Nevis and other British mountains are not from the UK. I wonder if they look at the height of our mountains and think, "Oh that's nothing compared to the Alps (or wherever), plus the Alps are so much colder," and think it will be like a stroll in the park.

Viccimoog, I appreciate the line drawing issue, but insurance cover for access to national parks could work.

Parents of a kid breaking a leg on a five foot slope in a ski resort, or in most places abroad, would need to pay up.

@felicitybeedle

They certainly don't wear trainers! My dad is a fell runner and wears proper fell shoes, often with crampons and spikes attached in winter!

I did laugh at the first thing to be winched down is a debit card reader

Yanbu though. People don't think about the risks they not only out themselves in but also the poor people risking their own lives to rescue them.

And it's not even like access to all the information needed for this type of trip isn't readily available nowadays. With the advent of internet there's far more information out there.

the hills by us there is always daft sods going up them in sandals with heels flip flops etc then break an ankle or leg meaning the air ambulance is called out to them.

Yanbu. They were total idiots. To go up these mountains completely unprepared for all and any weather is beyond idiotic.

I follow the mountain rescue teams on Facebook - I read 22 people went up the mountains looking for them and where they were found they were very, very lucky not to have been seriously injured or worse. I take my hat off to the volunteers who risk their own lives to try and rescue these lost injured etc. Sadly even the most experienced can fall foul of the severe weather in that environment.

The mountains in the winter are no place for the inexperienced.

Yanbu. Absolute dickheads. Selfish, dickheads.

I agree that insurance should be required if you are out walking / hiking / surfing etc to cover the cost of rescue. (But I live in France where this is expected in the mountains.)

As for the 'it's all foreigners being rescued on the hills'... How many foreigners are rescued in the Himalaya every year? How many British people are rescued from ski pistes each year?