Record mountain callouts not sustainable, rescuers warn

Mountain rescuers are calling for a "serious conversation" to reverse the rising number of callouts and are urging walkers to take "personal responsibility" for their actions.

August was the busiest month on record for Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LMRT) with 59 emergencies in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia.

Annual callouts have risen every year since crowds queued on the summit of Yr Wyddfa, or Snowdon, during the Covid lockdown.

Volunteers carried out 147 rescues in 2020, 308 in 2023, 359 in 2025 and are projected to hit 440 in 2026.

"What concerns us most is the increasing number of people taking on difficult terrain while completely unprepared for what they are facing," said the team.

"The mountains have not suddenly become more dangerous. More people are visiting them, and the way routes are discovered and accessed has changed."

LMRT said images and videos - often shared online - could make difficult and technical routes such as Crib Goch "look like just another route to the summit".

"What it doesn't show is how intimidating that ridge can be in cloud, rain or strong winds or how quickly a manageable situation can become a serious emergency."

LMRT, which was set up about 60 years ago, posted its rescue figures on Facebook, saying the "trend is not sustainable".

It said in August its volunteers had been called to "prolonged rescues in darkness and poor weather, dealt with serious injuries, heat-related issues, assisted people stuck in serious terrain and, sadly, attended incidents where people and animals lost their lives".

"The answer cannot simply be more mountain rescue," said the team.

"There has to be greater focus on prevention and personal responsibility."

It is part of AdventureSmart UK & Ireland, launched with Welsh government support in 2017 to promote outdoor safety.

LMRT said it wanted people to experience the mountains, but added: "Routes once mainly attempted by experienced hillwalkers and mountaineers are increasingly attracting people with little or no experience.

"We want people to enjoy Eryri. But enjoying the mountains also comes with personal responsibility."