Mountain rescuers hit out at 'completely unprepared' hikers after busiest-ever month sees 59 call-outs

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 07:42 EDT, 13 September 2026 | Updated: 07:42 EDT, 13 September 2026 Mountain rescuers have hit out at 'completely unprepared' walkers and hikers tackling the UK's most-climbed peak after recording their busiest-ever month.Llanberis mountain rescue team, which responds to call-outs on Snowdon and the surrounding north Wales national park, dealt with 59 emergencies in August alone.The volunteers are on course for 440 rescues across the whole of 2026, almost twice as many as just four years ago.Influencers have been blamed for sharing enticing images of hard-to-reach terrain while glossing over the preparation, equipment and experience needed to tackle more hazardous routes.Now the team has called for a 'serious conversation about what is happening in our mountains'.'What concerns us most is the increasing number of people taking on difficult terrain while completely unprepared for what they are facing,' a spokesman said.'The mountains have not suddenly become more dangerous. 'More people are visiting them, and the way routes are discovered and accessed has changed.Hazardous routes up Snowdon should only be tackled by experienced, well-equipped hikers and mountaineers, rescuers have warned 'Routes once mainly attempted by experienced hill walkers and mountaineers are increasingly attracting people with little or no experience.'Around 600,000 people tackle 3,560ft Snowdon – also known by its Welsh name, Yr Wyddfa – every year.Images of scores of hikers queuing to reach the summit have sparked a debate about overcrowding.But tragically on average nine people lose their lives annually on the peak, many on one of its more treacherous ridges.Over the course of August, volunteers from the Llanberis team carried out prolonged rescues in darkness and poor weather, dealt with serious injuries, heat-related issues, assisted people stuck on 'serious' terrain and attended tragedies involving people and animals.They have warned that an online photograph or video of knife-edge Crib Goch ridge – scene of numerous tragedies – could make an exposed and hazardous scramble '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,' they said.'We want people to enjoy Eryri (the Welsh name for Snowdonia). SNOWDONIA'S RISING RESCUES 147 call-outs in 2020237 in 2021233 in 2022308 in 2023327 in 2024359 in 2025 'We understand the physical and mental health benefits of spending time in the mountains but accidents happen, even to experienced, well-prepared people. 'That is why we volunteer.'But enjoying the mountains also comes with personal responsibility. 'Too often, people simply don't know that a route may require specific skills, equipment, fitness, experience and judgement and how quickly conditions can change.'The team said: 'This trend is not sustainable. 'The answer cannot simply be more mountain rescue. 'There has to be greater focus on prevention and personal responsibility.'We will always respond when someone genuinely needs our help. 'The bigger question now is: how do we stop so many people from needing help in the first place?'Enjoy the mountains but please try to understand the environment you are entering and if the terrain or conditions don't feel right, turn around.' In its advice to visitors, Eryri National Park warns that Snowdon is a 'challenging' mountain to climb and that trying to reach the summit 'should not be taken lightly'.It says a 'high level of fitness' and appropriate equipment is vital in all seasons, with crampons or ice axes essential in winter.