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Sunday 27 October 2024 is Mountain Rescue Awareness Day, scheduled each year to coincide the first day of GMT, after the clocks have gone back by an hour the night before.
This seems an odd connection until you realise just how many times Mountain Rescue volunteers are called out to benighted walkers and climbers at this time of year, especially around this date when people seem surprised that it gets dark earlier.
“I’ve been on this planet for over 69 years and it’s always gone dark at night, sometimes later than others, but it always gets dark! MR volunteers always carry at least one head torch and often other lights too and encourage everyone heading for the hills to have a torch and a backup or charger too.”
Chris Lloyd, Chairman and Team member of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue.
Last year, the Ogwen team responded to at least four call outs in late October and into November that were related to being benighted:
- 22 October – two climbers off route on Idwal slabs, benighted.
- 27 October – family of four benighted and off route on Tryfan’s North Ridge.
- 5 November – two people caught by early darkness while descending Y Garn.
- 23 November – two people ran out of daylight while descending the North Ridge of Tryfan.
And that’s just one of the 47 Mountain Rescue teams across England and Wales in one year.
Already this year, Buxton MRT had to rescue benighted walkers from Kinder Scout in the Peak District and the rescue of a walking group from Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales by CRO, the Cave (and Surface) Rescue Organisation based in Clapham, made the regional TV news.
“Mountain Rescue Awareness Day is about more than just safety warnings. But it’s a useful opportunity to talk about a specific problem that has a really simple solution.
“If everyone heading outdoors at this time of year carried a torch or head torch AND a back up or the means to recharge a torch, we’d have fewer people getting into danger and difficulties. It’s not just about us having fewer call outs – sitting in the dark, wet and cold is no one’s idea of a grand day out.”
Mike Park, CEO of Mountain Rescue England and Wales.
There are lots more examples of Mountain Rescues by local teams of volunteers on the MREW Facebook Page and plenty of useful advice in the Stay Safe section of the MREW website.
Last year, MREW used a series of graphics to emphasise the “take a torch” message under the banner of “What would Mountain Rescue do?”. It turns out that they don’t just carry one but often three (or more) headtorches, usually LED, and often with a red function for night vision.
Why three? That’s one handy in a coat pocket, one in the rucksack in reserve and one for a rescued person without one to use on the way down.
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