Walkhighlands

I don't want to be Judgy McJudgeface (oh alright yes I do) but I was up Mt Keen yesterday in full on winter conditions (near the summit) with wind buffeting so strong that it was very difficult to stand. Luckily I was well kitted out but I saw plenty who weren't. Quite a few folk in trainers (most of whom sensibly turned back) and a woman wearing skinny jeans who was so cold she was crying. The wind took her and at one point she was blown quite a few metres across flat ice like a discarded chip wrapper I think most people have a good sense of self preservation and retreat when it gets too dicey. I just wonder though how people would go out without even a waterproof layer on and think it'll be the same conditions at 900m as they are in the car park? It seems to be worse on the popular hills, maybe the ones that people think are easy? I realise it's easy to get caught out and I've misjudged things in the hills plenty of times with timing or making a mistake with navigation. I guess I'm just curious about the psychology behind it all given that most rescues end up on the news.

Doubt if she would have gone up there herself. It's just that she was with friends and didn't want to to be the one that wimped out and "spoiled" it for everyone else. Usually there isn't anyone who could be designated the "responsible adult" who should say I'm not taking anyone who isn't kitted out properly, they are just all mates...and sometimes the allegedly responsible adults aren't e.g. the huge school party who climbed Meall a Buchaille clad in bin bags.

I am female but tough enough and old enough to say to a group of men who were by then crawling up a ridge in the wind and rain that I was going home....at which point they all said "Good idea" and came down, but none of them wanted to be the one that said to his mates "Is this sensible?"


Signed J McJface Mark 2

Sgurr wrote:Doubt if she would have gone up there herself. It's just that she was with friends and didn't want to to be the one that wimped out and "spoiled" it for everyone else. Usually there isn't anyone who could be designated the "responsible adult" who should say I'm not taking anyone who isn't kitted out properly, they are just all mates...and sometimes the allegedly responsible adults aren't e.g. the huge school party who climbed Meall a Buchaille clad in bin bags.

I am female but tough enough and old enough to say to a group of men who were by then crawling up a ridge in the wind and rain that I was going home....at which point they all said "Good idea" and came down, but none of them wanted to be the one that said to his mates "Is this sensible?"


Signed J McJface Mark 2

It's difficult isn't it when it's all mates that just happen to go hillwalking together. I've been on trips with people who were lacking some basic kit but usually in the summer when the consequences are not quite as extreme as they could be in winter. I think most of the people I go walking with have got the same bail out point as me! There's a couple of people who have been walking and climbing for decades and who I would trust with navigating and helping me out with dicey bits but I always make it clear that I'm not expecting it of them, although I think they do end up feeling a bit responsible for people.

As well as going up with friends, a lot of people just don't realise how cold or windy or wet or just how dangerous it can be on a hill, either in the winter or the summer.

I can understand not wanting to be the one who bailed out. Even though it is the sensible thing to do and not in anyway an indication of being a wimp, it is sometime difficult. If the lady in question was by herself then it was just her bad judgment. If with a party what were they doing? It was obvious to the OP she was in, at the very least, distress.

There is also the pressure of being there. If you have made a journey to do a hill then the 'doing' of it overtakes everything, including bad weather..

There could be a sign at the bottom of every mountain (which I would not advocate) that says,

"On any day of the year you might experience the following weather on this mountain -

warm sunshine,
calm,
wind that can blow you over,
torrential persistent rain/snow/sleet/hail,
visibility of tens of miles,
visibility of less than six feet, and
any of these can last for anywhere between five minutes and several hours.

but I suspect it would not have any effect.

Dave

Tringa wrote:I can understand not wanting to be the one who bailed out. Even though it is the sensible thing to do and not in anyway an indication of being a wimp, it is sometime difficult. If the lady in question was by herself then it was just her bad judgment. If with a party what were they doing? It was obvious to the OP she was in, at the very least, distress.

There is also the pressure of being there. If you have made a journey to do a hill then the 'doing' of it overtakes everything, including bad weather..

There could be a sign at the bottom of every mountain (which I would not advocate) that says,

"On any day of the year you might experience the following weather on this mountain -

warm sunshine,
calm,
wind that can blow you over,
torrential persistent rain/snow/sleet/hail,
visibility of tens of miles,
visibility of less than six feet, and
any of these can last for anywhere between five minutes and several hours.

but I suspect it would not have any effect.

Dave

She was with two other people who were, at points, physically carrying/dragging her against the wind. I felt kind of uncomfortable at the situation, as a witness. I sort of wanted to just shout at them and tell them to get her off the hill asap. It does seem as though she had maybe tagged along with them, for whatever reason, and not known how wild it could be on the hills.

"Experience is the sum total of near misses."
Either it will put her off mountain walking for life, or, persuade her to buy some decent gear and learn how to do it properly.
Either way, all's well that ends well, unlike the unfortunates in Glencoe.
(PS - I was out with a group on the other side of the 'Gorms - the contrast between a bright morning in G. Feshie and afternoon whiteout, zero visibility, blasting wind and chill on the tops was quite something.)

Ach, She probably won't do it again.

Anyway she is in good company, the British climbers of the 1960s were known as Das Bluejeans by the Germans as that's what they wore on the crag.

NickyRannoch wrote:Ach, She probably won't do it again.

Anyway she is in good company, the British climbers of the 1960s were known as Das Bluejeans by the Germans as that's what they wore on the crag.

Quite! Though mine happened to be black. Happy days.

The corollary is that I've occasionally found myself on top of a hill in spring or autumn and feeling positively over-dressed in boots, Berghaus and backpack.

I've done careless things like that myself. When I first got into hillwalking I didn't have boots so hiked in trainers. Took the steep route up Carnedd Dafydd from the car park at the west end of Llyn Ogwen which was a bit hairy, but knew my footware wasn't good so took extra care. Once when on a weekend away with university friends I hiked around Bow fell heading for Scafell Pike wearing jeans in the pouring rain. The walk was cut short but not before I was soaking wet. There came a point where I decided I need to start doing this properly and bought decent footwear and waterproofs.

NickyRannoch wrote:Ach, She probably won't do it again.

Anyway she is in good company, the British climbers of the 1960s were known as Das Bluejeans by the Germans as that's what they wore on the crag.

Of course, by the seventies, they were better kitted out.

Did a Corbett a few weeks back and my mate though he would join me , he's never walked in hills before and turned up dressed like he was going out for a nice evening meal.

Told him he would have to walk 50 metres behind me so nobody thought he was with me.haha

rodderss wrote:Did a Corbett a few weeks back and my mate though he would join me , he's never walked in hills before and turned up dressed like he was going out for a nice evening meal.

Told him he would have to walk 50 metres behind me so nobody thought he was with me.haha

I remember climbing Schiehallion with my mate years ago. We got to the summit and he pulled out a picnic blanket, a whole victoria sponge, and a bone-handled cake knife. I've never been so happy!

Love the video, Sgurr. Takes me back - Dachstein mitts? (I still have mine, unreasonably sentimental about old items of kit.)