4 rescued from Ben Nevis today...

[Shuginho]

3 of whom were wearing trainers.

No ice axes, crampons or even a map.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-51447226

[nick70]

I read it last night. It beggars belief at times. Were they not aware of the weather reports coming in??

Utter madness

[fhaggis]

There comes a point when stupid people should be charged for their stupidity. In cases like this they should be liable for any costs to the rescue team.

[al78]

There comes a point when stupid people should be charged for their stupidity. In cases like this they should be liable for any costs to the rescue team.

Dangerous. How far do you go with that? Charge obese people for treatment of conditions related to obesity? Charge smokers for treatment of lung cancer? Charge anyone who needs rescue on a mountain, some would say it is stupid and unnecessary going up a mountain in anything other than good weather conditions. Who do you give the power to decide what is or isn't stupid? You and your choice of activities would also be judged.

[fairygirl]

I wonder if the 'non winter' so far means that we'll see even more incidents like this. Many people simply don't get it at all, and don't understand what equipment they need, or the skills to use them.
The recent rescue when the guy was then found at a bothy with his mates prompted a statement from the rescue team, which is very rare, but it shows how frustrated they were. I thought they were very restrained and diplomatic too. Wonder if this will prompt a stronger one though.
Rescue teams rely on donations - they aren't publicly funded like other emergency services, so it's also different from other situations.

I don't even walk around here, at 400 feet altitude, without proper kit on when it's rough

[weedavie]

Before we all get too prissy, let's say it takes a fair bit of endurance to get as high as they did in trainers in conditions like that. If I look back, a lot of my learning was done by making mistakes of that sort, if never as extreme. I remember once not quite doing Ben Lomond from Comer about the 30th December. Cracking day, brilliant inversion and how we didn't kill ourselves is still beyond me. We arrived back at the car in darkness, no headtorches. We listened on the radio to someone from MR listing the 12 rescues they'd done that day and the six common idiocies they'd encountered, all of which we'd been guilty of too. I've only made a couple of these mistakes again.

Reports say they had no maps. What that probably means is they were navigating by phone, which is really common now. I don't know how you stop people doing that except by them learning this sort of lesson. Preferably that would be on Cairnwell in summer, though.

[DavidShepherd]

Before we all get too prissy, let's say it takes a fair bit of endurance to get as high as they did in trainers in conditions like that. If I look back, a lot of my learning was done by making mistakes of that sort, if never as extreme. I remember once not quite doing Ben Lomond from Comer about the 30th December. Cracking day, brilliant inversion and how we didn't kill ourselves is still beyond me. We arrived back at the car in darkness, no headtorches. We listened on the radio to someone from MR listing the 12 rescues they'd done that day and the six common idiocies they'd encountered, all of which we'd been guilty of too. I've only made a couple of these mistakes again.

Reports say they had no maps. What that probably means is they were navigating by phone, which is really common now. I don't know how you stop people doing that except by them learning this sort of lesson. Preferably that would be on Cairnwell in summer, though.

Prissy? Are you actually being serious? Lets have a quick look at the weather conditions over the past few days under this thing that has been labelled a storm and prompted weather warnings most of this week so far, shall we?
Who cares about their endurance! Your endurance isn't going to save you from falling of the side of the highest mountain in Scotland, a mountain that can have it's own weather system when its sunny everywhere else. They have chosen to climb this in poor weather conditions. Now, I apologise if the weather was nice and sunny like your cracking day on Ben Lomond but it just bloody wasn't! They've looked at Ben Nevis, looked at the weather and thought that it wouldn't have been too bad. That is just stupidity, plain and simple regardless of how they were navigating, they were not prepared for climbing a MOUNTAIN in terrible weather conditions and they put themselves and the mountain rescue team at risk because of their stupid decision.

[DavidShepherd]

There comes a point when stupid people should be charged for their stupidity. In cases like this they should be liable for any costs to the rescue team.

Dangerous. How far do you go with that? Charge obese people for treatment of conditions related to obesity? Charge smokers for treatment of lung cancer? Charge anyone who needs rescue on a mountain, some would say it is stupid and unnecessary going up a mountain in anything other than good weather conditions. Who do you give the power to decide what is or isn't stupid? You and your choice of activities would also be judged.

At the very least some sort of signage on the paths should be in order listing the dangers. That alone could be enough to avoid some situations like this just by making people think a bit more. This should especially be done on Ben Nevis given how many times this seems to happen.

[weedavie]

Prissy? Are you actually being serious? Lets have a quick look at the weather conditions over the past few days under this thing that has been labelled a storm and prompted weather warnings most of this week so far, shall we?
Who cares about their endurance! Your endurance isn't going to save you from falling of the side of the highest mountain in Scotland, a mountain that can have it's own weather system when its sunny everywhere else. They have chosen to climb this in poor weather conditions. Now, I apologise if the weather was nice and sunny like your cracking day on Ben Lomond but it just bloody wasn't! They've looked at Ben Nevis, looked at the weather and thought that it wouldn't have been too bad. That is just stupidity, plain and simple regardless of how they were navigating, they were not prepared for climbing a MOUNTAIN in terrible weather conditions and they put themselves and the mountain rescue team at risk because of their stupid decision.

Unarguable, yet strangely prissy.

[Giant Stoneater]

The so called "Tourist Path" certainly distorts how bad this mountain can be in all types of weather,it can be rather mild in the glen and summit wise a ferocious gale force whiteout,hopefully a lesson learnt.

With a forecast for very bad weather I wonder how many of us were out driving in those conditions.

[nick70]

.

Reports say they had no maps. What that probably means is they were navigating by phone, which is really common now..

I'm not necessarily sure I agree with this statement. You are making an assumption here. Regardless, if they had the wherewithal to have digital/electronic navigation aids then why not also have the wherewithal to have suitable attire to tackle a mountain in full on hazardous conditions?

Unfortunately this is just another reflection on society as a whole, and it is this above all else that truly saddens me. People just think that there are these services and that they are there to bail them out regardless.

Once again, utmost kudos and respect to the MRT's and the fantastic, outstanding work they do

[gaffr]

Hello...Call for assistance using a smartphone? Very likely?
However if having the same smartphone how could you avoid being aware of all the information regarding conditions of the hills during the week-end in question....on this forum, SAIS, MWIS, app. weather forecasts and all the rest all available on the same smartphone.
Maybe highlights that there are folks who want to walk on the hills but are somehow out of contact with the vast numbers of regular hill going folks?

[Outnabout]

Shocking, everyone of them should be given a good slap. Huge respect for MR once again coming to the aid of idiots.

[DavidShepherd]

Prissy? Are you actually being serious? Lets have a quick look at the weather conditions over the past few days under this thing that has been labelled a storm and prompted weather warnings most of this week so far, shall we?
Who cares about their endurance! Your endurance isn't going to save you from falling of the side of the highest mountain in Scotland, a mountain that can have it's own weather system when its sunny everywhere else. They have chosen to climb this in poor weather conditions. Now, I apologise if the weather was nice and sunny like your cracking day on Ben Lomond but it just bloody wasn't! They've looked at Ben Nevis, looked at the weather and thought that it wouldn't have been too bad. That is just stupidity, plain and simple regardless of how they were navigating, they were not prepared for climbing a MOUNTAIN in terrible weather conditions and they put themselves and the mountain rescue team at risk because of their stupid decision.

Unarguable, yet strangely prissy.

What do you think prissy means exactly? Because there is nothing in this statement about being fussy or overly proper.

[nick70]

Prissy? Are you actually being serious? Lets have a quick look at the weather conditions over the past few days under this thing that has been labelled a storm and prompted weather warnings most of this week so far, shall we?
Who cares about their endurance! Your endurance isn't going to save you from falling of the side of the highest mountain in Scotland, a mountain that can have it's own weather system when its sunny everywhere else. They have chosen to climb this in poor weather conditions. Now, I apologise if the weather was nice and sunny like your cracking day on Ben Lomond but it just bloody wasn't! They've looked at Ben Nevis, looked at the weather and thought that it wouldn't have been too bad. That is just stupidity, plain and simple regardless of how they were navigating, they were not prepared for climbing a MOUNTAIN in terrible weather conditions and they put themselves and the mountain rescue team at risk because of their stupid decision.

Unarguable, yet strangely prissy.

What do you think prissy means exactly? Because there is nothing in this statement about being fussy or overly proper.

Personally I have to agree with DS here. I feel you have encapsulated perfectly well what many on here will think and feel but may be afraid or somewhat hesitant to say or express.

Certainly nothing in statement came across as prissy. A fair and honest assessment and sentiment and one I happen to concur with.