Mud-club
Chat & Social => The Bar - General Chat => Topic started by: Manicminer on February 24, 2006, 19:00:12
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Here in North Wales it has been snowing some part of every day for the last week 12 days or so. There has been a permanent snowline above 2800-3000 ft for nearly as long.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/4741764.stm
Must be City folk :roll:
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I've spent most of the week on the mountains around Snowdon doing a Mountain Leader course. As 6 experienced adults with a highly qualified International Mountain Leader instructor and with full equipment, we steered clear of the high ground because of the safety risks associated with snow and ice, not to mention that it was pretty bloody foul up there. There's always much debate on the pros and cons of letting the underinformed public loose on the mountains!
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Just got off the phone to a relative who's in the Llanberis mountain rescue group. He wasn't on this one himself, but apparently the 2-year-old was unconscious when they picked the group up...
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Its amazing how stupid people can be :roll:
I walked up snowdon over christmas. Even then when there had only been a dusting of snow it was still incredibly cold once you got into the open and the wind hit you, and thats with sensible clothing on too.
Even though it was a busy day we still took all the sensible emergency/safety kit with us and made sure we wernt going to be walking in the dark.
I feel far too sensible when i hear about people like those in the article!
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I am still trying to believe that someone would do that? Do they really hate their kids that much?
Or are they just stupid? They are lucky that the mountain rescue people did such a great job in rescuing their dumb asses!
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There are a few issues raised here.
1. we paid for a helicopter to go and rescue them.
2. they simply get a ticking off.
Whoevers bright idea it was should get procectued for endangering life. Sorry but I feel that strongly about it.
I have spent most of my life enjoying the mountains here and in Europe and always take the appropriate equipment. I would be accused of overkill by most but i cant see the point taking a risk that isnt needed. The mountains are a dangerous place at any time of the year not just now, too few people appreciate this.
You always have a choice, go on or turn back but without the correct clothing you very quickly succumb to exposure and cant think straight.
The government are happy to legislate against our use of the countryside but seem unwilling to place signs or better still provide decent financial support for rangers / mountain rescue . With money these decicated people could do so much more in the way of prevention and hopefully nip these events in the bud. Anyone seeing that group heading up would have known they shouldnt be doing it - they planned to use the railway to come back down.......which stops in October!
Rant over.
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I can see your point Bulli but charging or prosecuting in these situations will have the adverse effect.
People would be unwilling to call for help if they think there is a chance that they will be charged or prosecuted for it so you end up with people calling for help when they have no options left and by this time it could be too late for the rescuers to do anything at all.
This has been gone over time & time again with Martime rescues and believe me, I've seen and delt with some right crackers in the last 19 years I've been involved as a Lifeboat crewman & as a Coastguard in the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres around the UK.
Like the chap who sailed from Norway to the UK with only an AA road map of europe and happend to bump into Shetland!! If he'd missed Shetland then the open North Atlantic awaited him! :roll:
We would rather people called us early so we can sort out the situation rather than wait because they could be charged and it turns from a rescue operation into a body recovery operation.
Don't get me wrong here, if a "criminal" act has been commited then the person will be taken to task over it but if we made stupidity a criminal offence then the jails would be full in no time!! :lol:
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Budgie I see your point, but if i drive like an idiot i could easily find myself in jail for reckless driving/due care endangerment of life...the list goes on. People should take responsibility for themselves and not rely on the efforts of others to get them out of it.
I know you are right and it would have a negative impact on people calling for help but maybe it would deter a few idiots from setting out??
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I know you are right and it would have a negative impact on people calling for help but maybe it would deter a few idiots from setting out??
I doubt it, you see them on the roads all the time!! :mrgreen:
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I agree with Bulli that these people should be charged. If you are in a road traffic accident and an ambulance is called for you or you damage something like a lamp post or safety barrier you are charged for them so why shouldn't the same apply here. And who doesn't check to see if a train is running before undertaking such a trip? and for that matter who waits till a 2 year old stops crying and is unconscious before calling for help??? Total stupidy and they should be done for it........they endangered the lives of their children and it amounts to child abuse as far as I am concerned :evil: Ok rant over
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I'm not saying that what these people did was right and their stupidity did put lives in danger. But if you charge these people and that leads to, just, one person dying on the mountains, fells, moors or around the coasts of this country because they were scared of calling for help, incase they are charged, then you have to ask yourself " was it worth that life to see these people charged?" :?