‘Parts of the mountain have become a TikTok sensation – we’re waiting for a serious incident’
“My mate only asked me two days ago if I wanted to climb Snowdon,” enthuses Rafal Glowacki, a student from Coventry visiting the mountain to mark the end of the summer holidays. “I winged it, and faced the challenge – maybe I’ll tackle Ben Nevis next.”
Covered in a light summer drizzle, its summit lost in a wreath of fog, the highest mountain in Wales is a sight to behold. It’s also easy to reach, and to conquer – so no wonder that Glowacki and hundreds of thousands of hobby hikers like him are flocking here.
With an estimated 700,000 people visiting the summit annually, Snowdon is “by far the most visited mountain in Britain, probably in Europe, possibly in the world,” says Dr Rich Griffiths, chairman of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team’s management committee.
That’s up from around 500,000 before the pandemic. Despite covering the smallest patch of any UK mountain rescue outfit, the Llanberis team is the busiest.
“Last year we did 234 call-outs, and were physically deployed to 180 of those,” Griffiths explains. “So far this year we’ve already done 215 jobs and my statistics guy thinks we’ll finish the year in the region of 270.”
The centre of the operation is a former church hall in the village of Nant Peris. Propped against one window are cards from rescuees expressing gratitude. Gear, ropes and harnesses are attached to the walls for easy access.
Griffiths admits the team has outgrown the building. In a side room with three computers, coordinators keep track of the team’s location – and the people who need rescuing. There are phone numbers for local police officers, fire crews, and even the café on the mountain top, and huge maps covering the region.
A third of calls don’t require a full-on rescue. These are cases where people have wandered off the paths and got lost. “Normally our coordinators can locate them via GPS,” says Griffiths. “We can direct them back to a path quite easily most of the time.”
The other two-thirds of calls are split between those who’ve got themselves into difficulty and are too scared to move and those who are injured or ill. Fatalities from cardiac arrests and trauma are rare, with around half a dozen such incidents a year.
“When someone gets in distress, they dial 999, speak to the police control room and ask for mountain rescue,” explains Griffiths. “The police take some basic information, then we have ten coordinators who oversee and run the job. One of them will pick it up and investigate and decide whether we need to deploy. If we do, we all get a text saying ‘Team to Nant’, and we all assemble here. We’ll come in, get the right kit, and head out.”
From first call to final rescue usually takes around 3-4 hours. But in heavy snow or complicated scenarios, it can take 8-10 hours.
The mountain rescue team are volunteers from all walks of life. Griffiths is an A&E consultant and one of four doctors, but there are builders and scaffolders too. In total, 55 people make up the team, doing everything from coordinating rescues to managing vehicles to fundraising (Llanberis Mountain Rescue is a charity which needs around £100,000 a year).
“We’re lucky we don’t have to deploy to every case, that would be unsustainable,” he explains. “It’s almost unsustainable as it is.”
A few factors are causing demand for Snowdon’s rescue team to soar. “We saw a massive uptick in people visiting during that first Covid summer, and it has stayed at a higher level,” Griffiths explains. “More people have realised the UK outdoors is available to them and are enjoying it, they’re getting into healthier lifestyles and seeing more of the countryside, which is positive. The downside is that things for us are a lot busier.”
The other factor, he says, is social media.
Searching “Snowdon” on TikTok brings up hundreds of videos featuring the mountain, while the hashtag #snowdonia has been used 1.2 million times on Instagram. It means you can expect to find a queue for selfies at the summit, but has also created new hazards.
An eye-catching “natural infinity pool” on the Llanberis Path became a social media sensation a few years ago, and still people regularly get lost trying to find it, or take a tumble en route. Demand for perfect sunset shots to share online have led to more people on the mountain at night.
“Our nightmare is the Dinorwig quarry, up the road,” Griffiths says. “It has become a TikTok sensation because there are tunnels and 150-year-old ladders. There’s an old railway track where the quarry beneath it subsided, leaving it hanging over a cliff. It was known as the ‘Bridge of Death’ until the track collapsed too. Now people are sitting on the furthest rail over a 50-metre drop. We’re waiting for the day when there’s an incident.”
Griffiths believes social media gives a false impression about the realities of hiking. “What people don’t realise is that while they see Snowdon on social media looking sunny and lovely, most days it’s in the cloud. It’s colder and wetter than it looks. Even on a nice day down here, on the summit it will probably be cold and wet.”
On my own hike up the mountain, I meet plenty of people who’d been lulled into a false sense of security by what they’d seen online. “I expected it to be easier,” admits Emily Roberts from Staffordshire, ascending with her boyfriend, Daniel Hartle, both keen runners. “It’s a touristy place, and loads of people come here. But it does require a high level of fitness.”
The Baker family, daughters Alicia and Tash and parents Dawn and Darren, from near Suffolk, made the climb with their two dogs. For them, climbing the mountain was the highlight of their holiday in North Wales. “We’re far from experienced mountain climbers,” says Dawn, near the summit. “It’s hard work, but worth every step.”
Stories of people climbing Snowdon in outrageous outfits have gone viral (one teenager climbed the mountain in only Superman underwear and became unwell), but most people who end up needing help aren’t making stupid decisions, they are just inexperienced.
“City-dwellers come up and they’re surprised by the rockiness of the ground, the changing weather, and that the mobile reception isn’t always good,” Griffiths explains. “People try their best. Usually they’ll wear walking boots and a jacket. But maybe they don’t. Maybe they’ve not bought enough food or water. Those are the people who get into trouble.
“This year has been manic. We’ve often had more than one call-out at a time. Our record was eight jobs happening concurrently. When that happens we triage it. We’ll see what they can do to help themselves until we get to them.”
What’s the answer? Griffiths believes more people should consider hiring a guide to climb the peak. “Many Europeans consider hiring instructors and guides when they’re new to something, but not Brits,” says Griffiths. “I promise, if you go up with an instructor, you’ll have a better day, more fun, you’ll be safer, and you’ll learn more.”
Ultimately, the situation on Snowdon leaves Griffiths conflicted. For all the difficulty and exhaustion mountain rescue are facing, he’s glad more people are discovering the outdoors. “I’m not the mountain police, I don’t want to stop anyone who wants to climb from enjoying it,” he says. “I just want to make sure they can do so safely.”
