Avalanche warning in the Lakes!

[goosey]

For all you lucky enough to be planning walking in the the Lake District this weekend, there have been Avalanche warnings for some of the highest Peaks! So be careful and safe, there have already been fatalities over the Christmas period. It may look beautiful but it's downright dangerous.

BBC NEWS | England | Cumbria | Avalanche warning for Helvellyn

[tufftie]

Do they deliberately set off controlled avalanches there or not - (no reason just curious)?

[richardkm]

While I'm totally in agreement with giving avalanche warnings, I do feel that the message given out by the Lakes Authority is one more step to a nanny state.

I remember many years ago, when we used to have real winters, being told - as a volunteer Peak Park Ranger - to prevent people from going up onto the tops. It was a horrendous day of heavy snow and strong winds. But saying that, I did turn one walker away, he had on jeans and an ordinary sports jacket, with a thin sweater wrapped round his head. No map, no compass and visibility at less than 50 metres. When he asked me if this was the way to the top of Bleaklow, I suggested he was not properly equipped to go up there on such a day. Thankfully, he took my advice and turned round. For any experience and well equipped walker it would have been a great day out and I would have just loved to have walked on Bleaklow that day.

[poschiavanus]

It's a shame this is not couched in the international standard avalanche warning scale of 1-5 (see for instance the Scottish Avalanche Service site, nor is there an indication of risk anywhere other than on the Helvellyn range in the detailed forecast on the Lake District Park Authority site.

The avalanche hazard appears to be mainly cornice and plaques on the leeward side of the range, rather than a generic risk. I would hope most sensible people would avoid these areas in the current conditions.

The high winds and verglace on the summits are probably a far higher hazard for most walkers. I've seen this sort of thing arise on the Carneddau in North Wales over short intervals of time and distance: from near calm conditions and crisp snow underfoot to ice half-an-inch thick coating everything and a howling wind which made it difficult to stand up. With ice axes, but no crampons, we really had no choice but to retreat. Half a mile back (same altitude) we were back on benign terrain!

poschiavanus

[big bill]

What annoys me and endangers the lives of the emergency services are the walkers that ignore and are not suitabley dressed for hill walking in the adverse conditions especially up on the mountains here in Scotland,yesterday 3 people father and 2 children had to be rescued from Ben Nevis by teams even after seeing the conditions.In my view people who go up into the hills and mountains in adverse conditions should be in some way charged for recklessnes and endangering peoples lives namely rescue services,its happening to often

[KIDSTYPIKE]

Over the years I've seen people on the Lakeland Fells in all types of clothing ranging from "the dressed for Everest types" to the " a pair of jeans and a puffa jacket are fine brigade". I don't know how you can stop people from venturing out in unsuitable clothing and with no navigational experience but the time as come were it as to be addressed.
I read an article the other day where some of the Lake Districts MRT's are struggling to get volunteers because there are more and more "shouts" and employers are becoming more reluctant to lose members of staff.
Maybe instead of just glorifying the beauty of the mountains the TV channels should spend some time on Mountain Safety.
Dave

[Monkster]

Originally Posted by KIDSTYPIKE

I read an article the other day where some of the Lake Districts MRT's are struggling to get volunteers because there are more and more "shouts" and employers are becoming more reluctant to lose members of staff.
Maybe instead of just glorifying the beauty of the mountains the TV channels should spend some time on Mountain Safety.
Dave

Yes, in my local paper today it says that the Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team was called out on 31 out of 42 days in one spell last year. So when you consider the teams are made up of volunteers it must be very difficult for them to be released from work on all these occasions.
Where I used to work there were 3 people out of 20 who were members of a mountain rescue team, although then they weren't called out half as much as they are today. But if that were the case now it would be practically impossibe to employ them.
They do an invaluable job and shouldn't be used in vain by the inexperienced especially when the weather is as unpredictable as it is at this time of the year.

[witham]

In some placed avalanches are caused by the divvies who refuse to take notice of warnings etc, especially the ones who like extreme sports, snowboarders in particular

[naturelover]

click on the weather on that news,dont look very good for any of us.

[peter B]

forcast for peterbough and march is for snow , down the east side ,i missed it again,