Have We Forgotten How to Be Safe in the Mountains? The Rise of Mountain Rescue Call-Outs and a Culture of Risk

There’s a question I find myself asking increasingly often as a Mountain Leader:

Do people actually know whether they’ve had a successful mountain day, or have they simply got away with something that could have ended very differently?

I’ve had conversations with people who’ve tackled some of the most challenging routes in Eryri (Snowdonia) for the first time, without really understanding what they were getting themselves into. They describe the exposure, the fear, the moments when they thought they might not make it, or the point where they became lost and didn’t know what to do.

And sometimes, there’s an almost celebratory tone to the story.

They climbed Crib Goch on their first visit to Yr Wyddfa. They had no idea how difficult it would be. They thought they were going to die. They somehow made it through.

And the story becomes a badge of honour.

But I often wonder whether they understand the difference between successfully managing a mountain day and surviving one through luck.

If you don’t understand the risks you were exposed to, how can you know whether you made good decisions?

This isn’t an argument against adventure, ambition or pushing yourself. Those things are part of what makes the mountains so rewarding. It’s an argument for understanding what you’re doing, developing the skills to manage risk and recognising that being adventurous doesn’t mean abandoning good judgement.

Because the mountains don’t care how confident you are, how many followers you have or how good your photographs look.

And the consequences of poor decisions aren’t always something you can laugh about afterwards.

Mountain rescue call-outs: what do the statistics tell us?

Mountain rescue teams exist to help people when things go wrong. Their work is extraordinary, often involving long hours, difficult terrain, terrible weather and considerable personal sacrifice from volunteers.

But the scale of the work being undertaken raises an important question: how many incidents could be avoided through better preparation, skills and decision-making?

According to Mountain Rescue England and Wales’ 2026 Annual Review, there were 3,968 call-outs in 2025, resulting in 3,175 deployments.

The report identified the following contributory factors:

• 939 incidents: poor decision-making or human error.

• 644 incidents: inexperience in the activity being undertaken.

• 518 incidents: weather-related factors, including rain, wind, snow, ice and heat.

• 241 incidents: equipment failure or being poorly equipped.

• 199 incidents: tiredness, fatigue or being unfit.

These categories can overlap, so they shouldn’t be added together as if each represents a separate incident. Nevertheless, they illustrate the role that human decisions, preparation and experience play in mountain emergencies.

The report also recorded just three days in 2025 without a call-out across Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

In North Wales, Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team attended 360 incidents, while Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team attended 188.

These figures represent real people, real emergencies and volunteers giving up their time to help others.

Mountain rescue should always be available to people who need it. Nobody should hesitate to call for help when they are in danger because they fear being judged. But prevention matters, too.

We should be asking what more can be done to help people understand the mountains before they find themselves in a situation they cannot manage.

Source: Mountain Rescue England and Wales, Annual Review 2026.

Recent deaths in Eryri are a sobering reminder of the risks

Behind the statistics are individuals, families and friends whose lives have been changed forever.

In February 2026, two young friends, Eddie Hill, aged 20, and Jayden Long, aged 19, died in winter conditions on the Yr Wyddfa ridge system. In May 2026, 23-year-old climber Jack Carne died following a fall on Glyder Fawr.

These are tragedies, and it is important to approach them with respect. We shouldn’t assume we know all the circumstances surrounding an accident, attribute blame without evidence or suggest that a particular course would necessarily have prevented a death.

Experienced climbers and walkers can have accidents, too. Mountain environments involve inherent risks that cannot be eliminated entirely.

But these deaths are a reminder of something we can sometimes lose sight of when looking at beautiful photographs and videos of mountain adventures: the consequences of getting things wrong can be irreversible.

A mountain isn’t made safe simply because it’s popular. A route doesn’t become appropriate because thousands of people have completed it. And the fact that someone has managed a difficult route without incident doesn’t necessarily mean they understood or controlled the risks involved.

The question isn’t whether we can eliminate every danger. We can’t.

It’s whether we’re doing enough to understand those dangers, prepare for them and make informed decisions.

The mountain doesn’t care about your intentions

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is the idea that wanting to climb a mountain is the same as being prepared to climb it.

Someone decides they want to climb Yr Wyddfa. They search online, find a route, download it to their phone and set off.

Perhaps they have a decent level of fitness. Perhaps the weather looks pleasant at the car park. Perhaps they’ve watched a few videos and seen hundreds of other people doing the same thing.

But have they considered the conditions higher up? Do they know how to navigate if the cloud comes down? Do they understand the terrain they’re entering? Do they have enough daylight, clothing, food and water? And, crucially, do they know when to turn around?

There is a difference between knowing where you want to go and knowing how to get there safely.

A route that is perfectly reasonable for one person in one set of conditions can be entirely inappropriate for another person on a different day.

This becomes particularly important when we talk about scrambling.

Crib Goch is a good example. It isn’t simply a more exciting footpath to the summit of Yr Wyddfa. It is an exposed grade-one scramble with significant consequences if you fall. It requires confidence on steep ground, sound judgement, suitable conditions and an understanding of exposure.

Being fit enough to walk up a mountain doesn’t automatically make you competent to scramble along a narrow, exposed ridge.

And being able to follow a line on a screen doesn’t mean you understand the terrain ahead.

The question shouldn’t simply be, “Can I get to the summit?”

It should be, “Can I manage the whole journey, including the difficult bits, the descent and the possibility that conditions might change?”

The psychology of risk: why do we celebrate getting into trouble?

I think there’s a wider cultural issue here, and it’s worth exploring.

In some outdoor circles, there’s a tendency to tell stories about near misses as if the danger itself makes the achievement more impressive.

“I thought I was going to die.”

“We got completely lost.”

“We had no idea where we were.”

“We just kept going.”

These stories can be entertaining, and sharing a difficult experience isn’t inherently a bad thing. Sometimes, talking about a mistake is exactly how we learn.

The problem arises when the danger becomes the achievement, rather than something we recognise and learn from.

Psychology offers some useful ways to understand this.

Social approval can influence risk-taking

A study published in 2026 in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia investigated the relationship between social media, social norms and outdoor risk-taking. It surveyed 509 Australian adults and found an association between perceived social approval and intentions to take risks when creating outdoor social-media content.

The findings suggest that what people believe others will admire can influence the decisions they make.

That matters in a world where outdoor adventures are increasingly documented and shared. The summit photograph, the video on the exposed ridge and the story about overcoming fear can all become part of how someone presents themselves to others.

The danger is that people may start making decisions based on what looks impressive, rather than what makes sense.

This doesn’t mean everyone who posts an adventurous photograph is taking unnecessary risks. Nor does one Australian study prove why people in Britain get into difficulty on mountains. But it provides a useful starting point for questioning how social approval might influence outdoor behaviour.

Confidence isn’t the same as competence

Confidence is valuable in the mountains, but confidence without the skills to support it can become a problem.

If you’ve completed several walks without incident, you might start to assume that your approach is sound. If your friends are confident, you might follow their lead. If the first part of the route feels easy, you might assume the rest will be manageable too.

But the absence of an accident doesn’t prove that your decisions were good.

You can take an unnecessary risk and get away with it. You can make a poor decision and experience no immediate consequences. You can also do everything reasonably well and still encounter an unexpected problem.

Good judgement is about the quality of the decisions you make with the information available to you, not simply whether you got home.

We can mistake survival for success

Imagine two groups planning to climb Crib Goch for the first time.

The first researches the route, understands the exposure, checks the forecast, assesses whether the conditions suit their experience and decides that today isn’t the right day. They choose a less exposed route instead.

The second sets off without understanding the terrain. They become frightened, struggle to continue and eventually make it through.

Which group has had the more successful mountain day?

Our culture often celebrates the second group’s story because it sounds more dramatic. The first group might have little to tell beyond the fact that they made a sensible decision.

But the first group has demonstrated something that matters enormously in the mountains: judgement.

Knowing when not to proceed is a skill. Turning around isn’t failure. Choosing a different route isn’t weakness. Recognising your limitations is part of becoming a competent mountain user.

Sometimes, the best decision you’ll make all day is the one that means you don’t get the summit photograph you wanted.

What’s the value of your life? The case for investing in mountain skills

One thing I find difficult to understand is how reluctant some people are to invest in learning the skills that could help them stay safe in the mountains.

People will spend money on walking boots, waterproofs, a new GPS watch, a weekend away or the fuel to travel to Eryri. But suggest paying for a mountain skills day, a navigation course, a scrambling course or climbing instruction, and suddenly it can feel like an unnecessary expense.

Why pay someone to teach you when you can just go out and do it yourself?

It’s a question worth challenging.

A mountain skills day or navigation or scrambling course might cost somewhere in the region of £60–£200, depending on the provider, duration and content. That’s money spent on developing skills you can use again and again, on future mountain days and adventures.

Now consider the alternative.

Imagine asking someone who has lost a partner, child, sibling or close friend in the mountains whether they would have paid £200 to have their loved one back.

Of course they would.

No amount of money can bring someone back, and we must never imply that every fatal accident could have been prevented by training. But the comparison forces us to think differently about what we’re paying for.

We often view outdoor instruction as an optional extra: something we might do once we’ve gained enough experience, or when we decide to take our adventures more seriously.

Perhaps we should view it differently.

Learning to manage risk is part of the preparation for the adventure itself.

You wouldn’t necessarily expect to learn to drive by watching a few videos and immediately taking a car onto a motorway. You wouldn’t assume that buying a set of climbing ropes automatically made you competent to lead a climb.

Yet in the mountains, people sometimes attempt exposed scrambles and unfamiliar routes with little understanding of the terrain, navigation or decisions required to manage them.

The mountain doesn’t care whether you thought a course was too expensive.

And being fortunate enough to complete a difficult route without incident doesn’t mean you were adequately prepared to attempt it.

You don’t even have to spend money to start learning

The encouraging thing is that information has never been more accessible.

You can begin developing your knowledge before booking a course, and many excellent resources are free.

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC)

The BMC has educational resources for hillwalking, scrambling and climbing, including its How to Scramble series. These are useful starting points for understanding routes, movement and the challenges involved.

Explore the BMC’s scrambling resources and hillwalking skills resources.

UKClimbing

UKClimbing offers articles, route information, technical discussions and advice from experienced members of the climbing community. Use route information critically and check that it is current and appropriate for your experience and the conditions.

Visit UKClimbing.

Mountain rescue organisations

Many rescue teams publish safety advice, incident reports and guidance on avoiding common mistakes. These resources can help you understand the problems rescue teams encounter and how to prepare more effectively.

Visit Mountain Rescue England and Wales.

Professional outdoor instructors and content creators

Qualified Mountain Leaders, climbing instructors and mountain guides share educational content online. Follow people who explain not only how to complete a route, but also how to assess conditions, identify hazards and make decisions.

Look for content that teaches you how to think, rather than simply showing you where to go.

Map and navigation resources

Ordnance Survey and other navigation resources can help you learn the fundamentals of reading a map, understanding contour lines, using grid references and planning a route.

You can learn terminology, watch demonstrations and start asking better questions without spending a penny.

But remember that watching a video is not the same as demonstrating a skill yourself. Understanding a compass tutorial doesn’t automatically mean you can navigate in poor visibility. Watching someone scramble doesn’t give you their movement skills, experience or judgement.

Use free resources as a starting point. Practise in appropriate terrain and conditions, and seek qualified instruction when you need practical feedback or are moving into more demanding ground.

When is it worth booking a course?

If you’re planning to venture beyond straightforward walking routes, develop your navigation or move into scrambling and climbing, structured instruction can help you build the skills and confidence to make better decisions.

A good instructor doesn’t simply show you where to put your feet. They can explain how to assess the terrain, recognise hazards, choose appropriate routes, understand your limitations and decide when to turn back.

That’s the difference between being shown a route and developing the ability to judge a route for yourself.

You don’t have to know everything before you go into the mountains. Nobody does.

But you should be willing to learn.

Five steps to reduce your chances of getting into trouble in the mountains

The good news is that many of the fundamentals of mountain safety are straightforward. They require thought and practice, not extraordinary ability.

1. Plan your route around the conditions, not just your ambitions

Before you leave home, check the mountain forecast for the area you’re visiting. Don’t rely solely on the weather in the nearest town or the conditions at the car park.

Consider wind speed and direction, cloud base, visibility, precipitation, temperature and wind chill. Think about how these conditions will affect your chosen route and the experience of everyone in your group.

A straightforward mountain path in good visibility can become much more challenging in strong winds or poor visibility. Exposed ridges and scrambling routes may become inappropriate in conditions that would be manageable on less exposed terrain.

Plan a realistic route with an appropriate start time, an estimate of how long it will take and alternatives if the weather deteriorates.

Most importantly, be prepared to change the plan.

The route you want to do and the route you should do aren’t always the same thing.

2. Learn to navigate with a map and compass

Carry a suitable map and compass and learn how to use them before you need them.

Understand how to take a bearing, identify features on the map, use grid references and establish where you are when visibility deteriorates.

A phone with a downloaded map or GPS route is a valuable tool, provided you know how to use it. But don’t make it your only option.

Practise navigation in familiar terrain and good conditions before relying on it in the mountains.

If you’re unsure where you are, don’t keep walking in the hope that the route will eventually become obvious. Stop, assess your position and work out your next move.

Navigation is a skill. Like any skill, it improves with practice.

3. Carry the right equipment, including for things going wrong

Your kit should reflect the route, conditions, season and length of your day.

Consider suitable footwear, waterproof clothing, warm layers, food, water, a headtorch with spare power, a first-aid kit, an emergency shelter and a fully charged phone.

Carry a paper map and compass, and make sure you know how to use them.

Think about what would happen if you were delayed by several hours, injured a leg or had to wait for help in poor weather. Would you have enough clothing to stay warm? Could you see after dark? Could you communicate your location?

Don’t pack only for the day you hope to have. Pack for the problems you might reasonably encounter.

4. Match the route to your ability, not your ego

Be honest about your fitness, experience, confidence on steep ground and navigation skills.

Research the route properly. Understand its technical difficulty, exposure, ascent, distance and likely duration. Don’t assume that a popular route is suitable for everyone simply because lots of people have completed it.

If you’re new to scrambling, build your experience gradually. Learn the skills required and consider going with a suitably qualified and experienced instructor or guide.

The same applies to groups. Your plan should account for the abilities of the least experienced person, not simply the strongest person setting the pace.

And if you reach a point where you’re uncomfortable, conditions have deteriorated or you’re unsure how to proceed, reassess the situation.

There is no shame in turning around. There is no prize for continuing when the risks no longer make sense.

5. Set clear turnaround points and know when to stop

Before you set off, decide what would make you change your plans.

That might be a particular time, a change in the weather, poor visibility, unexpected difficulty, fatigue or a group member struggling to continue.

Set a realistic turnaround time that leaves enough daylight and energy for the descent. Remember that reaching the summit is only part of the journey.

Don’t allow the fact that you’ve come so far to dictate what you do next. The time and effort you’ve already invested don’t make an unsafe decision any safer.

If someone in the group is struggling, take that seriously. If you can’t confidently navigate the terrain ahead, stop and reassess rather than blindly following a line on a screen.

And if you are in danger or someone is seriously injured, call 999, ask for the Police and request Mountain Rescue. Don’t delay an emergency call because you’re embarrassed or worried about being judged.

Prevention is important, but so is recognising when you need help.

We need to change what we celebrate in the outdoors

I want more people to experience the mountains. I want people to challenge themselves, explore unfamiliar places, learn new skills and discover what they’re capable of.

That’s exactly why I do what I do through Yonder Adventure Company.

But I also want us to rethink what we consider an impressive mountain day.

Is it really more impressive to tackle an exposed ridge without understanding the risks, or to recognise that the conditions aren’t right and make a better decision?

Is it a badge of honour to get lost without the skills to find your way, or is it a reminder that you have something important left to learn?

And when someone tells us a story about nearly getting into serious trouble, should we only celebrate how they made it through, or should we ask what they learned and what they would do differently next time?

Adventure will always involve uncertainty. We can’t eliminate every risk, and no amount of planning guarantees that nothing will go wrong.

But we can make better decisions. We can develop our skills. We can prepare properly and recognise the limits of our experience.

We can also stop treating unnecessary danger as a measure of achievement.

The mountains offer more than a summit photograph or a dramatic story to tell afterwards. They offer the chance to develop confidence, resilience, judgement and a deeper understanding of the natural world.

Those things take time. They require learning, patience and sometimes the humility to admit that we’re not ready for a particular challenge.

And that is absolutely fine.

Because the real measure of a successful mountain day isn’t simply that you reached the summit, or that you made it back down after things went wrong.

It’s that you understood the challenge, made good decisions and gave yourself the best possible chance of coming home safely.

That’s the kind of adventure worth celebrating.

Ready to build your mountain skills?

At Yonder Adventure Company, we believe that adventure and good preparation go hand in hand.

Whether you’re new to the mountains, looking to develop your confidence or ready to take on a more challenging route, our guided mountain walks and scrambling experiences in Eryri and beyond can help you explore with greater confidence and understanding.

You don’t just get someone to lead you up a mountain. You benefit from the experience, local knowledge and judgement of a qualified Mountain Leader who can help you understand the landscape, manage the challenges and make informed decisions along the way.

Don’t wait until you’ve had a frightening experience to decide that mountain skills are worth investing in. Learn before you need them.

Explore the mountain adventures available through Yonder Adventure Company and take the next step towards becoming a more confident, capable and responsible mountain user.