The man was climbing with two friends when he decided to turn back – but when he changed his mind and caught up with who he thought were his pals, he was in for a surprise
A hiker’s day out in the Eryri (Snowdonia) mountains took a terrifying turn when his adventure spiralled into chaos. He and his two friends had embarked on a climb up Y Garn, a 3,107ft peak renowned for its sweeping views of the national park.
Their route was via Twll Du, also known as “Devil’s Kitchen” in English. However, during the ascent, one of the men found the trek too strenuous and decided to rest before heading back to their vehicle.
After recuperating, he felt rejuvenated and chose to resume the climb, hoping to catch up with his friends. He eventually reached a group he assumed were his companions, only to be met with an unpleasant surprise.
As night fell, his situation worsened drastically, leading him to seek help from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (OVMRO).
North Wales Live reports the team recounted: “He caught up with his ‘friends’, only it wasn’t them…. nor the second group he caught up with either! Now lost and friendless, he decided to descend but strayed onto steep ground and became stuck.”
An OVMRO rescue team was already present on the mountain, having been summoned to assist two climbers stuck on Glyder Fawr. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
They were enroute back to base when they were redirected to aid the lone walker, who was now trapped in a precarious position.
An OVMRO spokesperson recounted the incident, noting: “The descending hill party changed direction and found him on a small ledge.
“They made him safe, gave him a torch and raised him to safe ground before guiding him down to his friends.”
This rescue was part of two distressing events on Saturday, May 3, which heralded a busy five days for the OVMRO. During this period, the team had to respond to six call-outs, two of which were delegated to other services.
That particularly busy day saw the OVMRO team in action from 10.50am until the early hours of 2am the next morning. Last week also included a response to an emergency near Abergwyngregyn on Tuesday evening, May 6.
In this incident, a hiker was injured chasing after his dog down a steep slope into a riverbed, suffering leg injuries against the rocky terrain.
After calling for help, the satellite SOS feature on his iPhone was used, which contributed to a quick coordinate lock and the initiation of a multi-agency rescue effort.
The walker was hoisted to safer ground by the OVMRO team and subsequently cared for by paramedics. On the following day, another incident demanded the team’s expertise at Twll Du after a walker experienced a severe fall.
The person involved tripped while carrying a large rucksack, plummeting downwards approximately 10 metres (33ft), resulting in a head wound.
OVMRO elaborated: “The casualty was found and treated by team casualty carers and placed in a stretcher before being moved to a suitable location for winching up.”
The injured individual was then air-lifted onto a Coastguard helicopter and transported to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for further medical attention.
