‘Peopleneedtobeprepared’
SEVEN RESCUED ON MOUNTAINS IN BUSIEST CHRISTMAS PERIOD IN YEARS FOR KERRY MOUNTAIN RESCUE TEAM
KERRY Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) experienced its busiest Christmas period in years in response to three separate callouts involving seven hikers – all of whom had taken to the Reeks in conditions fit only for expert climbers. All were rescued, but at a cost of thousands of euros and countless man hours.
“It’s been busier than in previous years mainly due to the volatility of the weather conditions,” KMRT PRO Alan Wallace said.
“Such conditions are really for mountaineers with experience and who have the ability to navigate in poor visibility. In the lower levels of the mountain there is plenty of fantastic snow and lovely conditions for walking and people need to be more careful and not take risks as walking in cold and rain uses up extra energy,” he added.
The latest callout involving KMRT and helicopter R115 from Shannon occurred on Thursday evening at 11:30pm when 3 people (one male and two female) got into difficulty after the man sustained lower leg injuries climbing Howling Ridge, approximately 150m below the summit of Carrantuohill.
The climbers were reached at 3:30am by 4 KMRT volunteers who administered first aid and shelter prior to lifting the climbers to safety at 7am the next morning.
On St Stephen’s Day three separate emergency rescues took place when 20 KMRT volunteers escorted 4 men from the mountain in blizzard-like conditions. One of the climbers was rescued from the summit of Carrauntoohil and brought to hospital for treatment, while two climbers were rescued after they got into difficulty on their descent from the hazardous devil’s ladder.
This spate of rescues had been winding down when local gardaí received another call at 8:30pm on St Stephen’s night, this time from a German man in his 30s who got into difficulty on the mountain. The man’s exact whereabouts was unknown when Valentia Coast Guard, KMRT and R115 combed the Cnoc na Péiste and Hags Glen area of the mountain late on Tuesday evening.
The man was missing for over 15 hours but was spotted through binoculars as he walked across the mountain shortly before 10:30am on Wednesday morning on the ‘Bone’ in the Eastern Reeks. The man is reported to have made the distress call after severe winds damaged his tent.
“When we saw the man was walking it was very encouraging as the helicopter was able to winch him off and take him directly to University Hospital Kerry,” Alan said.
“I think people just get caught unawares this time of year. We don’t want to put people off having a trek on the mountain but they need to be better prepared and not take risks,” he added.
Meanwhile, in 2017, the thirty-five member KMRT responded to twenty-nine calls for assistance, consisting of 1144 rescue hours. Thirty-seven people were assisted on the mountain, while there was one fatality. Combined, KMRT members underwent 1115 team training hours.