Hello, I’m on the mountain. Now, how do I get down?

MOUNTAIN rescue has become more like a helpline as more people call for remote guidance from their mobile phones.

Mountain Rescue England and Wales said that teams are increasingly taking calls from walkers who are lost or confused and need reassurance or guiding down.

In some places, the increasing use of mobile phones has meant the focus of the service has changed from rescuing walkers caught up in an emergency to providing remote help.

Andrew Simpson, a spokesman for the service, said: “Mobile telephones mean we can talk people down when they need a little bit of help and it saves them being called out later when they need a lot of help.

“Several teams have reported that they are giving people guidance rather than activating a full team call-out.”

He said that walkers are increasingly using phones as a navigation tool, which is a “double-edged sword” as they can break or run out of battery, but when working allow teams to find lost and stricken hikers.

Figures released today by Mountain Rescue and the Ordnance Survey show that the number of call-outs attended by teams last year increased to 1,812, from 1,642 the previous year, as walking becomes a more popular pastime.

Research by the two organisations also showed that one in three 16 to 24-year-olds would take a paper map on a walk and just 30 per cent would take a compass.