FOR YEARS, WHAT MAKES THEM SO LETHAL? are Britain’s deadliest mountains
BEN NEVIS, SCOTTISH
HIGHLANDS THE name of Britain’s highest peak is the translation from the Scottish Gaelic ‘Beinn Nibheis’, meaning ‘mountain of heaven’ – but for underprepared climbers it can be hell.
Piercing the sky at a lofty 4,408 feet, Ben Nevis, near Fort William in the Scottish Highlands, is tackled by around 200,000 walkers and climbers every year.
But with thick cloud, sub-zero temperatures, arduous terrain and huge drops to contend with, not all of them make it back down alive.
Despite the best efforts of mountain rescue teams, several people meet their end on Ben Nevis every year – 20 people died in 2008 alone – and many more suffer serious injuries. SCAFELL PIKE, LAKE DISTRICT ANYONE who tackles Scafell Pike should make sure their boots really are made for walking – because the loose boulders underfoot can prove lethal.
Officially the highest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, situated near Borrowdale and Wasdale in Cumbria, stands at 3,209 feet above sea level.
In comparison to other peaks, its walking routes aren’t particularly steep, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t dangerous, and a number of people have died trying to negotiate the terrain.
In December, James Kirk, 53, from Darrington, West Yorks, died after slipping on ice on his way up the Lord Rake’s Traverse part of the mountain.
HELVELLYN, LAKE DISTRICT IF ever proof was needed that size isn’t everything, then Helvellyn is it.
With a summit of 3,117 feet above sea level, it’s like nearby Scafell Pike’s slightly less gargantuan cousin.
But what the peak lacks in size, it makes up for in character.
Striding Edge provides an all-natural yet highly dangerous obstacle course, which can be deadly if tackled without an axe and crampons.
SNOWDON, WALES THE UK’s second-highest peak is dubbed ‘Killer Mountain’.
The 3,560-feet mountain was given the macabre moniker in 2009 following a series of falls and several deaths from the railway path near Clogwyn D’ur Arddu.
What’s more, Clogwyn Coch, the area from which the walkers slipped and fell has been afforded the nickname, ‘Killer Convex’.