Mountain walker died in fall while using map on phone
A UNIVERSITY librarian was killed while descending a 3,000ft mountain after her husband used a smartphone app to navigate instead of a map, an inquest heard.
Jane Wilson and her husband Gary were looking for a safe route off Snowdonia’s Tryfan peak at dusk when the incident happened, on March 25.
The couple, both experienced walkers, had decided not to climb the summit but instead, using the Ordnance Survey app on Mr Wilson’s smartphone to guide them, headed across the mountain’s west face.
In a statement to John Gittins, the coroner for north Wales east and central, Mr Wilson said his wife went a short distance ahead of him to look for a suitable route.
“I asked: ‘Is it OK? Is it safe?’, and we said we would only go if we both agreed,” he said. Mr Wilson, of Stockport, then described how he heard an exclamation, then another, followed by the sound of rock fall.
Det Con Tim Bird, the leader of the rescue team, said Mr Wilson had been using an OS app on his phone. “The image would have been small and not as detailed as on a proper map,” he said.
Mrs Wilson, 53, who worked at Manchester University, had initially fallen 30ft down a vertical cliff, fracturing her skull and sustaining other severe injuries in the fall.
Mr Wilson raised the alarm, and was led to safety by members of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue team, who later found his wife’s body 500ft lower down.
Chris Lloyd, who was in the Ogwen Rescue team, described the route the pair had taken as “not a straightforward path”.
Mr Bird told the inquest that Mrs Wilson had fallen 20 to 30ft down a vertical cliff, then tumbled about 490ft down into an area known as Notch arrete.
He said that although the weather was dry, the light boots worn by Mrs Wilson were not suitable for such rough terrain and she could have slipped.
Yesterday, the commercial director of Ordnance Survey advised walkers always to carry a paper map while using the OS smartphone app. Andrew Loveless said: “Due to the nature of mobile devices when navigating the real world, we will continue to encourage our customers to carry a paper version of the place they are exploring.”
Andy Simpson, a spokesman for Mountain Rescue England and Wales, also urged walkers to use a map and compass in addition to electronic navigation aids.