Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, the busiest in the UK, has warned that social media is driving an 'exponential' rise in callouts on Mount Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa). The team reported 33 rescues in October and 22 in November, with many involving unprepared young men attempting dangerous routes like Crib Goch.
Footage of precarious climbs on TikTok and Instagram has increased the appeal of Snowdonia's winter routes, despite snow, ice, and shorter days. A third of all callouts are for Crib Goch, a Grade 1 scramble that becomes 'far more serious in winter conditions', according to the team.
All those rescued from Crib Goch were males under 24. Jurgen Dissmann, Chair of Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, said: 'We've had multiple callouts for people getting into serious difficulty on Crib Goch — often because the terrain has been underestimated or experience overestimated.' He added that rescuer safety may delay responses in severe weather.
One TikToker, Nathan Buru, a fitness instructor from London, uploaded a video of his rescue from Crib Goch last month, warning others not to underestimate the mountain. He described developing severe cramp and being unable to move amid high winds, taking over four hours for the team to reach him. 'If they hadn't come that night, I'd be dead,' he said.
Dissmann noted that fatalities have risen from 4-6 per year to over that already this year, with three in recent months. He warned that if callouts continue to rise, the team may not cope: 'We will be able to get to people, but if you're just a bit tired or a bit hurty ankle, it might take us 5 hours to get to you.'
