'Time to get serious' about safety on Carrauntoohill, mountain rescuers warn

The Kerry Mountain Rescue Team completed their 16th rescue this month on Monday

Two of the three rescues this week involved long stretcher carries from high on Carrauntoohil. Picture courtesy of Kerry Mountain Rescue Team

The Kerry Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) has said “it’s time to get serious” about safety on Carrauntoohil after three call-outs, with long exhausting stretcher carries since Monday alone.

Climbing Ireland’s highest peak is “not a walk in the park” they warned, and executing rescues, especially from high up on the mountain on successive days, is exhausting for their volunteers, the team said.

KMRT spoke out on Monday after completing their 16th rescue in August.

They said they are coming across several inexperienced and ill-equipped hillwalkers, and observing families with young children trying to climb Carrauntoohil without the proper gear.

The team said the recent increase in call-outs is putting strain on its volunteer resources and it appealed to people to take more personal responsibility and ask themselves some key questions after their preparedness and ability before trying to climb Ireland’s highest peak.

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But since Monday, they’ve had three more call-outs – two of which were high on Carrauntoohil. Both cases involved head and other serious injuries.

“Long, exhausting stretcher carries were necessary,” team spokesman Alan Wallace said.

“Being called on successive days, places a huge strain on volunteers who are seriously committed to what they do,” he said.

“Volunteers who must juggle day jobs and family commitments - volunteers who are increasingly exhausted and worn down by sequential call-outs, volunteers who are loathe to judge the sequential errors that underlie serious accidents.” 

The team stressed that Carrauntoohil is not a “walk in the park” but is frequently approached as such – with serious consequences.

“It is not a way-marked trail. To some degree the mobile phone has undermined the old ‘self-reliance’ ethic that once underpinned mountaineering,” Mr Wallace said.

“Time to get serious, time to wear proper boots (not runners), time to consult the weather forecast in advance, time to research your intended route and the difficulties involved, time to carry a map and to know how to use it, time to have windproof waterproof layers, time to decide on the fitness of all in your group, time to decide when to turn for home, time to get serious,” he said.

However, KMRT said it fully understands that accidents can happen to anyone on the hills at any time regardless of experience and competence and that its members will always respond.