SARDA Wales have been operational since Wednesday in the search for a missing climber in the Ogwen Valley. Christopher Whitfield set off on Sunday to go climbing in Snowdonia, but failed to make contact with his family or friends.
Members of OVMRO, NEWSAR, SARDA Wales and RAF Valley MRT carried out an extensive search of the popular scrambling and walking routes, assisted by a helicopter from 22 Squadron. Unfortunately, no sign of the missing person was found so the search was called off in the late evening.
Three of our Mountain Search Dogs & Handlers and one of our trailing dogs continued the search over Thursday and Friday and on Friday afternoon Sally & Spin found a body under the main cliffs of Glyder Fawr in an area known locally as High Pastures. North Wales Police are currently carrying out a formal identification. The colour of his clothing and the consistently poor weather made the man very difficult to see and the find re-iterated the value of search dogs.
Members of OVMRO were called and arrived to carry out the man by stretcher, 22 squadron also provided assistance in taking the mans body to hospital in Bangor.
Our thoughts are now with the family and friends of the missing man and we send them all our deepest condolences. He was a member of our small community of climbers and mountaineers and died in the mountains that we all love.
Saturday, 30 June 2012
Thursday, 28 June 2012
Operational in Ogwen
Yesterday SARDA Wales were operational on a mountain search in Ogwen. A 42 year old male was reported overdue by 2 days from a walking trip in Snowdonia. His car was located in the Ogwen Valley, where it had been since Sunday afternoon so a search was started. Members of OVMRO, NEWSAR, SARDA and RAF Valley MRT carried out an extensive search of the popular scrambling and walking routes, assisted by a helicopter from 22 Squadron. Unfortunately, no sign of the missing person was found so the search was called off in the late evening. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18623769
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Jubilee Beacon
Here are a couple of photos from Monday night where dogs and handlers from SARDA Wales joined members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team and Walking with the Wounded to light the Jubilee Beacon on the summit of Snowdon. There is also a great video of the Para Flares being let off after the beacon had been lit here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150832479197032&set=vb.520387031&type=2&theater
Sunday, 3 June 2012
Jubilee Beacon
Tomorrow evening members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team & SARDA Wales will join a group of soldiers who have just returned from the Everest region to ascend to the summit of Snowdon in support of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.
Soldiers representing the charity ‘Walking with the Wounded’ and will light a beacon on the summit of Yr Wyddfa, (Snowdon) at 1085 meters the highest point in Wales and the fabled home of Rhita Gawr . This is one of four beacons lit on the summits of the highest national peaks in Britain, Snowdon’s beacon will be lit at 22:29.
This joint venture is in support of the Trust set up by the Princes Harry, who is the Patron of the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ campaign and Prince William, who is patron of the Mountain Rescue Council for England and Wales. Members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, together with dogs and handlers from SARDA (Wales) will accompany the soldiers and escort them from Pen y Pass walking along the PyG Track to the summit and descend along the path to Llanberis. This therefore, is a brilliant example of joint participation between the charities.
The soldiers are to be congratulated for their efforts on Everest, which was sadly curtailed because of bad weather and dangerous snow conditions. However, their effort with the ‘8848’ fundraising event is to be applauded as it aims to turn the height of Everest in meters into pounds. The historical links between the conquest of Everest in 1953 and Snowdon are well documented at Pen Y Gwryd, the adopted home of the first successful ascent of Everest.
The Llanberis Team will represent all of the Welsh mountain rescue teams and proudly wave the flag on their behalf on the summit. The ‘Walking with the Wounded’ participants have been awarded the honour of lighting the beacon on the summit. However, once the official beacon has been lit it is the Teams intention to light the night sky by firing some para-flares in support of the occasion once the beacon celebrations have ended. The intention is to draw attention to the charity work of all the Welsh mountain rescue teams so that the Welsh Dragon will breath flames once again in support of the celebratory events.
Soldiers representing the charity ‘Walking with the Wounded’ and will light a beacon on the summit of Yr Wyddfa, (Snowdon) at 1085 meters the highest point in Wales and the fabled home of Rhita Gawr . This is one of four beacons lit on the summits of the highest national peaks in Britain, Snowdon’s beacon will be lit at 22:29.
This joint venture is in support of the Trust set up by the Princes Harry, who is the Patron of the ‘Walking with the Wounded’ campaign and Prince William, who is patron of the Mountain Rescue Council for England and Wales. Members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, together with dogs and handlers from SARDA (Wales) will accompany the soldiers and escort them from Pen y Pass walking along the PyG Track to the summit and descend along the path to Llanberis. This therefore, is a brilliant example of joint participation between the charities.
The soldiers are to be congratulated for their efforts on Everest, which was sadly curtailed because of bad weather and dangerous snow conditions. However, their effort with the ‘8848’ fundraising event is to be applauded as it aims to turn the height of Everest in meters into pounds. The historical links between the conquest of Everest in 1953 and Snowdon are well documented at Pen Y Gwryd, the adopted home of the first successful ascent of Everest.
The Llanberis Team will represent all of the Welsh mountain rescue teams and proudly wave the flag on their behalf on the summit. The ‘Walking with the Wounded’ participants have been awarded the honour of lighting the beacon on the summit. However, once the official beacon has been lit it is the Teams intention to light the night sky by firing some para-flares in support of the occasion once the beacon celebrations have ended. The intention is to draw attention to the charity work of all the Welsh mountain rescue teams so that the Welsh Dragon will breath flames once again in support of the celebratory events.
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