Hart Crag

Incident Report #15 2024

A couple were unable to continue when they were overcome by snow and cold. They were located and assisted from the hill in very difficult conditions, during which a helicopter attempted to assist but was unable due to severe weather. Team members endured strong winds and heavy, deep snow. If we had not been able to locate them and get them down, it's fair to say the outcome could have been significantly different

#beadventuresmart 

Ask yourself three questions:

Do I know the weather forecast?

Do I have the right skills?

Man Hours
16 team members for 10 hours
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY369112

Incident Report #6 2024

Questionable decision making led to a couple going on to the high fells despite warnings of the approaching storm Isha. Forced to abandon a heavy rucsack they found themselves unable to continue and called for help. With considerable difficulty they were recovered in a joint effort by LAMRT, Patterdale, and RAF Leeming and Valley MRTs. A Coastguard helicopter also attempted access but was unable due to extreme weather conditions

Ask yourself three questions

Do I know what the weather will do?

Do I have the skills?

Do I have the equipment?

Man Hours
18 team members, plus Patterdale, RAF Leeming & Valley MRTs
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY370108

Incident Report #70 2017

A young male sustained  a suspected lower leg fracture at Link Hause. He was initailly cared for by a passing Keswick MRT member who was passing and raised the alarm. He was then treated by team membersand evacuated by stretcher with further assistance from Kendal MRT. It was a long, hot afternoon.

Man Hours
17 team members for 6 hours
Incident Type
OS Grid Reference
NY3655011550

Incident Report #99 2015

A woman was reported with an ankle injury. Because of the prolonged evacuation and cold we requested an helicopter to support. Air ambulance was unable to get in due to weather, so an S92 attended. By the time it had arrived, the weather had deteriorated further and it was hampered by lowering cloud base. Team members also attended and were able to treat the woman and remove he rto below the cloud, from where she was finally evacuated by the S92 which had returned from refueling. 

Man Hours
16 team members for 5 hours, plus RAF Leeming MRT
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY370109

Incident Report #23 2015

A lone male walker passed a couple who appeared to be struggling and making very slow progress on Hart Crag. Only when it took him a further two hours to reach the valley did he realise that they were unlikely to get down before dark. He raised the alarm and a search was made of the route. The woman was reported as wearing a sheepskin coat and fur hat, so inadequately dressed for the conditions. Nothing was found and it is assumed that they managed to get down unassisted (or they're still up there... cue mysterious music and rolling mist across a black and white image...)
Man Hours
6 team members for 5 hours
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY369112

Incident Report #94 2013

Two men contacted police asking for directions, being unable to locate a route off Hart Crag. A bit of detective work, followed by some difficulty actually managing to speak to them, due to poor mobile phone coverage, and we agreed that their best option was to follow the wall south from their location to Ambleside. They confirmed that they had safely found their way down at about 21:15
Man Hours
1 team member for 4 hours
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY369110

Incident Report #74 2013

A group of young people with a leader were reported as in difficulty, with one of the young people being assisted/carried by his companions. The informant had left the site, so further information was sparse. The team was deployed and the group were located. They continued to make their own way down, whilst accompanied by a couple of team members. Other team members were deployed to the second incident that had occurred.
Man Hours
12 team members for 3 hours
Incident Type
OS Grid Reference
NY374096

Incident Report #29 2013

A women sustained an ankle injury near the summit of Hart Crag. She was treated by team members and evacuated by stretcher. We were assisted by Kendal MRT on the long evacuation. While this rescue was in progress, we were called to two other rescues. It was a long day...

Man Hours
21 team members for 6 hours, plus Kendal MRT
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY369112

Incident Report #73 2012

A competitor in a fell race collapsed on the ridge between Hart Crag and Fairfield. Other competitors and hillwalkers quickly went to his aid, admininistering CPR. Lancs Police helicopter also landed to provide assistance, flying back to Ambleside to collect one of our defibrillators and a team member. An air ambulance also repsonded to a request to help and landed nearby. Team members were also deployed on foot as a back up. The man was evcacuated to hospital, but despite this combined effort, sadly, the man died.
Man Hours
9 team members for 1 hour
Incident Type
Location
OS Grid Reference
NY365116

Incident Report #33 2012

A man was reported feeling dizzy and unwell between Hart Crag and Dove Crag on the Fairfield Horseshoe ridge. The initial position was given as Fairfield, but we were able to refine that after talking to the casualty site. The team was alerted, along with the air ambulance. The man was recovered by air ambulance before we got there, so we were able to turn round after a long, bumpy drive and a short walk

Man Hours
10 team members for 1 hour
Incident Type
OS Grid Reference
NY3703610915

Incident Report #26 1996

A 17 year old girl, part of a Duke of Edinburgh Gold training expedition from Berkshire, was reported as unconscious, near the summit of Hart Crag. Ourselves, RAF teeming MRT, and a helicopter rushed to the scene to find nothing wrong with anyone. It is highly unlikely that there ever was anything wrong with anyone. The supervisors didn't seem unduly bothered that we had wasted our time, money, and resources, to be the victims of a practical joke! It does not help the case for free Mountain Rescue and no charge for helicopters when this sort of thing happens.
Incident Type
Location

Incident Report #25 2011

The team were requested to assist Patterdale MRT with a search for  a couple who had got lost while trying to complete the Fairfield Horseshoe. They were located on Hutable Crag, after the only light source they had, a camera flash was used to find them. They were escorted to Dunmail Raise by team members and returned safety.. no map, torch, compass,

Man Hours
20 team members for 5 hours, plus Patterdale MRT and SARDA
Incident Type
OS Grid Reference
NY367119

Incident Report #57 2002

A couple became lost on Hart Crag. The team was mobilised to look for them, when we were notified that they had been located by a Kendal MRT member walking in the area. He was walking them down to safety, but they were running out of daylight with only his torch, so we sent a couple of team members up with spare lights and helped them down.
 

Incident Type

Incident Report #27 2008

A man phone to say he was cragfast. Speaking to him suggested that he might be on Heron Pike. We were able to determine that he was probably on a north facing slope. After a prolonged search involving 4 mountain rescue teams and 2 SARDA dogs, he was located on very steep ground below Hart Crag. He was very cold and very stuck. He was evacuated up to better ground and then escorted off. The weather was very poor, being very wet and windy. Many other parties were encountered abandoning their routes, some of whom were heading in the wrong direction.

Man Hours
127.5, plus 9 Patterdale MRT, 10 Kendal MRT, 2 Penrith MRT and 2 SARDA (that's a lot of people!)
Incident Type
Location