“After calming the casualty and providing reassurance, the group were all helped back down the mountain,” it said.
This group were lucky; Tryfan is a challenging climb involving steep edges and ridges, and not all climbers who call the rescue team for help make it off the mountain alive.
Rescuers say new hikers must consider whether they’re comfortable with the mountain’s steep terrain, have strong navigational skills, and remember the sun can set quickly, so people taking sunset photos should pack “proper” torches.
In the comments, some claimed the rise in incidents was related to the rising popularity of hiking on social media.
One person said they knew their “limits” regarding hikes, but videos on TikTok could mislead others by framing challenging hikes as “stunning areas to walk”.
Another said issues arose when people used Instagram as their primary source of information.
“People just see a post on Instagram and think oh I give it a go without doing their research,” they wrote.
Facebook is also an issue, one person commented.
“There are too many idiots on FB sites related to Eryri and mountaineering boasting about how easy it is and encouraging others who have little or no experience to go for it,” they wrote, adding it was the same for Crib Goch, a “knife-edged” ridge also in Snowdonia.
In May, a fitness content creator, @brooklynlouisa, shared a TikTok of her climbing the tallest mountain in Wales, Snowdon.
At 1085m, it’s roughly the same height as Mt Tarawera.
Brooklyn starts the video, which has been viewed more than 50,000 times, by admitting a “lack of research” meant they didn’t know climbers must pre-book certain car parks. However, they completed the hike in 6.5 hours and said the views were incredible.
One commenter asked for “any tips or tricks lol” because they were climbing the peak soon and had no experience. Brooklyn recommended wearing hiking boots and taking plenty of breaks.
According to a video shared by another content creator, @hollyhunter101, the inexperienced hiker would be just fine.
“When you randomly decide to climb Mt Snowdon with no hiking experience,” reads the caption of a video posted in 2022, showing the woman climbing to the peak.
This isn’t the first summer hikers have grown overly confident.
Last year, rangers from Snowdonia asked visitors to stop sharing hiking videos and photos of Mt Snowdon (or Yr Wyddfa in Welsh) because it encouraged too many tourists to try challenging tracks or flock to picturesque spots, the Telegraph reported.
Snowdonia National Park partnership manager Angela Jones told the Telegraph “social media has caused over-capacity”, which put “huge pressure” on the local community, natural area and rescue resources.
