2025 England & Wales Mountain Safety Forum Overview

The England & Wales Mountain Safety Forum brings together organisations from across the outdoor, rescue, education, public and voluntary sectors with a shared goal: reducing accidents and helping everyone enjoy the hills, mountains and crags safely. 

During Outdoor Safety Week, we are reminded of the shared responsibility we all carry when enjoying the hills, crag and mountains across the British Isles and beyond.

With the Easter Bank Holiday approaching and more people than ever heading to the hills, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is echoing a vitally important message from Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW): be prepared, be informed, and don’t rely on your phone alone.

It isn’t just winter that brings threatening weather to the British hills. Summer storms can be fatal – so what should you do to stay safe?

In the winter hills you need to constantly make informed decisions, some of these relating to avalanche conditions. In this article from Summit magazine, Andy Nelson takes a look at avalanches in the Scottish hills.

Here’s your heads-up to some of the most common winter walking mistakes and how to steer clear of them.

The BMC Incident and Near Miss reporting system helps to promote reflection and effect behavioural change to reduce the potential for future incidents.

Lowering off from a sport climb isn't always as easy as it is at the climbing wall. Knowing a few techniques can make the difference between an enjoyable day's climbing and a trip to A&E.

In this guide, we share tips to help you navigate your way back to safety in the event of a whiteout.

A look at the essential skill of abseiling. What do you need to know to get down in one piece?

A common and false perception of abseiling is that it is an adventure activity that is completely safe. But accidents do occur even in controlled circumstances.

Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor Rob Johnson explains the essentials of choosing and using your first ice axe and crampons for winter mountaineering.

Scrambling is sometimes described as the middle ground between walking and climbing - and for the higher grades in particular, you’ll need some basic climbing skills. Here's our guide to staying safe on the rock.

How often do you check your trad gear for damage or wear and tear? Here's the 'how' and 'why' of keeping your cams in check.

Do you carry a first aid kit in the mountains? We take a look at the essentials for any mountaineering first aid kit and how to use them.

From the serious to the seriously funny, Greg Boswell, Uisdean Hawthorn, Ross Hewitt and other experienced Scottish winter climbers offer their top advice - on what NOT to do.

Whilst emergencies are a rare occurrence in the hills, there are a few pieces of equipment that can make a massive difference if they do happen. 

Know what to do if you have an emergency in the British hills.

In recent years, the concern of the demands on Mountain Rescue volunteers across England and Wales has been increasing, in 2023 there was a total of 3,462 calls resulting in 2,775 deployments of team members, and over the whole year there was only nine days where no mountain rescue teams were called to respond to an incident.

Smart phones are not just becoming popular for navigating in the mountains, they can be very reliable and used correctly are more efficient than using the traditional map and compass. However, there is still a requirement to understand a map and how the terrain is interpreted around you.

Hill walking in the UK presents unique challenges due to the country’s varied and often unpredictable weather. Hill walkers should be aware of all the elements you may come across.

The BMC are urging people heading for Wales’ highest mountain in winter to be prepared.