Live weather and conditions information is now available directly from the summit of Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), thanks to a new innovative project from the BMC and various partners. As part of the AdventureSmart project to provide simple, clear information, to help hill walkers and mountain users make their good mountain day better, this ground-breaking project should help you plan your day and hopefully also reduce some unnecessary call outs to Mountain Rescue.
With over half a million walkers each year, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) is by far the busiest mountain in the UK, with people from all corners of the globe travelling to enjoy its paths, peaks and cliffs.
However part of the price of its popularity is the increasing number of avoidable call outs to mountain rescue teams, often initiated by ill-prepared or inexperienced first time hill-walkers who may have underestimated impact the weather may have on their plans.
The BMC already provides live Winter Weather Conditions Information for winter climbers, mainly to help winter climbers be better informed when conditions are suitable for winter climbing and to help avoid damage to internationally important alpine vegetation.These projects are now live at Cwm Idwal in Snowdonia and at Helvellyn and Great End in the Lake District.
Now, with funding from the BMC Access & Conservation Trust, support from Visit Wales, Snowdonia National Park and Natural Resources Wales, live weather and conditions information is now available directly from the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).
CHECK: live Snowdon weather here
However as we are also here to support hill-walkers, it was thought that a similar scheme to help hill-walkers plan their days out would also be useful. Working in partnership with Snowdonia National Park Authority, Natural Resources Wales and the AdventureSmart project, funding was found and a contractor appointed (DataCymru Ltd) to design and install a simple weather station on the summit of Snowdon to provide live 24 hour weather information, including temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity levels and “feels like” temperature directly from the summit.
While designed primarily for hill-walkers on Snowdon, this weather station will also enable climbers going to Cloggy (Clogwyn Du’r Arddu), Cyrn Las or Lliwedd a better chance of grabbing their classic routes (in summer and winter) when the weather allows!
It’s hoped that the weather station will remain active all winter (dependent on solar power and battery life), but it’s likely that the wind monitor will eventually seize up in a winter freeze.
WATCH: Choosing winter boots and crampons on BMC TV
What is AdventureSmart?
AdventureSmart UK is a rollout of the safety campaign AdventureSmartWales which was launched in 2018. Adventure Smart Wales was a 2 year project, funded via the Welsh Government’s Tourism Product Innovation Fund which aims to encourage new innovative product ideas working in partnership which will have a greater impact and attract more visitors to Wales; with additional contributions from Snowdonia National Park Authority, British Mountaineering Council and Welsh Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The aim of the AdventureSmart project is to reduce the number of avoidable incidents which the rescue and emergency services deal with each year, while at the same time giving simple sensible advice that helps users make their good day better! The objective is to establish a comprehensive set of safety messages and videos to work with the outdoor sector to promote these far and wide. #BeAdventureSmart #whatkitareyouwearing #whatsinyourbag
While aimed primarily at the novice and inexperienced hill-walkers, the key AdventureSmart messages are equally vaild and pertinent to highly experienced mountaineers as well!
Be AdventureSmart
Ask yourself 3 questions before you set off:
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Do I have the right GEAR?
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Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?
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Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?
Check the latest mountain conditions
CHECK: Cwm Idwal (winter conditions)
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