Snowdonia National Park – Working with Other Organisations
Activity 1
Undertake a Google search for ‘Walking in Snowdonia’. Many different sites will be listed.
Construct a table summarising the nature of the first 20 or so sites which appear. The sites listed may offer walking holidays, equipment for sale, accommodation and so on.
‘Challenges’
Over recent years, there has been an increase in the popularity of extreme sports such as ‘challenges’ in which people take on the challenge of climbing a number of mountain peaks, perhaps in a certain period of time. Often, participants are sponsored and raise money for a specific charity. Others simply enjoy extreme sports and the opportunity to test their skills and endurance. The National Park Authority has no direct involvement in these events, but rangers and other groups could be affected.
A number of websites featuring such challenges are listed below, along with a link to a number of ‘Youtube’ clips.
www.ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_id=418
www.actionforcharity.co.uk/eventdetailsnew.asp/urlsearch/Snowdonia-Charity-Challenge
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1191286/Helicopter-hunt-runners-storm-hits-Snowdonia-race.html
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7924562.stm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfCSYN-I-aQ&feature=related
Activity 2
After studying the sites and clips carefully, prepare a case for and against such challenges taking place within Snowdonia National Park. With regard to the case ‘against’, consider the health and safety perspective carefully.
Activity 3a
Use the link below to summarise the activities of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team.
www.llanberismountainrescue.co.uk/English/LLMRT HomePage.html
Activity 3b
Using the Previous Incidents section of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team website, produce a detailed analysis of the incidents covered during the chosen period.
www.llanberismountainrescue.co.uk/English/Previous.php
Activity 3c
There will always be a debate about whether or not people should be allowed access to mountain areas such as Snowdon, especially in the winter. In the same way as some people enjoy the challenges of climbing the mountains, others enjoy the spectacular winter scenery which can be found in mountain areas such as Snowdonia.
The links below will illustrate the debate about access to the mountains in winter. Should access to the mountains be restricted during periods of adverse weather? How can access be monitored? Should Mountain Rescue teams continue to be staffed by volunteers?
www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1575
www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/4433875/Snow-Britain-Two-climbers-killed-on-Mount-Snowdon.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLUd30WstWw&feature=related
Having studied the articles above, assess the case for restricting access to mountain areas such as Mount Snowdon during periods of adverse weather.