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First Aid kits
It is recommended that you carry your own basic first aid kit. You may need some simple treatment for an injury – something as simple as a blister plaster – or you might be able to assist someone else.
If you have a minor accident, and need something like an antiseptic wipe, a plaster or a paracetamol, don’t be afraid to ask people around you. Many people carry a basic first aid kit and will be only too happy to help.
Beyond that, there is a first aid kit in the Wardens’ office at Pen y Pass and at the summit (when Hafod Eryri is open). Volunteer wardens, who mostly patrol the busier paths at the weekends and mid-week on a Wednesday, are First Aid trained and carry first aid equipment.
In an emergency
Should an injury leave you (or someone else in your group) unable to go back down the mountain unaided, ring 999 (or 112) and ask for Police, then Mountain Rescue. (See the page on mobile phone reception.) Mountain Rescue will want to know where exactly you are and what is the nature of the injury.
If you need to ring 999 but there’s no signal, if you have previously registered with emergencySMS (to register just text REGISTER to 999) you can send an SMS text message to 999. This message will often get out when reception isn’t good enough to allow a voice call. If you use this service, then in your text you should include which service you want (probably Mountain Rescue), what the problem is, and where exactly you are.
If Mountain Rescue agree that you do indeed need help, they will either arrange for a team to get to you, or for the rescue helicopter to come to you.
If cloud is low or the wind is too strong and the helicopter cannot get to you, it is likely you will have a long wait for the Mountain Rescue Team (depending where you are on the mountain).
It’s vital that you keep the injured person warm and comfortable while they wait for help, and this is why should should always carry extra layers in your rucksack. It’s very easy to get cold quickly at altitude when you’re not moving. A group shelter can also be useful to keep the worst of any wind and rain off, and in hot weather can provide shade as well as shelter.
If you come across a rescue team on a call-out, please give them – and especially the helicopter – plenty of space.
The winchman is lowered to help an injured walker near the Intersection.
Defibrillators
There are several defibrillators on the mountain:
- At the summit, by the entrance to Hafod Eryri (plus another one inside, when open)
- Outside the Halfway Café on the Llanberis Path
- At Penceunant Isaf café near the bottom of the Llanberis path
- At Pen y Pass (at the foot of the Pyg and Miners’ Tracks)
The defibrillator at the summit is in an insulated box.
Mountain Rescue
Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team is the main rescue team on Snowdon. They are a fully voluntary organisation and respond to mountain incidents on Snowdon and the surrounding mountains. The team is on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; they attend over 200 call-outs a year, and yet have no official funding, relying as they do on donations from members of the public to carry out this essential life-saving rescue service.
You can visit their website here, and if you wish to donate to their work, go to their donation page.