As the weather gets colder and stormier, hiking in the hills can get riskier, especially for the poorly prepared. For mountain rescue services, a helicopter rescue basket stretcher can become an increasingly important and well-used piece of equipment.

Mountain safety has been in the news a lot recently, after a couple of high-profile fatal accidents on Snowdon’s Crib Goch ridge and Sharp Edge in the Lake District.

While nothing could be done for the two individuals in these cases, many more accidents lead to serious but survivable injuries. Often, rescue teams cannot evacuate the casualty on foot, so airlifting becomes the best option.

When Are Helicopters Required For Mountain Rescues?

Mountain rescue helicopters may be called in several circumstances:

• The terrain makes swift access to the casualty and evacuation impractical
• Cold weather means the injured party is at risk of hypothermia
• The injuries are so severe that rapid evacuation to a hospital could be a matter of life and death
• Equipment like a basket stretcher can immobilise the joints more easily, reducing discomfort for the victim

Cases do not just include people scrambling on narrow mountain ridges, as accidents can happen in various ways, such as an incident last month when a horse rider needed to be airlifted to hospital after a fall near Hay Bluff in the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.

Another incident occurred in September when the Cockermouth Mountain Rescue team in the Lake District needed a helicopter to help airlift an injured walker from by Ruddy Beck, a hard-to-access location above Buttermere.

This time of year is sure to bring more mountain incidents. Although the volume of people taking to the hills will be lower than in summer and there may be fewer ill-equipped individuals, conditions will be more hazardous.

Whether it is the short daylight hours, snow and ice on high ground, or windier conditions, the dangers are sure to be greater, as will the need for faster rescues.

That is why helicopter teams will need equipment like basket stretchers to ensure they can get people off the hills swiftly.