UKH

What is the most dangerous mountain in the uk ?

How are you defining dangerous? Accidents per year? Accidents per visitor? 

Probably the Ben.

It varies. At any given time the mountain most likely to hurt me is the one I am on.

Mount Vernon...?

or perhaps Mountblow

In terms of frequency of accidents probably Snowdon.

Great Glass Elevator

It used to be Cyril Smith.

Can't answer the question as it is probably too vague.

What I did find were Mountain Rescue incident statistics. Does not help to identify specific mountains but I did find some of the information enlightening. (Lot of the incidents are non-mountaineering incidents)

https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SMR_Stati...

https://www.mountain.rescue.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/2017MREWIncid...

You may have to define your question a bit more otherwise you may just get subjective opinions.. Depends if you want quantifiable data or people's perceptions.

Cat Bells.

I think it's an interesting question, but as stated above, it needs refining.

Aonach Eagach

The wet one.

In terms of hospital visits per year probably one with a mountain bike centre near a major population cluster.

jk

Even when it's dry?

If we mean the ratio of serious accidents to the number of people climbing on it, then probably the Black Cuillin (if we take it to be one mountain, which in a sense it is.)

Mount Florida on an Old Firm cup final day.

Brown Willy.

The South Downs above Lewes can be pretty nasty in the right conditions.

Too broad a question to answer. Dangerous for what? What do you mean by danger? Winter routes (I'm gonna guess the Ben)? Rock Climbing? Walking and scrambling? 

Also bear in mind if you start looking at the number of rescues you'll probably find you're just looking at "Most popular in poor conditions" Which again I'll guess Ben Nevis or as another poster suggested, Snowdon. 

Mount Snowdon causes multiple apoplexy cases every week almost. Experienced pedants fall for it all the time.

Well I guess in a similar vein we should consider anything in the Peaks... 

x10 if you're a resident trying to get parked !! ;p

Yes indeed. Many a blood vessel ruptured by the Peaks. Known to be bad for teeth gnashing and mouth foaming too.

In Scotland I wouldn't be surprised if Arthur's Seat was right up there for numbers of injuries/deaths if you include suicides and heart attacks as well as falls.

Debt

How about this question? What is the most dangerous easiest route to a mountain summit in the UK? And what is the most dangerous normal descent?

Let's assume for competent well equipped people and take out ones where accident statistics are caused by sheet numbers.

Any mountain scrambled.

You can't create a screelette without breaking a few rocks.

The one where people are having the least fun.

Swirral in winter, 4 gulley on the Ben, descent path from lost valley or lochain, or even the path down to New-DG claims a few ankles of tired summer tourists. 

Yes, it's the location of Britain's worst avalanche disaster. In 1836 an avalanche engulfed a row of workers cottages on the eastern outskirts of Lewes burrying 15 people of whom 8 perished. 

A pub known as the Snowdrop now stands on the site

That made me smile. 

Anyone remember the butter mountain? Deadly to arteries (maybe

I think it’s Great Mell Fell

You're getting better: 36 replies without input from you.

Definite improvement, B-

Wherever Dangerous Dave is doing his thing

Took me a while, but assume this a reference to the shooting range (my grandparents where regulars)??

Could it be - rather - Crib Goch ? I believe a few quite a few tourists 'freeze' when they get up there

He's doing well. Some are taking it seriously. I'd give it an A if he refrains from posting.

Apparently Outdoors Magic have the answer....

https://outdoorsmagic.com/article/dangerous-mountains-uk/

Mount Ogwen

Yes. 
I wondered if anyone would make the connection.

Very difficult questions. I suppose that, again, something on the Cuillin is the most dangerous/hardest, e.g. Sgurr Thearlaich or Clach Glas?? Ditto the descent off either of those. The big 'normal route' descent off Blaven is quite something. I wouldn't like to have to do that very steep, quite complex zig-zag route, without prior knowledge, in cloud and rain when you can't see where you're going. The descent from the In Pin down into Coire Lagan is quite treacherous, too, in bad conditions. Am Basteir, also, pretty heavyweight in terms of seriousness (much of it being: 'one slip and you're dead.')

Tryfan

My grandfather was born in Threlkeld, both grandparents really into rifle shooting and I remember they had a cabinet full of trophies. Reckon after their half time tipple their inaccuracy would make it well dangerous. 

Rum Doodle.

"Bolt's Law" sounds well 'ard in a 1980s gangster kind of way.

I remember following reports on the Rum Doodle expedition and don't recall any serious accidents occurring, even amongst members who previously had not been high. Lassitude was, however, a serious problem amongst many expedition members.

And a certain irony in No. 7 on that list😀

Many mountains have relatively easy aspects and potentially lethal aspects depending which way you choose to go.

Shitty article, written by somebody who has never been there:

"As with Crib Goch the Aonach Eagach is long, narrow and exposed ... Classic accident points include ... trying to descent the deceptively tricky Clachaig Gully rather than continuing along and down easier ground."

Hmm yes I have seen loads of helicopters on Tryfan and it is very easy to get lost 

I agree why is pen y fan hellvelyn and the easy grade 1 ridges like crib goch in there as long as you have a head for height and the weather is ok it should be fine 

I mean like for how many people have went to the top how many accidents have happened 

Per visitor 

He's replied, folks!! It doesn't make much sense, but he's replied!

OK. You know this doesn't necessarily make it the most dangerous or "Extreme" (Puke) mountain. Ben Nevis or whatever attracts thousands of very inexperienced, very unfit walkers 'cos it's the biggest init, so probably has a lot of accidents in a season.

I've never heard of a dangerous mountain. Risk-taking behaviour (consciously or unconsciously) - it's all down to human behaviour.

Is this a bit like -

Guns don't kill people - people kill people? 

Not entirely. There are features of certain mountains that make it more likely that people will have accidents, even experienced hill goers. Things like accessibility, apparent simplicity, navigational traps etc.

Broad Stand on Scafell must rank high up on the list of accident spots which catch out inexperienced walkers. If you search the forums you will find a long debate about it on here a few years back which highlight how describing a route as a scramble rather than grading it as an easy rock climb lulls too many people into assuming it's less risky.

I soloed Broad Stand whilst on a Bob Graham recce once and a guy ran across shouting repeatedly 'where's your rope? where's your f*****g rope?' at me. He obviously felt quite strongly about the risks involved!

I have. And there are objective dangers. Have a climb on the Dru, and then get back to us.

Although, obviously, more a reflection on its popularity and accessibility rather than its severity.

Seriously? Objective dangers can be rather different between otherwise similar mountains, or can differ from year to year. No need to look at anything extreme, but for a while the normal routes onto Weissmies from the North or Grandes Jorasses from the South were a baaaaaad idea due to the state of the seracs.

Or, compare Ortler with its neighbours Zebru and Königsspitze / Gran Zebru. Rather obvious to identify the dangerous one!

CB

Ingleborough could lay claim to the crown. Apart from hosting hordes of the unfit, poorly equipped and overly optimistic on its Three Peaks route it is probably the most climbed mountain for its own sake outside the Lakes. Then there are the underground dangers. It has more caves than any other UK mountain - the CRO (who also provide fell rescue) are based at its foot for good reason. And lastly, it has a small share in the Ingleton Waterfalls Walk, the downfall of many an overweight tourist.

This is clearly not so as if you were kidnapped and placed on a random mountain, some would be much more dangerous places to be than others. I personally wouldn't fancy being on the North Face of the Eiger during a storm.

I watched a film about an expedition attempting to climb an active volcano in South America which spewed out chunks of molten larva every 15 mins or so, which rained down on the upper slopes. Not only did the climbers have to keep dodging these aerial missiles, but they actually endured a night's camping on it! Unsurprisingly in the morning, they abandoned the attempt, and I believe it still remains unclimbed.

Injuries per ascent. 
 

That would be the best way to measure it. The problem is different mountains attract different types of climbers/walkers. So Snowdon is an easy and ‘safe’ mountain in the Summer so it’s popular with the general public and probably has a low density of accidents. In the Winter it becomes a different mountain and hard and ‘dangerous’, even for experienced hill walkers. Less people visit, but more are injured or killed so the density goes up.  
 

What about specific routes?

It’s a combination. If no one climbs a mountain does that make it a safe one, or just one that no one has had an accident on?

Wouldn’t a risk adverse person not climb something because they thought it was too dangerous?
 

Is the danger then purely down to attitude or skill, or is it the conditions and other geophysical aspects? 

Guns don't kill people, it's mostly blood loss and trauma from the bullet holes.

Sounds pretty dangerous for the larvae as well; I suspect that few ever made it to the moth/butterfly stage.

I think Cengalo, especially anywhere near the east face, would count as a dangerous mountain right now, if recent history and the constant rockfall we heard from the Badile is anything to go by.

This is all very anthropomorphic. Some mountain where grouse get blasted to death? 

In terms of numbers of deaths and serious accidents, it has to be Ben Nevis? Surely. There are deaths every year on it. People getting avalanched, navving into Five Finger, slipping off Ledge Route unroped, etc. It has masses of people on it, and attracts a lot of people doing riskier activities. There are probably more punter accidents on Snowdon with people wandering off Cloggy or binning it off an icy cliff in their trainers but in numbers of body-recovery it has to be Ben.  

Stromboli is good value for danger right now: youtube.com/watch?v=gPWxc_lkuc8&

Has anyone mentioned Billy the Mountain yet?
youtube.com/watch?v=1QcdcOu0MTM&

Que??

Guns don't kill people, rappers do.

To me that's just about surefire proof that 'Aonach eagach is the best' is a spoof. But, to give him some credit, it is quite funny.

I saw it on a documentary on BBC2.

I'd suggest you contact Mountain Spirit (another poster) - you'll both be able to discuss this at length.

An Eilid, on Gruinard island?

though the anthrax is meant to have all been cleaned up now. 
 

and I suppose it’s stretching things to call it a mountain...

Within a few seconds of seeing his/her many threads IMO it was crystal clear that he/she was a troll and a huge time waster. Sadly I personally don't give him any credit at all, and find it very unfunny

Superb! 

Muswell hill. 

Ben Big

What's dangerous about the Dru. The dangerous but fell off and only the easy bits are left. 

Lol how am I a troll i was just asking something I was curious about since when’s that been agains the law 

Only trolls use 'lol' and the law was changed on 15th April, 2020

Are you speaking from experience? Which routes have you done on the peak? And how did you find them?

(I think you'll find that there are plenty of bits still falling off it ...)

Removal of dangerous bits is why serious climbers carry nitroglycerine.

In 1966 an avalanche engulfed the village of Aberfan killing 144. I'd say that was Britain's worst Avalanche disaster. 

Look mate this isn't a "what have you done on grit?" forum.

That wasn’t an avalanche, it was a landslide. 

true enough. My bad.

For their angina??

;p

Angina can be a serious problem when you are approaching your vertical limit.

Freebrough  Hill in North Yorkshire.  

The owner is dangerous - he doesn't like trespassers and the cattle he keeps on it are wild & unpredictable.

Will he kill u

Cow and Calf at Ilkley get plent of MRT and ambulance visits

It's always on "helicopter heroes" 😂

You missed out Mountain Warehouse. A cheap Pac-Mac and a compass from a Christmas cracker coupled with unfounded confidence has been the downfall of many a Londoner.

The compas on my phone would do better than that 😂

Not interested in a pissing contest. But from my own direct experience on a couple of routes, the Dru is an objectively dangerous peak, with plenty of bits still continually dropping off it.

(Lovely thing thing to have climbed, mind.)