Ireland's proximity to the Atlantic means that the mountains here can sometimes experience storms of a ferocity seldom seen in many larger mountain ranges elsewhere.

Wind speed increases with height and can be one of the greatest dangers to hillwalkers, at times being strong enough to literally knock people off their feet. In these conditions the best advice is not to venture into the hills at all, but if you are caught out, rope your party together if you are carrying a walking rope, and try to descend as soon as practicable, avoiding precarious ground and cols (saddles) if possible.

Temperature decreases with altitude, at a rate of approximately 2-3°c per 300 metres height gained (known as the lapse rate). In reality, what this means for the mountaineer is that the temperature on the mountain tops may be as much as 10°c lower than that at the valley floors, and when increased windchill is taken into consideration, winter temperatures may fall as low as -20°c. These are severe conditions indeed, and require the best of equipment just to survive.

Precipitation on the other hand increases with altitude, and may be up to 300% greater than in neighbouring lowlands. Mountain rivers can become swollen extremely quickly, and what was crossable in the morning may not necessarily be crossable on your return that evening. Drowning may not appear on most hillwalkers' lists of potential dangers but several hillwalkers have been drowned in the past, and it should be regarded as a very real danger - if in doubt, do not attempt to cross! Mist and cloud present obvious complications for navigation, and can appear surprisingly quickly in the mountains.

Severe lightning is rare in the Irish hills, but nevertheless can occasionally present a danger to walkers. If caught out, conventional wisdom is to try to avoid summits, ridges, spurs, cave entrances and obvious danger spots such as trees. Descend as soon as you can, or sit on your rucksack on an open slope, particularly on a boulder field where the current may pass safely beneath you.

Winter conditions obviously present a full set of dangers of their own. Always use an ice axe and crampons (after learning how to use them correctly!), and do not venture out unless you are fully familiar with the additional risks posed (eg. cornices, avalanche danger etc.) and the ways to minimise them

Cold, wind and rain, combined with exhaustion, are the principle causes of hypothermia, therefore it is hardly surprising that hillwalkers and mountaineers are potentially at risk, given that these are the 'normal' conditions we find ourselves exposed to. The good news is that a little knowledge can go a long way in preventing, recognising and treating hypothermia, and there is no reason why it should become a major problem, providing that you take sensible precautions (particularly in relation to clothing, food, fitness level, choice of route and awareness of weather implications). Do, however, be aware of the hidden danger of mild hypothermia - that you may become mentally as well as physically lethargic, impairing your judgement and causing you to make poor decisions (eg. navigation). This has the potential to result in your situation rapidly spiralling out of control.

return to Top