Tragic return from the summit of Snowdon in Wales
Birmingham resident Sophie Goodyear-Bird, 35, has died while descending Mount Snowdon (Ir-Wirdwa in Welsh) in the Eriri National Park. The tragic incident occurred on July 10 during a summer hike.
The woman set off on the Pig Trek route with a friend and safely reached the summit. However, on the way back, near the Pen-y-Pass parking lot, the tourist felt very weak and began to lose her balance. Passers-by tried to help her by offering her water and cooling her neck, but she soon lost consciousness. The mountain rescue service was called and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but at 14:18 she was pronounced dead.
The coroner's hearing in Carnarvon was told that the woman had been drinking heavily and exercising heavily during the crossing. A post-mortem examination confirmed that she died of natural causes, caused by heatstroke due to prolonged and strenuous exercise in warm weather.
Source: Tragedy as mum, 35, dies of heatstroke scaling Snowdon - Daily Record
From the editor
The important point is that it was in July! But for some reason, British journalists only wrote about this dramatic event in November, when news of heatstroke is perceived as quite exotic.
Context
The Pyg Track, which starts at Pen-y-Pas at an altitude of around 359 metres above sea level, is considered one of the shortest but technically most difficult classic routes to the summit of Ir-Uiddwa (Snowdon). It runs along the rocky slopes of the Cribb-Goh range above the glacial lakes of Llyn Llidaw and Glaslyn, where the rocky, treeless highlands are completely exposed to the wind and direct sunlight.
The Eriri National Park administration classifies the route as physically exhausting. Due to the sharp elevation gain of over 700 meters and the exposed rocky terrain, even in moderately warm weather, the microclimate in the mountain bowls (kumas) of the massif creates a significant load on the body's thermoregulation.