Team History
DW doing his stuff in the early 1970s
"The Team was officially formed in September 1973, and was originally named the slightly cumbersome and somewhat brand-conscious "Outward Bound Sea School, Aberdovey Mountain Rescue Team." In 2023 we proudly celebrated 50 years of Search & Rescue in the Mountains, valleys, villages and towns of South Snowdonia"
In part the above headline is true, and if nothing else it gives a clear starting point to calculate anniversaries, but the reality of our story is a bit more complex and a lot less clear-cut. To work out the full story, we need to take a deeper-dive into the history of Mountain Rescue in North Wales.
A Hollywood imagining of the origins of a generic mountain rescue team would probably see two gnarly old war veterans, normally at loggerheads with one another, being forced to work together to pool their impressive skill-sets and pull off the audacious rescue of some unfeasibly attractive students trapped in the mountains. Having found a grudging respect for one-another, an idea emerges “We could train others to do this too….” And credits roll with a dedication to “the men and women who selflessly serve in mountain rescue teams around the world.” Starring George Clooney and Clint Eastwood as the world-weary heroes who have seen too much. Obviously.
Glamorous as it may be, this hypothetical Hollywood version bears little in common with the origin story of Mountain Rescue in North Wales, where there seems to have been no single galvanising incident, but rather a steadily increasing number of people getting into trouble on the mountains. And it probably did not involve George Clooney either.
As a history, this remains a working document. If you have additions or corrections to add, please get in touch.
In part the above headline is true, and if nothing else it gives a clear starting point to calculate anniversaries, but the reality of our story is a bit more complex and a lot less clear-cut. To work out the full story, we need to take a deeper-dive into the history of Mountain Rescue in North Wales.
A Hollywood imagining of the origins of a generic mountain rescue team would probably see two gnarly old war veterans, normally at loggerheads with one another, being forced to work together to pool their impressive skill-sets and pull off the audacious rescue of some unfeasibly attractive students trapped in the mountains. Having found a grudging respect for one-another, an idea emerges “We could train others to do this too….” And credits roll with a dedication to “the men and women who selflessly serve in mountain rescue teams around the world.” Starring George Clooney and Clint Eastwood as the world-weary heroes who have seen too much. Obviously.
Glamorous as it may be, this hypothetical Hollywood version bears little in common with the origin story of Mountain Rescue in North Wales, where there seems to have been no single galvanising incident, but rather a steadily increasing number of people getting into trouble on the mountains. And it probably did not involve George Clooney either.
As a history, this remains a working document. If you have additions or corrections to add, please get in touch.
The (Very) Early Days (click to expand)
Victorian Climbers on Tryfan
The 1950s and 1960s (click to expand)
The 1970s (click to expand)
Tony Mills, leading a hill party circa 1972/73
The 1980s (click to expand)
The 1990s (click to expand)
The 2000s (click to expand)
The 20-Teens : a decade of change (click to expand)
The 2020s : Future in the making (click to expand)