Goats on the Ridge.
(logged in detail as very unusual incident and potential for serious harm to group)
Mike and Becs had made really good progress up the initial scramble on East Face, both having a go at route finding to build confidence.
As we neared the main ridge we could see two goats fighting on Crest of ridge. They were not moving for anybody (it was mating season, so goats were uncharacteristically aggressive). There was a backlog of people waiting to pass and more coming up.
I thought our best option was to skirt below and around the goats- put it to the group and they were happy with plan.
I notified all on ridge in our vicinity and made clear our intentions. As we all dropped off the ridge, the guy behind decided to be the hero and scare the goats by shouting and throwing stones! This brought the (still fighting) goats down off ridge, uncomfortable close and put us in real danger. I quickly got group out of danger and back onto ridge. acted calmly and firmly to keep the group cool under considerable stress. Resisted urge to have a word with the hero as did not want to cause any more stress on ridge, despite frustrations at his carelessness.
Rest of traverse and the day was a beauty!
Area :
Snowdon Massif
Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa, pronounced [?? 'w?ðva]) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain".[3] It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.
