Y Garn, scene of the aborted helicopter rescue. Photo: George Tod CC-BY-SA-2.0

A rescue helicopter had to abort its mission as high winds prevented it airlifting an injured walker in Snowdonia.

The Sea King crew from RAF Valley tried to pluck the woman from Y Garn after she injured her head and leg but despite what rescuers described as amazing flying, the aircraft had to withdraw from the area.

The 47-year-old from Denbighshire suffered a severe gash to her knee-cap and minor head injuries when she slipped on rocks near the summit of the 947m (3,104ft) mountain.

Chris Lloyd of Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation said his team was alerted at 11.30am on Saturday. “The woman was well organised and equipped for a day on the hills. She had set off early so as to be back in the valley before the weather deteriorated.

“Being alone on the summit and with a poor weather forecast, she was concerned about her predicament. She dressed her badly gashed knee and made a valiant attempt to retreat off the mountain via the North East Ridge.

“Fortunately, two walkers arrived out of the low cloud and were able to raise the alarm.”

The Ogwen Valley team was joined by six members of the RAF Valley Mountain Rescue Team and they climbed the ridge to reach the walker.

Mr Lloyd continued: “The weather was deteriorating rapidly with low cloud, squally showers and very strong gusts of wind. The casualty made a brave effort to descend the steep and rocky footpath with the aid of MRT personnel on either side of her.

“Knowing that she had been reported as having been unconscious for a short time, we requested the assistance of 22 Squadron.

“Despite some amazing flying in very difficult weather conditions, they were unable to hold a hover long enough for a casualty evacuation. So to speed the evacuation, the woman was stretchered down the 1,700 feet to the road and an awaiting ambulance.

“She must be commended for her self help efforts.”

The incident was to be the first of a busy weekend for the Ogwen Valley team, already facing its busiest year yet.

The 20 rescuers arrived back at Oggi Base at about 3.45pm and were met by the national park warden with two ‘drenched’ men who were reporting four of their colleagues over due on the Glyderau.

“The weather was poor with low cloud, heavy rain and gusts of over 60mph in the valley floor,” Mr Lloyd said.

“A plan was hatched as to where to start looking and team members were re-fuelling and preparing for re-deployment into the storm.

“Meanwhile, the two informants were enjoying a hot shower and being given dry clothing. To add to the pressure, the organisers of a local fellrunning club reported a missing man who had failed to make a checkpoint on Carnedd Llewelyn.”

The team started searching for the car belonging to the missing four walkers. “At 4.30, it was not where it had been left, so it was assumed that the four, all in their 40s and from London had eventually got off the mountain under their own steam,” the rescue team member said.

“I believe that this is not the first time that they have been reported overdue on the mountains.”

Fortunately, the fellrunner had meanwhile turned up at a checkpoint.

The rescuers had barely reached their homes when they were called out again at 6pm to help two men stuck on Tryfan’s North Ridge.

The pair, from Cornwall and in their 30s, had set off in deteriorating weather at 2pm up the mountain’s Western Gully.

Mr Lloyd said: “They did not complete their ascent but aborted the day and moved north onto the North Ridge. In low cloud, squally showers and strong winds, they made a slow descent until they could progress no more.

“Four members were despatched on to the mountain and two spotters were deployed to the east end of Llyn Ogwen to look for the two and guide the search teams in. This operation was concluded at about 8pm.”

The following day, the team was put on alert after two walkers encountered a 4×4 vehicle stuck in boggy ground south of the 770m (2,528ft) peak Drum, north of the Carneddau.

Mr Lloyd explained it was on a private track originally built as access to a Second World War radar station. “They had come across the vehicle and were concerned for the welfare of the female passenger who was of pensionable age,” he said. “However, their offer of assistance was met with an impolite response from the driver.”

Members of OVMRO were deployed to recover the woman as it was thought she might be at risk in the stormy wet weather which had battered the mountains for nearly 24 hours.

However, Mr Lloyd said while approaching the summit in two 4×4’s, North Wales Police reported that the driver no longer required assistance and ordered them to return to base.

• Four people were rescued from Snowdon on a ‘special’ train laid on by the Snowdon Mountain Railway on Saturday.

Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team went to the aid of a man about 4.30pm who suffered a leg injury and was taken into the Hafod Eryri summit cafe. Another walker, an 85-year-old man, was taken into the building after he became hypothermic in the severe wind and rain on the 1,085m (3,560ft) top of Wales’s highest mountain.

The Snowdon Mountain Railway train made an extra stop to pick up a woman at Clogwyn. Photo: Andrew Farquhar

A woman was also taken into Hafod Eryri with hypothermia and the extra train, with rescuers, casualties and staff from the cafe, made a further stop at Clogwyn station to pick up a woman walker with a groin injury.

Three walkers who made the trip to Snowdon’s summit – twice – did not need rescuing.

Barry Starr and twin brothers Leigh and Shane Myatt, from Old Colwyn, battled conditions they described as ‘horrendous’ to make the double ascent on Saturday to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The 10-hour expedition was accomplished using different routes up and down the mountain.