Rescuers contend with high winds while tending to the injured walker. Photo: Aberdyfi SRT

Rescuers in Snowdonia were called out to the same site twice in two days to aid walkers in difficulties.

Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team was alerted to the first incident on Cadair Idris on Tuesday.

A man walking with his nine-year-old son and their eight-month-old dog were attempting to reach the mountain’s summit but turned back because of very poor weather conditions.

A team spokesperson said: “While retracing their steps they missed the route down off the mountain and found themselves lost in low cloud and high wind among the scree and boulder fields on the slopes of Cyfrwy.

“Realising the difficulty they were in, and their proximity to the cliff faces, they called for assistance.

“With an approximate location determined from the initial request for help, a small party of team volunteers made their way into the area and quickly located the party, aided greatly by the barking of the dog. A little shaken by the experience but otherwise uninjured, the group was given some food and extra clothing before being walked down off the mountain.”

The rescue ended at 6.15pm.

Team members stretcher the injured man to the Coastguard helicopter. Photo: Aberdyfi SRT

Shortly before midday the following day, the team was alerted to a man with an injured ankle at a similar position on the mountain.

The walker, in his 50s, lost his footing in high winds and poor visibility and suffered a suspected broken ankle.

The spokesperson said: “In an exposed position high on the mountain, he also began to get very cold. Passing walkers provided clothing and shelter as the team initiated its response.

“A hasty party was deployed to quickly locate and stabilise the casualty, while a second wave of volunteers gathered the heavier equipment to deal with the evacuation.

“Although the casualty was well into cloud, the level of the cloudbase meant that the team was able to make use of Coastguard helicopter Rescue 936 to lift people and equipment part-way up the mountain and so speed up the rescue considerably.”

Rescuers treated the main for his injury and insulated him as much as possible before stretchering him down the flanks of the mountain to the helicopter drop-off position. The Coastguard crew then airlifted him to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor for further treatment.

One of the walkers who initially tended to the man carried his dog, which was cold and anxious because of the ordeal, off the mountain and handed her to the man’s son in the car park at Ty Nant.

The rescue ended at 5pm.

Team volunteer Graham O’Hanlon, who was involved in both rescues, said: “The mountain can be enjoyed in a variety of different conditions, but poor weather, such as the high winds and low cloud of the last few days, increases the demand on good navigation and equipment, increases the chance of a simple slip or trip, and also increases the consequences of a long wait in an exposed position.

“We always encourage walkers to check a forecast before heading to the mountains, and to make sure their experience, equipment and emergency provision is up to the conditions expected.”