Stuck up mountain, after taking cannabis (High twice).

[DonPeffers]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-41377956

Should there have been a rescue fee charged?

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

Yes

[tolf]

bl**** idiots

should have left them there

[Onliest Smeg David]

Absolutely

And for those that go up totally unprepared, then require rescuing because of this!

[TAFKARM]

Presumably they took speed to go up and Valium to come down. 

[Kingster]

I'll ask my daughter as her boyfriend is on the mountain rescue team over there. I'm sure he was delighted if he was one of the rescuers!

[Nick Algar - Competition Secretary]

There are so many daft idiots going up the mountains unprepared. This is just another example to add to the list. 

Big thumbs up and respect to the mountain rescue teams who risk their lives to help others. The true hero's in this story. 

[DonPeffers]

14 hours ago, RussH said:

Presumably they took speed to go up and Valium to come down. 

Brilliant.

[Captain Colonial]

18 hours ago, RussH said:

Presumably they took speed to go up and Valium to come down. 

[Andy_R]

I went up Ben Nevis a few years ago. It was March, the snow line was quite low and it was snowing slightly at the top but I had the proper gear & enough experience that I felt confident walking the easier route. Very near the top is a plateau and without the right gear you could get lost ... especially in bad weather. By lost I mean you could easily walk off a cliff edge when visibility is poor! 

So there I was half way along this part (and very near my goal of the summit) when three guys came out of the snow (from the direction of said cliff edge) and asked me if this was the path! They had short sleeve t-shirts and flip flops on and said they had been trying to find the path for the last half hour!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I nearly had a heart attack on their behalf.

Even feeling the cold they wanted to get to the summit but I suggested it might be better to get down of the mountain and helped them to the zig zag path below the plateau (which in the snow is still slippery and treacherous). I watched them as they walked down and then went to the summit wondering if I'd done the right thing.

On my way back down I met them again, struggling to walk downhill in flip flops. I ended up helping them down to the lodge near the bottom of the mountain.

I'm a 100% certain that they had been metres from falling off a mountain. By the end of it I was proper angry and the lodge owner had to ask them to leave after I explained what they did.

What made me really angry? On my back throughout my walk was a small bag that had enough gear to allow me to survive the walk AND at least a night on the mountain. It wasn't expensive and it wouldn't have been the Hilton thats for sure but I would have survived AND been able to assist the emergency rescue services if it was needed. These idiots didn't bring a map, compass or even have the proper footwear!

Darwin Award for sure!

So in answer to @DonPeffers question ... very 'steep' (pun intended) rescue fee along with public humiliation for starters. At the time I would have also suggested bringing back the stocks and allowing kids to throw rotten fruit & veg at them!