Mountain rescue team warns against reliance on mobile apps for navigation
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Hillwalkers should not rely on mobile apps for navigation in the mountains, one of Ireland’s busiest mountain rescue teams has warned.
The Kerry Mountain Rescue Team (KMRT) said a map and compass should be the primary tools used for navigation in the hills, with GPS and a good outdoor navigation app as a back-up.
The warning follows a call-out to two hillwalkers who had become lost in the MacGillycuddy Reeks in Kerry on Sunday night. The team was tasked at 7pm to help the pair who had become lost at Cragfast near the top of the Hag’s Tooth Ridge.
The ridge, which runs from the dominant rocky outcrop known as the Hag’s Tooth, located at just over 2,130 ft on the Reeks, is one of the toughest and most physically demanding routes to the top of both Carrauntoohil and Ireland’s second-highest mountain, Beenkeragh.
It features dizzying drops on either side and requires expert navigation and an ability to scramble over large rocks and boulders. KMRT members climbed a gully next to the ridge before ascending to the couple’s position.
The casualties were then secured with ‘confidence ropes’ and assisted off the hill to an awaiting jeep near Ard na Locha in the Hag’s Glen below. Conditions on the hill at the time were wet and windy.
The call-out involved 15 team members and concluded just after midnight. In a statement afterwards, the team said it wanted to highlight the importance of good navigation skills in the mountains.
“There has been a noticeable increase in call-outs to lost parties in recent years where reliance on mobile apps and Google Maps has been a principal factor,” a spokesperson said.
“Navigation is a skill best learned through a mountaineering course and plenty of practice in all conditions.
The team also stressed the importance of having a fully charged mobile phone and urged hillwalkers to consider bringing a power bank with them in their rucksack in case the phone battery runs low.
The team urged anyone in need of assistance on the hills not to hesitate and to contact 999 or 112 and ask for mountain rescue.
Separately, members of the team were involved in a multi-agency search for a missing person in Killarney National Park on St Stephen's Day, which ended with the recovery of a body.
It comes as new figures show that the Coast Guard responded to just over 2,500 incidents in 2024, including search and rescue, maritime casualty responses and pollution and preparedness responses.
The state’s 44 Coast Guard units were mobilised on 1,154 separate occasions over the last 12 months, Coast Guard helicopters conducted 752 missions, with critical assistance provided to 537 persons preventing loss of life, or delivering them to appropriate medical care.
Coast Guard helicopters also conducted 134 air ambulance flights to offshore island communities, with the three Irish Coast Guard Maritime Coordination Centres, in Dublin, Malin and Valentia, tasking RNLI lifeboats on 699 occasions, and coordinating searches involving community inshore rescue service on 73 occasions.
The first two of the AW189 helicopters provided by Bristow Ireland Limited under the new aviation service contract to provide the Coast Guard helicopter search and rescue service, entered service in Shannon in December. The other four helicopters are scheduled for delivery early in the new year.