What it Takes to Look After a Mountain

Although we like to make it look like the mountain manages itself, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes on Snowdon. The 450,000 walkers a year ascending on foot to the highest point in Wales bring huge benefits to the local area, but also huge pressures. As Snowdonia National Park Wardens our job is to look after the mountain and the people who use it. We protect the landscape and wildlife but also work to ensure that the people who visit the mountain have a great time.

Here’s a few facts on how much people-power it take to look after Snowdon:

  • 1 x full time Warden
  • 1 x full time assistant Warden
  • 1 x seasonal warden
  • 1 x Pen y Pass site manager
  • 1 x Pen y Pass car park attendant
  • 8 x footpath workers full time through the summer months
  • 20 x volunteer wardens

Phew! And that’s just the staff and volunteers who work for Snowdonia National Park!

Here are some pics of some of the things we get up to day to day on the mountain:

A helicopter lifting stone for essential footpath work on the Snowdon Ranger  path
A helicopter lifting stone for essential footpath work on the Snowdon Ranger
path
The footpath team braving the weather to move aggregate for for lowland path repairs
The footpath team braving the weather to move aggregate for for lowland path repairs
A training day for the volunteer warden team
A training day for the volunteer warden team
Making the final edits to the new Snowdon map
Making the final edits to the new Snowdon map
Warden Rhys Wheldon leading a litter pick with the Snowdonia Society
Warden Rhys Wheldon leading a litter pick with the Snowdonia Society
Our daily report at the bottom of the PyG track
Our daily report at the bottom of the PyG track
Snowdon Race
Marshalling at Bwlch Glas during the International Snowdon Race
Gate Repairs
Warden Rhys Wheldon replacing a broken gate post – muddy work!