Lake District assessors scale mountain every day to keep walkers safe

The fell top assessors are a three-man team made up of Jon Bennett, Zac Poulton, and Wes Hunter who have been working on a rota to provide daily condition reports for the hills.

These include details on temperature, snow depth, wind speed, underfoot conditions and risks, including potential avalanches.

Each day between December and April, including Christmas and New Year's Day, one of the assessors ascends Helvellyn, braving rain, snow, and wind chill as low as minus- 23°C, and procures this report which is combined with the official Met Office weather reports to provide as detailed a picture as possible to ensure that walkers know what conditions they are likely to face across the Lake District. 

Helvellyn's Striding Edge (Image: Supplied)Although Helvellyn is not the highest peak in the Lakes, it was selected as it is the most popular fell and has a large east-facing headwall that retains the snow and ice.

Zac has been a fell top assessor since 2017 and shared what inspired him to take up the role which plays a vital role in protecting 18million visitors and locals from conditions that can change rapidly and fatally on the fells.

He said: "I've been a professional mountaineer and expedition guide for many years now and in latter years I became much more interested in the safety side of it.

"It doesn't come up that often so I was very happy to get the job.

"It is very much not about being the mountain police. We want to encourage people up there but what we are trying to do is give them really good information about what they are going to encounter up there so they can make good decisions."

Jon is the longest-serving member of the Fell Top Assessor and is now in his 16th season of helping people summit safely, and recently celebrated his 750th ascent of Helvellyn.

As the weather continues to produce adverse conditions on the fells he shared his best advice for walkers.

He said: "We say it every year but the most important message we need to get out there is that if the conditions are not great, then the best advice is to simply turn around and head back down to safety.

"The mountains will always be there the next day."

The Fell Top Assessors also run a number of skills courses to introduce interested mountaineers to the world of fell inspection.

You can find the Fell Top Assessors' daily reports HERE