The Cabildo of Tenerife has decided to suspend, for the next fifteen days, the walking ascents to the summit of Teide from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 a.m. the following day, as over one hundred individuals have had to be rescued near the Altavista shelter in the past three days.
This was announced by the Minister of Natural Environment, Sustainability, Security and Emergencies of the Cabildo, Blanca Pérez, following a meeting to discuss the circumstances in the Teide National Park and the implementation of urgent measures to safeguard public safety.
The minister stated that the events of this weekend represent an “absolutely unprecedented” situation where 123 individuals required rescue at the summit of Teide (70 on Saturday, 28 on Sunday and 25 on Monday). She added that these are “entirely anomalous” situations which have not been seen before, considering that there were no frosts during the previous year.
Blanca Pérez highlighted that this year the activity within the National Park has increased “significantly,” as reflected in the number of descent tickets sold by Teleférico, which amounted to around 1,800 in the month of October alone. Therefore, she noted, “extraordinary measures” must be implemented to prevent such occurrences in the future.
As a result, until a new regulation governing ascents to Teide is established, the paths leading to the summit will remain closed between 4 in the afternoon and 9 in the morning for the next fifteen days, which “will prevent” many individuals from attempting to climb without the appropriate gear, as stated by the minister.
Blanca Pérez mentioned that during this time, “suitable measures” must be undertaken, such as installing signage, deploying monitoring personnel and regulating the conditions under which one may ascend the peak of Teide to ensure that “this does not happen again.”
The minister specified that those individuals who were rescued over these three days, now identified, will be responsible for covering the cost of the rescue, which could range from 600 to 1,800 euros.
