Ascents on foot to Teide are prohibited from 4:00 p.m. this Monday until 9:00 a.m. for a duration of fifteen days, until the Cabildo of Tenerife establishes a resolution detailing the conditions for climbing to the summit of the National Park.
This announcement was made by the Minister of the Natural Environment, Blanca Pérez, who highlighted the situation of weekend rescues – 130 rescues over the past three days of individuals who have “recklessly” accessed the higher regions of Mount Teide on foot.
The Island Council reminds that as of last Friday, a pre-alert situation for rain and storms has been declared by the Government of the Canary Islands. “The Teide Cable Car was shut down, temperatures fell below zero, and yet these individuals chose to ascend and subsequently activated the emergency button for rescue,” emphasised the Minister of Natural Environment.
“Our first action is to prohibit access between four in the afternoon and nine in the morning until we can establish the minimum conditions that anyone wishing to hike to Teide must adhere to. We are dealing with high-altitude terrain, where temperatures have plummeted to -8 degrees and ice and frost are present. It is not permissible to ascend Teide carelessly. Our objective is to regulate this access within two weeks, ensuring that anyone wanting to climb must comply with the safety criteria and requirements we will implement,” explained Pérez.
The Island Council coordinated the evacuation of 77 individuals on Saturday, followed by 28 on Sunday, and 25 this Monday. Over the weekend, the Teide Cable Car, which had been closed due to adverse weather, was briefly operational to assist in the evacuation of these individuals.
However, on this Monday, the cable car could not be activated owing to the severe weather conditions, necessitating intervention from the Government of the Canary Islands’ helicopter to transport three persons suffering from altitude sickness to the La Guancha base. Additionally, a team from the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium and the Red Cross rescue team were mobilised to assist in the evacuation of the remaining group.
Furthermore, one of the measures agreed upon in Monday’s meeting stipulates that Teleférico del Teide will no longer sell the option for a downward-only trip to prevent access on foot to La Rambleta.
“Currently, we receive around 1,800 requests monthly for the option of just descending, indicating that most of these individuals, mainly tourists, were ascending on foot and then descending by the cable car. We will eliminate this option until we put in place a new regulation aimed at ensuring the safety of all,” Pérez noted.
Regarding the expenses related to the rescues, the councillor stated that the helicopter deployment costs fall upon the Government of the Canary Islands, while the Tenerife Firefighters Consortium estimates that the cost of each rescue is approximately 1,800 euros – of which 1,200 euros pertain to the rescue and 600 euros to fines. Consequently, the necessary file will be opened for those rescued this Monday.
The Cabildo of Tenerife advises the public to exercise extreme caution during pre-alert, alert, and maximum alert conditions affecting the island of Tenerife, urging adherence to the self-protection guidelines established for such scenarios to mitigate unnecessary risks.
