St Sunday Crag, scene of the avalanche

A man who was swept 230m (750ft) down a Lakeland mountainside in an avalanche is in a critical condition in a hospital intensive-care unit with head injuries.

The 23-year-old from the Redcar, Cleveland,  area was with a party of four on Pinnacle Ridge on St Sunday Crag when it is believed they triggered an avalanche. Another Redcar man, aged 21, is also being treated in intensive care at the Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle, after sustaining multiple injuries including fractures. He is described by medical staff as serious but stable.

Two other men caught in the avalanche, a 54-year-old man from Durham, who is being treated for an ankle injury, and a Merseyside man in his 50s with no significant injuries, were treated and assessed at the Carlisle hospital. Both were discharged from hospital.

A major rescue operation was launched after the four climbers were caught in an avalanche on the 841m (2,759ft) peak.

Two of the climbers were swept  from the top of Pinnacle Ridge. Two others were relatively unscathed after escaping from the avalanche.

The four were avalanched about 2pm on Monday. 19 members of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team went to the site, 2km (1¼miles) south-east of Striding Edge on the Helvellyn range. Three helicopters joined in the rescue operation.

A spokesperson for the Patterdale team said: “Due to the seriousness of the incident and the number of reported casualties, the team requested the assistance of the air ambulance and an RAF Sea King helicopter. At the time of the call, two of the casualties were reported as buried in the avalanche debris.

“The air ambulance lifted a doctor and one team member up the valley to a point where it could land near the scene. A short while later, five further team members were lifted by the Sea King and winched directly down to the casualty site.

“Two of the four climbers, a group from County Durham, managed to escape the avalanche near the top. One of these climbers was unhurt and a second had escaped with relatively minor lower leg injuries. The other two casualties were swept about 750ft and sustained serious multiple injuries.”

The team’s doctor and other rescuers treated the seriously injured climbers and they were stabilised before being put into stretchers. The Sea King, from RAF Boulmer, winched one of the casualties into the aircraft and flew him to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.

After refuelling, it returned to winch the second seriously injured climber aboard and he was again airlifted to hospital in Carlisle.

The spokesperson continued: “The climber with the lower leg injury who had not been swept down the hill was located by an air ambulance following a short search by team members. He was also taken to Carlisle hospital. The fourth climber was able to walk off the hill, and was then taken to hospital to be checked over.”

The rescue operation was wound up at 8.30pm.

Inspector Paul Coulson of Cumbria Constabulary said: “Police would like to thank the mountain rescue team, the military search and rescue personnel and the air ambulance crews for their efforts in this rescue operation.

“We again wish to stress to walkers our advice to avoid high land at the moment due to potentially treacherous conditions caused by snow and ice.”

Today’s observation from the Lake District National Park Authority’s felltop assessor was of unstable snow layers on north- and east-facing aspects. Cornices on edges had also enlarged recently.

Climbing conditions were described as very poor. The report said: “Routes may look good from a distance, but unfortunately the gullies are full of loose powder snow and should be avoided until the snowpack has stabilised, when conditions could be excellent.”

North-west facing Pinnacle Ridge is classed as a summer grade-three scramble, requiring ropes, and is a recognised winter route.