Rescuers had to make their way to the summit of the mountain in blizzard conditions. Photo: Cairngorm MRT
Rescuers battled for nine hours to bring to safety a walker stranded in a blizzard on a Highlands munro.
Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team was called out on Saturday evening to aid the man who was about 3,000ft up on Carn Bàn Mòr, east of Glen Feshie.
A team spokesperson said the walker had succumbed to bad weather and the challenges of navigation in a blizzard.
“The Coastguard rescue helicopter made strenuous attempts to get to the casualty, then to drop the team off as high as possible, but in the end was thwarted by clag and snow,” the spokesperson said.
Team leader Willie Anderson said: “I was getting quite concerned for the casualty. He had had cut the laces off his boots because both his boots and his feet were frozen.
The team leader said the walker was in a bad way. Photo: Cairngorm MRT
“It sounded like he was in a bad way and it was proving really difficult to get to him.”
In the end, a group of Cairngorm team members had to climb up from the valley to the 1,052m summit of the hill to find and rescue the walker.
Mr Anderson said: “The helicopter crew kept trying to reach the stranded walker through the night, but the weather was simply too bad.”
Les Coles
11 February 2018In some places this story uses meters, in others feet. What system does the UK actually use? Guess it is just as well it is leaving the EU!
Yorkshire Walker
11 February 2018In response to Lee Coles, OS maps are metric and have been since the last great re-survey of Britain that started in 1936. It's the only logical way to produce a map using a metric grid system based on 10s & 100s, rather than Imperial which uses a system based on 12. We live in a country where we have metric maps but signposts are in miles, just like we fill up our cars in litres but drive in miles an hour. It's no wonder we get confused.
Yorkshire Walker
11 February 2018... and fantastic brave job of Cairngorm MRT members, who risked their lives to save a fellow walker caught out in a blizzard on the Scottish mountains. All who love the mountains owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Thank you.
Angela
12 February 2018I do feel that people are irresponsible for putting the lives of the rescuers at risk. Stay off the mountains if a blizzard is forecast. It’s not rocket science!
Margaret
12 February 2018With skill and experience it's possible to cope with very poor winter weather - which is what the team used to find him.
Diddy
13 February 2018Margaret, your word team is the big difference.
It is as brave to turn back as it is to continue and usually safer.
Margaret
14 February 2018Diddy, agree completely regarding turning back.
Point I was clumsily making is that poor winter weather can be managed, by an individual or a group with 'skill and experience'.
Of course if you don't have the level of skill necessary for the day then choose another route or an area suitable for the weather conditions and your ability.
Steuart
02 March 2018It is part of the necessary skills set to be able to say not today.
EastLancsRodeo
25 October 2018...the thing is; if you don't have the experience you don't know you don't have the experience!