Ben Nevis rescue team leaves climber high… and wet
MOUNTAIN rescuers have refused to go to the rescue of a climber on Ben Nevis who called the emergency services because he was too wet to continue.
The unnamed man reached the 4,411ft summit of Britain’s highest mountain on Wednesday but then got caught in a downpour. He had embarked on the ascent of the mountain without waterproof clothing.
On his way down, he decided to call the police to summon help, telling officers he was “soaked.”
The police in turn contacted Lochaber Mountain Rescue. An unamused John Stevenson, the rescue team leader, said: “Anybody who goes up Ben Nevis without any type of cover is asking for trouble. This chap appears not to have had adequate waterproofs, if any at all. It can rain and even snow
‘I said, if he’s wet, he’s wet. He can come off himself. We are all volunteers, not full-time professionals’
on the Ben at any time of year – this is Scotland, after all.”
He added: “In fact, it was snowing on the mountain last night. Only one day in 10 is there no cloud on the Ben.
“The police called us for advice about the guy saying he was wet and at the top. We are not here to go up and walk down somebody who is OK but just wet.
“I said, ‘If he’s wet, he’s wet. He can come off himself. We are all volunteers, not full-time professionals.’
“The weather on the Ben is cold – it can be freezing any time of the year. You have to have the proper gear. The weather on the Ben can change very quickly – you have to be prepared and this chap wasn’t.
“There wasn’t anything wrong with him – he wasn’t injured. He was just wet. We cannot attend incidents like this – or people running out of batteries for their torches, which we have also had calls about before.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed they received a call from a solo walker at 9.33pm on Wednesday.
“He said he was soaked through and was at the summit. The mountain rescue team were informed but did not attend. He spent the night in the summit shelter and walked himself off the following morning.”