Skier alive after ‘exceptional’ rescue

A SKIER was airlifted to hospital on Sunday after an ‘exceptional’ 12-hour rescue operation, writes Neill Bo Finlayson.

Twenty-two Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team members helped rescue the stranded skier, who had suffered multiple injuries after falling 200m (656ft) through a cornice on Aonach Beag.

The rescue has been described by the team as ‘one of the most difficult and technical rescues’ carried out in the past year.

The operation was LMRT’s 16th call-out in the past month, with the team racking up a total of 3,000 in what they say has been ‘some of the most challenging winter conditions experienced in a very long time’.

Team members were called out on Sunday morning after the skier, believed to be in his mid-30s, fell through an overhanging ledge of snow while navigating across the summit of the mountain during a whiteout. Conditions on Aonach Beag were ‘very challenging’ with strong winds and limited visibility making it difficult for rescuers to get to the location of the skier.

Low cloud cover hindered the ability of the Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 951 in assisting with the rescue, although it did manage to lift team members onto the mountain who were then able to carry rescue equipment to the location of the stranded skier.

A separate team of four tried to climb up to the casualty but ‘deep unstable snow and potential of avalanche’ prevented their progress and they retreated back down the mountain.

Two team members and a ski patroller from Nevis Range were then lowered to the skier to carry out first aid before he could be winched back to the summit.

From there, the casualty was taken off the mountain and admitted to Belford Hospital by midnight. The skier has since been transferred to hospital in Edinburgh. His condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

After the rescue, the team said snow shoes, which they had only purchased the week before, were critical in the rescue operation and that without them progress may not have been possible.

LMRT has experienced one of its busiest periods in recent years due to a continuous spell of exceptional winter weather.

So far this year, 137 avalanches have been recorded by the Scottish Avalanche Information Service. To combat the conditions, LMRT has been deploying drones in recent searches, which are able to provide images from areas where it is too dangerous or difficult to put in rescuers.