AS UK HILLS CLAIM THEIR HIGHEST DEATH TOLL ‘Our mountains just as deadly as anything the Alps have to
IF the past two months are anything to go by, hillwalking in the Scottish Highlands is more deadly than base jumping or bull riding.
A shocking total of 11 people have died in the mountains this winter, making it one of the deadliest ever.
Since January alone, five people have died in the Cairngorms, while four have perished in Glen Coe and two on Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest peak.
It’s no secret that the Highlands’ rough terrain is as gruelling as any in Europe.
But combined with temperatures as low of -30C, this winter they’ve proved deadly for walkers and climbers, even the most experienced and skilled.
Most recently, Mark Phillips, 51, was climbing with a friend in the Raeburn’s Buttress area on the north face of the 4,408 feet high Ben Nevis when he tumbled 160 feet.
Although the father-ofone suffered serious injuries in the fall, he was still alive when the rescue helicopter arrived but died during the crew’s attempts to winch him to safety.
It’s thought that his safety rope was mistakenly cut before he had been properly secured and a probe into last week’s failed mission is underway. Just weeks before, Ben St Joseph, 22, an army medic, died after falling from Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis.
Some of the Highlands’ less domineering peaks have also proved lethal.
Seven victims have been killed by avalanches, while the rest could be described as individual accidents.
But experts insist the peaks should be respected rather than feared.
And Midweek Sport got the inside track from a former mountain rescuer and a recent fall victim. relying on batteries. But to navigate with these two pieces equipment is a skill, especially in bad weather, and a lot of people have never bothered to learn.”
John, author of Cairngorm John: A Life In Mountain Rescue, continued: “It’s very difficult to explain to young lads in their 20s that in the Cairngorm plateau in the high wind you can be blown off your feet and sent 30 yards backwards
“At that age, you feel immortal. I used to feel invincible, so I’m the last person to tell anybody not to go on the hills.
Problems
“Because the mountains in Scotland aren’t all that high, in comparison to the Alps for instance, people think they won’t have any problems.
“But in bad weather, they can be as difficult to climb as any in the world. The temperatures can drop to -20C or -30C. A domestic freezer runs at -18C, so that’s very cold.
“You try map reading at -30C, with bad weather and mist and snow blowing – it’s extremely difficult in those conditions.
“I’ve been in the Alps climbing and got to 300 feet from the summit, having taken days to get there, and I’ve turned back because I’d have made it to the top, but maybe wouldn’t have made it back down again.
“The hills will be there tomorrow, but you might not be. It’s a skill just to know that.”
Cairngorm John: A Life In Mountain Rescue is published by Sandstone Press, RRP £8.99.