Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team undertook a challenging double rescue amid severe avalanche warnings, saving two individuals trapped in harsh conditions.
Inverness: Last night, the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team faced some tough weather while rescuing a couple who thought they might not make it.
It took them eight hours to dig the couple out of their snow-covered tent, wrapping up the operation around 1:30 AM.
Twenty-four team members braved sub-zero temperatures, serious avalanche risks, and waist-deep snow to handle two rescues at once.
The first call came in at 5:30 PM for a young climber who had a nasty cut on his leg from a crampon. He was with a university group when the accident happened.
After some first aid and warming up, they helped him back to safety through the deep snow and poor visibility.
The second rescue was more urgent. A man and a woman were camping but got into serious trouble when their tent collapsed under the snow.
They sent out an SOS, fearing they wouldn’t survive the night. With wind chills hitting minus 20°C, the team had to navigate through dangerous conditions to reach them.
Unfortunately, the coastguard helicopter couldn’t assist due to the brutal weather. The couple, who were inexperienced, didn’t have the right gear for such conditions.
Thankfully, the team made a risky decision to take a more dangerous route to get to them, and after some rewarming, they safely walked the couple out.
They were eventually brought to the team’s all-terrain vehicle near the summit of Cairn Gorm. The avalanche risk remains considerable in the Northern Cairngorms, with 11 avalanches already recorded this winter.
