Busy Weekend For Scottish Rescue Teams

It's been another busy weekend for mountain rescue teams in Scotland with, sadly, a death on Ben Nevis and a major rescue on Tower Ridge, a classic route on the North Face of the Ben.

• According to the BBC, up to eight climbers were trapped on the route, which is notorious for benightments, on Thursday night after gale force winds prevented them from continuing. Three managed to escape under their own steam, but five others were rescued by Lochaber MRT after a mobile phone alert on Sunday morning.

The BBC reports that conditions were too savage for helicopters to land on the summit area, but they managed to airlift MRT members partway up the mountain from where they were able to reach the climbers and help them to safety.

•Meanwhile Ireland.com reports that there were six climbers in two groups who were members of the Irish Mountaineering Club. All are reported safe, though two received hospital treatment for exposure.

• Meanwhile in this story, The Scotsman reports how a climber 'surfed on top of an avalanche as it hurtled 300 ft down the side of a Scottish mountain and then climbed back up to dig out his friend.' The incident happened on Liathach in Torridon on Friday and the two men were helped off the mountain by the local MRT with nothing worse than a broken ankle between them.

• Elsewhere, Ananova reports that a Scottish nurse survived a 1500-foot slide in the Glen Spean area after falling through a cornice, with only a sore elbow to show for the experience, and was back on the hill next day.

To check the latest Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecast click here. At the time of writing forecast was generally 2 'Moderate' with one observer commenting that 'spring has sprung'.