Climber Survives Ben Summit Fall

A climber is recovering in hospital after falling a reported 600 feet from close to the summit of Ben Nevis yesterday.

According to news reports, the man fell down the notorious Five Finger Gully close to the summit suffering serious rib and facial injuries in the process. The gully in question is a notorious accident black spot lying in just the wrong position and orientation to entice climbers who confuse the two-leg descent bearing from the summit and confuse the relatively gentle upper slopes of the gulley with the normal descent route towards the Red Burn.

This map on the Mountaineering Council of Scotland site shows just how easy it is to wander off course.

A spokesman for Northern Constabulary is quoted as saying: "It looks like he's missed the zig-zag route of Ben Nevis and fallen straight into the gully.

"He's been very fortunate to survive, there's no doubt about that. Five Finger Gully is notorious and has claimed a good few lives down the years."

The incident highlights the dangers of navigating on the Ben's summit plateau which were also brought to the fore by Trail Magazine's recent error regarding the correct descent bearings from the summit. There is no suggestion that the accident is in any way related to the Trail article.

For more details see this Ananova story.