Climbers In Ben Nevis Avalanche Escape

Four climbers had what was described as 'a lucky escape' when they were avalanched on the North Face of Ben Nevis at the weekend.

The men, reportedly in two separate groups, were swept out of Number 2 Gulley by the snowslide and called for mountain rescue using a mobile phone. They were subsequently helicoptered to hospital in Fort William. None of the party is thought to be seriously injured.

Lochaber MRT leader Terry Confield is quoted as saying: 'The climbers rode along with the avalanche and and it spat them out. No. 2 Gully is a good, if difficult, climb in normal winter conditions, but there is too much soft snow just now, with the rain making it shift about quite a lot.'

The weekend brought the first major snowfalls of the year on Scottish mountains and underlines the importance of taking note of the regular avalanche forecasts from the Scottish Avalanche Information Service - www.sais.gov.uk - the current forecast on the Ben deems avalanche risk 'Considerable - Category 3', compared to the 'Low - Catergory 1' rating it had on Friday.

Further reports on the Ben incident: BBC News and Sunday Mail.