Dire Weather Hits Highlands

Appalling weather conditions in Scotland at the weekend led to the cancellation of the BBC's Great Climb programme and, tragically, the death of a mountain walker on Ben Alder.

BBC news reports that the walker fell 200 feet from the mountain on Saturday afternoon after a slip in what rescuers described as 'atrocious conditions'. The man's body was later recovered by rescue teams. Our sympathies to the victim's friends and family.

Further north, the poor conditions led to the cancellation of BBC Scotland's Great Climb outside broadcast. The intention had been for nine climbers to attempt four separate routes, including one of the hardest traditional new routes by Dave Macleod, which were to have been broadcast live on BBC Scotland and BBC2.

On the programme's web site, the BBC says:

'Due to persistent bad weather and extremely dangerous climbing conditions, BBC Scotland has reluctantly decided to abandon The Great Climb. Unfortunately, the rain and cloud didn't lift making conditions too treacherous for the climbers and the production team.'

The team is promising a 30-minute programme will be available to view on demand at their web site - www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/greatclimb. If you go to the 'archive' section, there are lots of clips about the Cairngorms and the climbers who were to have been involved in the programme along with an extract from a documentary about rescues in the Cairngorms.