Scrambler Dies In Lakes Fall

Sad news from the Lake District where a scrambler fell to his death from Blencathra on Sunday.

According to reports, the man, 63, who was a Lakes local, fell around 200 feet from Hall's Fell while traversing the ridge with his wife. He died in hospital in Carlisle despite the efforts of Keswick MRT and an RAF helicopter team.

Sharp Edge, the famous grade one scramble on the same mountain, is well known as an accident blackspot, but Hall's Fell can also be tricky particularly when the rock is greasy as appears to have been the case at the weekend.

In a separate incident in Langdale, a woman was injured while scrambling in Stickle Ghyll, though she managed to make her way to safety.

Both incidents underline the potential hazards of scrambling which can actually be more dangerous than climbing, since scramblers are often unroped and, at lower grades, often not wearing helmet.

More details at the North West Evening Mail site www.nwemail.co.uk