Search For Missing Climber On Ben Suspended

Mountain Rescue Teams have reportedly suspended a search for a man missing on Ben Nevis since Saturday morning.

The 39-year-old from Essex failed to return to his hostel on Saturday evening sparking a rescue alert and some 60 rescue team members and search dogs scoured the hill on Sunday wiithout finding any trace of the missing climber.

The search was suspended due to bad weather conditions with high winds and heavy snowfall high up on the mountain together with a high avalanche risk, making the search untenable.

According to a news report on the BBC Scotland site, the man was experienced and well equipped, but left no details of his planned route beyond telling people in the hostel where he was staying that he planned to do 'something on the North Face of the Ben'.

Winter so far has been inermittent at best, but conditions at the weekend were fierce with snowfall and very high winds forecast for Scottish hills in particular.