A CLIMBER escaped with just cuts and bruises after a huge avalanche swept him 1,000ft down Scotland’s highest mountain yesterday.
Blocks of snow “as big as cars” hurled the man off the north side of Ben Nevis as other walkers watched in horror.
He tumbled down Number 4 Gully after a mass of snow broke away from a cornice.
A major search-and-rescue operation was launched after the avalanche was reported by two climbers who watched it unfold from Tower Ridge. But the climber – who was airlifted to the Belford Hospital at Fort William – escaped with two black eyes and bruises.
The man has not been named but is believed to be a French national who works as a guide in the Alps.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team leader John Stevenson said: “Two people on Tower Ridge called in the avalanche. They said they had seen two people in the area before the avalanche happened.
“As far as we could make out, one was going over the cornice when it broke away and the people watching from Tower Ridge weren’t sure if it had taken one or two people with it.
“Afterwards, they could only see one person digging around in the snow and they thought he was looking for his partner, who had become buried in the snow.”
He added that the pair had been part of a group of four, which had split into two groups of two.
The Lochaber team and RAF Mountain Rescue Team members scoured the area for several hours looking for the missing man before they discovered that he had met up with the other two members of the group and the three had walked down the hill together.
Mr Stevenson said the man who had been swept down the mountain made his own way to the CIC (Charles Inglis Clark) Memorial Hut and was then airlifted down the hill by an RAF Lossiemouth-based Sea King helicopter.
He said: “It was a huge avalanche. At its deepest point, it was up to 10 metres (33ft) deep and there were massive blocks of snow, some as big as cars.
“He was extremely lucky that he wasn’t seriously hurt. He was walking wounded. I think he was more shaken up than anything else. He must have fallen 200 to 300 metres (656 to 984 feet).”
It is understood the group were staying at the CIC Hut, which is situated on the north side of 4,409ft Ben Nevis near the Allt a’Mhuilinn at about the 2,230ft level.
Flight Lieutenant Ian Campbell, who was a member of the crew on the Lossiemouth Rescue 137 helicopter, said the man, who spoke with a French accent, told them he was a mountain guide in the Alps.
He said: “It seems the cornice gave way while he was taking photographs and it avalanched, taking him with it.
“He must have fallen hundreds of feet, just tumbling over and over in the snow.
“He was given a spinal check in the aircraft to make sure he hadn’t damaged his back and he was checking that all his fingers and toes were still working.
“He had two black eyes and other bruising. He realised he was a very lucky guy and was very happy to be alive.”
The flight lieutenant added that the crew could see four avalanche sites from the helicopter, including the latest one, and said each one was several yards deep.
A police spokeswoman said the avalanche had been reported shortly after 11.30am.
She said: “Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, RAF Helicopter 137 and RAF Mountain Rescue Team members all assisted police with the search.
“One man was airlifted from the scene and then taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William for treatment by road ambulance.”
She added that the other three members of his group were all traced and were uninjured.