A keen outdoorsman died from exposure and hypothermia after becoming separated from his walking group in poor weather.
Jaroslav Ringart, 43, had gone walking in the Three Sisters of Glencoe area, near Ballachulish, when he became separated from his group on February 10 this year.
Heartfelt tributes described the married dad from Hensingham in Whitehaven, Cumbria, as a “larger than life” character and a “true gent” who was “always smiling”.
Jaroslav, who was born in Poland, had lived in the UK for 15 years and worked as a head engineer.
He was discovered dead by Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team who braved extreme weather conditions, including strong winds, rain and poor visibility due to low cloud cover.
Boots discovery led rescuers to body
“It would have been gusting at least 60-70mph, which made walking and searching very difficult,” a team spokesman said in a statement read at an inquest into Jaroslaw’s death on Tuesday.
More than a dozen rescuers responded, separating into smaller groups as they carried out an extensive search on and around the summit of Stob Coire nan Lochan, a 3,658ft (1,115m) peak.
The search was narrowed following the discovery of laced boots near the summit and Jaroslav was found around 50 metres away.
There were no signs of life and he was pronounced deceased.
Due to the darkness, poor weather conditions and visibility, recovery was postponed until the first light the following morning.
He was then carried and lowered further down the mountain to a location that a helicopter crew was able to access.
“The casualty did not have many layers on — a base layer, fleece and waterproof jacket,” the rescue team spokesman stated.
“It was cold on the summit and there was a significant wind chill. Members of the walking group mentioned that the casualty had been stumbling and falling.
“They did to know the reason this happened but exposure could have certainly been a factor.”
Lack of evidence criticised by coroner
Cumbria coroner Margaret Taylor spoke to Jaroslav’s wife Beata, who attended the hearing.
Ms Taylor told her: “All I can comment upon is that I’ve certainly heard of instances where people have begun to suffer from hypothermia and can become very disorientated.
“I wonder whether or not that is what happened. That may be what the explanation is.”
But the coroner also expressed regret that some evidence in the case was lacking, including no witness statements from other members of the hiking group.
“There is some information you would like to have known (which) we have not been able to find out the answers to,” Ms Taylor said, adding: “We are reliant on what Scotland send us”.
“I’m so very sorry you find yourself in the situation that you do,” she added.
Beata said she has not spoken to members of the walking group since the tragedy.
She believed the expedition leader had been checking weather forecasts beforehand and suspected members had not expected the severe weather they ultimately faced.
A pathologist had ruled out foul play, found no significant injuries and concluded that death was due to exposure and hypothermia.
Announcing her conclusions, Ms Taylor said of Jaroslaw: “He’d become separated from his walking party in extreme weather conditions.
“He was found deceased by Glencoe mountain rescue on the north-east summit of Stob Coire nan Lochan and he died as a consequence of exposure and hypothermia.
“My conclusion is that he has died as a result of an accident.
“He went out that day with the best of intentions, hoping to have a nice, healthy day. Things obviously took a turn.”
Beata had earlier stated of her husband: “He always loved going outdoors, hiking, paddle boarding, biking and other activities. He truly loved life and his family”.
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