Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team battled through”atrocious” whiteout conditions to save a woman on An Cabar.
The fallen walker slid off the hillside near the summit of the hill, near Ben Wyvis. After failing to make her way back up the steep slope, she phoned the police who alerted Dundonnell MRT around midday on Saturday.
Rescuers were deployed, along with two dogs from Search & Rescue Dog Association Scotland.
The teams headed out as the weather started to worsen on Saturday. In all they spent nearly 16 hours on the hill.
Speaking with the Press & Journal, team leader Iain Nesbitt said: “She was extremely lucky. We were extremely lucky that we got a break in the weather.
“I’ve been on the rescue team for 20-odd years now and that’s probably one of the very few times where I have been out where the weather conditions were absolutely atrocious.”
Challenging rescue with windy, wintry conditions on An Cabar
Teams initially searched around the walker’s last known position, but that proved fruitless.
As whiteout conditions set in, the rescuers had to withdraw and regroup.
Once the weather cleared slightly, the rescuers headed to Beallach Mor to search again. After around an hour, they heard shouting and saw the light from a headtorch.
From there rescuers were able to reach the woman, wrapping her in a blizzard survival jacket and giving her something warm to drink and some food.
Dundonnell MRT team leader Iain Nesbitt said: “Carrying a head torch has definitely saved her life.”
Rescue 151 arrived but then had to withdraw as the winds were too strong. Considering the conditions and where the walker was found, the rescuers determined they had to belay the person further up the mountain.
After pulling her up three belays of 100-metres or so, the team reached the ridge. From there it was easier walking, according to Iain Nesbitt. The team led the woman down the path to a sheltered point. From there they stretchered her down to flatter ground.
Once there, the Rescue 151 team was able to airlift the walker to hospital at around 2am on December 31.
Mr Nesbitt added: “I have full respect for my teammates who did a fantastic job in very difficult circumstances.”
Wintry conditions mean busy weekend for MRTs
The cold and harsh conditions that closed out 2023 for some areas meant it was a busy end to the year for other mountain rescue teams too. The Met Office had issued a yellow rain and snow warning for the area for most of Saturday.
A stranded climber was stretchered a mile down a mountain by Cairngorm Mountain Rescue in -2C snow blizzards on December 30.
The woman became separated from others in her party near Coire an t-Sneachda, with the full mountain rescue team dispatched at around 5.30pm.
Further south, Braemar Mountain Rescue was part of a search for two stranded people on Glen Tilt, late on December 28. Tayside Mountain Rescue Team was able to find them safely and lead them to safety.
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