The deaths of three people – two men and a woman - in Glen Coe has thrown the issue of mountain safety into stark relief.
Every year hundreds of people venture into the Scottish hills, seeking majestic views and challenging terrain as they indulge their passion for the outdoors.
But the stunning scenery can turn deadly with hazards around every corner and weather which can change a pleasant hike into a scramble for survival within hours.
Just how dangerous are Scotland’s mountains?
Every year there are fatalities in the Scottish hills. So far, deaths include that of an 80-year-old climber who fell from a 3,064-foot mountain at Coire a' Bhasteir on the Isle of Skye, a 32-year-old who died falling from man Ben Cruachan, near Dalmally, and that of Kyle Sambrook, who also fell in Glencoe.
Kyle Sambrook
Have there been worse years?
In 2022 Scottish Mountain Rescue teams were called out 843 times to 636 incidents. These involved 21 deaths, with 11 of them mountaineering accidents.
These included six deaths in the space of two weeks between February and March.
READ MORE: Five climbers rescued near Old Man of Hoy
In 2021 there were 19 deaths over the year, seven of which occurred in mountaineering incidents.
Is the place where the three hikers died particularly dangerous?
Traversing Aonach Eagach involves covering about six miles (9km) and can take up to nine hours to complete.
The high, narrow, exposed ridge runs almost the length of Glen Coe and links two summits - 953m (3,127ft) Meall Dearg and 967m (3,172ft) Sgòrr nam Fiannaidh.
Its name means "notched ridge", a refence to its jagged, rocky terrain.
Much of the route involves scrambling - a mountaineering term meaning climbers using their hands to help keep their balance on steep, difficult terrain.
The ridge is popular with keen and experienced climbers and dozens traverse Aonach Eagach safely every year.
But it has been the site of fatalities, with seven people losing their lives on the ridge since 2014, included a 63-year-old woman in September that year and a 44-year-old man in July 2016.
Last September, the body of Alan Taylor, from Dundee, was found in a gully near the ridge. The 57-year-old had been missing since September 2021.
What have the experts been saying about the most recent fatalities?
David Whalley, a veteran mountaineer and former RAF mountain rescue team leader known in the climbing community by his nickname "Heavy", said conditions could change quickly on Aonach Eagach.
READ MORE: Three people found dead after going missing in Glen Coe
He told BBC radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "It is one of the best ridges in Scotland. It's a wonderful thing and I have done it quite a few times, and done quite a few rescues on it.
"There are a few tricky bits, with greasy rocks. The weather is always changing - one minute it is clear and the next the mist is down."
He added: "The big problem is if it all goes wrong there are very few places to get off, so you have to keep going or go back the way you came."
Mr Whalley added: "We mustn't forget we are talking about people and grief going on in (families') lives."
"Mountaineering is wonderful but it is a risk sport and we all live with that when we are out in the mountains."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel