Late Starting Climbers Rescued on Ben Nevis

Icliverpool reports Bob Neale and Billy Rimmer on Ben Nevis were rescued in a snow by sending a text message to a man who called 999 (the European equivalent of 911). A helicopter was dispatched to Tower Ridge but had to turn back because of bad weather. A rescue crew was dispatched and accompanied the hikers down. A spokesman for Fort William police said: “The two climbers, although reasonably well equipped, were inexperienced for the route chosen, and failed to allow adequate time to complete the route. Accident statistics show that solo climbing and starting late on Tower Ridge are the greatest hazards to mountaineers on Ben Nevis. The climbers had started their ascent at 3 p.m.