Marines taking part in a winter training exercise on Ben Nevis have rescued a stranded climber who was close to succumbing to hypothermia after being caught out in freezing, blizzard conditions near the summit.
The incident took place on 24 January, when a joint team from the Scottish Royal Marine Reserves (RMR) and the Dutch Korps Mariniers came across the man during a period of severe weather on the UK’s highest mountain.
The climber was found curled up in the snow close to the summit, showing clear signs of prolonged exposure. RMR Colour Sergeant McKenzie said solid ice had formed on the man’s eyebrows, hat and gloves, indicating how long he had been exposed to the cold.
“One walking pole was bent, the other appeared broken or fully collapsed,” he said, adding that the climber told them he had become separated from his two companions and did not know where they were.
Weather conditions at the time were extreme. The marines estimated wind gusts of around 40mph, which, combined with summit temperatures, pushed the wind chill to between –15°C and –20°C.
“Any exposed skin stung almost instantly,” McKenzie said.
To move the climber more quickly, two Dutch marines supported him by the arms, improving his balance. However, the difficult footing and close formation caused several crampons to loosen, forcing repeated stops to secure them.
During one of these halts, the climber’s condition visibly worsened.
“His posture sagged, his coordination faltered, and his responses slowed,” McKenzie said. “When he said he couldn’t bend his leg, it was clear cold, exhaustion and exposure were now affecting his physical functions. He was going into hypothermia.”
Recognising that the man could no longer continue on foot, the marines constructed an improvised stretcher using a bivvy bag, ropes, a mat and a jacket. They then carefully carried him down the mountain towards safer ground.
“If we hadn’t seen him, he certainly would not have survived,” said Sergeant Onno Lankhaar, section commander for the Dutch marines.
The troops were in Scotland taking part in Exercise Highland Warrior, a mountain warfare training event conducted alongside the Royal Marine Reserves.
Once the group descended below the snowline, the climber’s condition improved enough for him to walk independently. He was later handed over to emergency services as a precaution.
