Lake District avalanche injures climbers

Outdoor headlines

24 February 2010 08:45

Four climbers have been injured in an avalanche in the Lake District. The incident occurred on Pinnacle Ridge, a popular Grade 3 scramble on St Sunday Crag in the Central Fells. 19 Mountain Rescue volunteers were involved in the rescue, which took place on Monday.

Police say the avalanche was due to heavy snowfall and fluctuating temperatures, which had left snow on the higher fells unstable.

Two men, who are in their twenties, remain in hospital. One is said to be in a critical condition. Their two companions were also injured in the incident. All were from County Durham.

"Two men were swept down the fell and were found in the debris of the avalanche,” said Martin Cotterell, leader of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team. “The other two men have somehow rolled out closer to the top, we are not sure how."