79 year old Canadian, with daughter & son in law, descending Spidean path, on Liathach, at about 500m, slipped, tumbling fall of about 10m, unconscious 1-2 mins & confused for a few mins on recovery. Laceration to scalp, some pain rt shoulder & chest. 999 via mobile, call out about 3pm.

R 137 dropped Chris, Arjan, Ryan & Seamus + stretcher, vac mat, cas bag & O2 x 3 below cas (cloud level fluctuating between 200 – 400m).

Cas found to be cold but alert, bleeding stopped, no evidence of major injury to shoulder or chest. AVPU “A”, Pulse 110, Resps 15. Stable throughout. Put on O2, collar applied, packaged in vac mat & cas bag, stretchered below mist & winched to 137 about 6.30pm. (Initial quartet supplemented by Alasdair, Charlie & self – John & Duncan arrived after uplift).

Tough old chap, member of Canadian Alpine Club, was high in Everest & Lhotse in his mid 60’s but couldn’t handle Liathach!

Gerry

 

The avalanche on Liathach was a relatively small one of only about a foot in depth but it carried two men down the gully to the east of the path (before the ridge). Our information was that one was “OK”, the other a reported broken arm. I remember comforting his wife in the glen before we walked up, saying if only a broken arm he should be OK. Coastguard heli uplifted him to Raigmore where he died later of internal injuries. Chris, Ryan, Arjan, Chis Wilson (I think) and myself and Lui (dog) on hill.

Seamus MacNally