Three climbers perish in separate Scottish avalanches within 48 hours
Two back-to-back avalanches in the Cairngorms have claimed three lives, including a 32-year-old guide. Rescuers recovered all victims within 24 hours of the first slide, the deadliest week on Scotland’s mountains since 2012.
Avalanches on Ben Macdhui and Braeriach over the weekend have left three mountaineers dead, marking the most lethal stretch on Scotland’s peaks since a February 2012 storm killed five climbers on Ben Nevis. Emergency services confirmed the fatalities late Sunday, hours after the second slide trapped a four-person team on Braeriach’s northern corrie.
On Saturday at 14:17, a 42-year-old guide from Aviemore was ascending Ben Macdhui’s Cairn Gorm path when a slab avalanche fractured 150 metres above him. His two clients, aged 28 and 35, were swept 200 metres downslope into a gully. All three were recovered unconscious by Mountain Rescue teams using drones and probes; none responded to CPR. The guide’s body was found at 830 metres elevation, the highest recovery point in the Cairngorms in a decade.
💡 Pro Tip
Carry a Recco reflector in winter conditions; it weighs 4 grams and can be detected by helicopter-mounted scanners up to 200 metres below snowpack.
Just before midnight, a second party of four on Braeriach’s Coire an t-Sneachda reported a collapse in the corrie wall. Three climbers—29, 34, and 41—were buried under three metres of windslab. Only one, a 29-year-old student from Glasgow, was recovered alive after 23 minutes of chest compressions. The remaining trio were pronounced dead at the scene by a mountain rescue doctor flown in by RAF helicopter.
| Aspect | Ben Macdhui Slide | Braeriach Slide |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Guide’s bootstep on 35° slope | Natural cornice collapse |
| Depth of burial | 1.2–2.3 metres | 2–3 metres |
| Recovery time | 8 minutes | 23 minutes |
Meteorological records show the Cairngorms have received 30% more snowfall this month than the five-year average, with wind gusts exceeding 70 mph on both ridges. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service upgraded danger levels to ‘considerable’ on Saturday morning, the second-highest tier on its five-point scale. Rescuers warned that the persistent slab layer—formed in mid-December—remains unstable under fresh accumulations.
Key Points
- ⚠️ Three fatalities within 48 hours on two separate mountains
- ✅ Weekend slides were the deadliest since the 2012 Ben Nevis tragedy
- 📊 SAIS upgraded danger to ‘considerable’ hours before the first avalanche
Highland Mountain Rescue coordinator Sarah MacLeod said the dual incidents highlight the lethal combination of persistent slab layers and extreme windloading. “We’ve seen this setup before, but never with three fatalities in such a short window,” she told reporters at the Aviemore base. “The guide’s decision to ascend despite the advisory reflects the pressure to complete climbs in good conditions, but the mountain doesn’t negotiate.”
📋 By The Numbers
- 5 — Number of climbers killed in avalanches in Scotland during 2024
- 30% — Increase in Cairngorms snowfall versus five-year average
- 70 mph — Peak wind gusts recorded on Ben Macdhui ridge
Police Scotland has opened a joint investigation with the Mountain Safety Group to examine whether any negligence contributed to the deaths. Meanwhile, the Mountain Rescue teams have suspended non-essential operations pending a safety review. The Cairngorms National Park Authority urged winter climbers to check daily SAIS reports and carry full winter kits: three transceivers, a probe, shovel, and avalanche airbag.
- Check SAIS reports — Daily bulletins list slope stability, wind, and temperature.
- Carry a transceiver set to send/receive — Test batteries before departure.
- Practice companion rescue — Dig pits to rehearse shovelling under load.
For the surviving student from Glasgow, recovery is expected to take months. His father told local press the family is grateful for the “heroic efforts” of the rescue teams but pleaded with others to “respect the mountain’s warnings.” The names of the deceased will be released after next-of-kin notification.