TWO climbers were rescued from a mountain ridge after a mammoth 14-hour overnight ordeal in sub-zero temperatures.
The men sent a plea for help to mountain rescue services on Friday evening after they got stuck on the 3770-foot Bidean nam Bian, in the south of Glencoe, after becoming concerned about potential avalanches.
But the pair were stranded on the ridge all night without shelter as 16 Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team volunteers were unable to reach them, despite struggling for almost 10 hours.
Six inches of snow fell in just three hours and the pair huddled together to keep warm as temperatures plummeted to -4°C.
Early start this morning with tasking at #Bidean Nam Bian, #Glencoe followed by a refuel at #Torlundy, Fort William. Thankfully a good outcome! #Rescue951 #InvernessSAR #Spottheclimbers ?? ? pic.twitter.com/FlnmuBymHy
— Rob Glendinning (@glendog74) January 20, 2018
At dawn a helicopter from Inverness Coastguard managed to reach them and winch them off.
They were checked over at Belford Hospital, Fort William, but they escaped with only minor hypothermia.
The incident began exactly four years to the day that four climbers were killed in an avalanche on the same mountain.
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