Four lives were saved during a dramatic nine-hour double operation in the blizzard-hit Cairngorms National Park last night.
Incredible video footage shows the lengths a 25-strong team of volunteers from the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT) went to as they undertook simultaneous operations.
The stricken individuals the team came to the aid of, feared they were going to die amid heavy snowfall near the summit of two Highland peaks.
Their rescuers – who were concerned there may be avalanches – were clear they would not have survived the night without their aid.
The brave volunteers first received a call at about 5pm warning of two lost climbers between Coire an t-Sneachda and the mountain ski area, while it soon became clear a second couple were in difficulty having been camping near the Saddle.
They battled freezing temperatures, poor visibility and up to 1m of snow, striding out in the dark through deep drifts, until they managed to get everyone to safety by 2am.
Four people rescued in the snow in Cairngorms
Iain Cornfoot, CMRT team leader, was in charge of the volunteers who undertook the two rescue operations.
The 45-year-old, who joined the group at the age of 15, told the P&J he was “tired” after “a long night”.
He said: “We first rescued two people that had been climbing near the Cairngorm but got lost and injured themselves as they were making their way back to the car park.
“One of them had a deep cut to their lower leg after catching it with their crampon.
“We got to them at about 8pm and they were down about 10.30pm.
“It was very cold and there were really high winds and very deep snow, which made it difficult to make progress and reach the locations.
“You can see on the video that there was between 50cm and 1m of snow as well as poor visibility and an avalanche hazard.”
Cairngorms campers ‘wouldn’t have survived the night’
Volunteers then proceeded to rescue the couple who had intended to camp near the Saddle.
Mr Cornfoot added: “The rescue of the campers did not finish until 2am because of the nature of the weather conditions.
“They probably didn’t have the right skills or equipment to be out in the weather that we had last night.
“It was a difficult operation for us. They believed they wouldn’t have made it overnight.”
Mr Cornfoot highlighted how important it is to be aware of both the weather forecast and your limitations when in Scotland’s stunning but often treacherous mountains.
He concluded: “Enjoying the mountains is safe depending on what you want to do, but check the weather forecast and don’t go beyond your skills.
“Camping is safe, but only if you have the right equipment and skills.”
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