David Kerr
Four climbers have been rescued after spending the night on Scotland’s highest mountain.
They reported themselves in difficulty on Tuesday evening while climbing in the Tower Ridge area of Ben Nevis – and they were advised to stay where they were rather than try to get down in the dark.
The four men were finally airlifted off the mountain early yesterday afternoon.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team leader John Stevenson praised the men who he said were “well equipped and did all the right things”.
The men were carrying an emergency bivouac which they used to take shelter from the conditions.
Mr Stevenson said that the weather on Ben Nevis had been wet but temperatures were mild.
He said: “We had spoken to them and basically just decided if they spent the night then we would try and talk them down in the morning.
“They were well equipped and they did all the right things. The boys made a really good effort.
“They had just gone a bit wrong on Tower Ridge and didn’t know quite where they were.”
The climbers were able to abseil off Tower Ridge in the morning into the area known as Observation Gully, where they were met by members of the rescue team.
They were airlifted back to the rescue team’s base at Torlundy by Inverness-based coastguard helicopter Rescue 951.
A police spokeswoman said that all of the party were uninjured as a result of the experience.