Recent deaths on An Teallach
Robin Jackman
Two tragic deaths on An Teallach. The story lasted for about two bulletins
and was never heard of again.
They said that a party of four had got to the summit (Sguur Fiona?) had just
started their descent when two of them slipped on wet grass and fell 600 ft.
1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
2. As far as I know there is nowhere where you can "slip on wet grass" and
fall 600ft.
3. Even if there were somewhere, it sounds very unlikely that two people
could slip simultaneously.
Anyone heard any more details?
An Teallach must be one of the most beautiful and inspiring mountain walks
in the country. Anything that can be learned from this terrible accident
would be of great use to all.
Roger Chapman
from "Robin Jackman" <ro...@jackman999.freeserve.co.uk> contains
these words:
> Two tragic deaths on An Teallach. The story lasted for about two bulletins
> and was never heard of again.
> They said that a party of four had got to the summit (Sguur Fiona?) had just
> started their descent when two of them slipped on wet grass and fell 600 ft.
> 1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
> 2. As far as I know there is nowhere where you can "slip on wet grass" and
> fall 600ft.
> 3. Even if there were somewhere, it sounds very unlikely that two people
> could slip simultaneously.
> Anyone heard any more details?
Brief mention in todays Independent.
A 32 yr old man and a 25 yr old woman slipped on wet grass and fell
600 feet. They were in a party of 4 so the witness reports should be
accurate. (Translation into media speak is however not to be trusted
but as both reports refer to wet grass there is at least a 10% chance
that the report is accurate).
Roger
Duncan Hoyle
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/newsid_345000/345069.stm
Two climbers have died after slipping on wet grass and plunging 200m on a
Scottish mountain.
Donald Fraser, 32, and Carol Ann Murdoch, 25, were in a party of four
climbing An Teallach, near Dundonnell, north-west Scotland.
Police said the alarm was raised by their companions.
Mountain rescuers were alerted and their bodies were brought down by an RAF
helicopter.
Mr Fraser lived in Craigard Terrace, Inverness, and Ms Murdoch in Torridon
Park, Forres, northern Scotland.
Robin Jackman wrote in message <7hnfjs$92g$1...@news4.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>Did anyone hear radio 5 news this morning? (Sunday 16th May)
>
>Two tragic deaths on An Teallach. The story lasted for about two bulletins
>and was never heard of again.
>
>They said that a party of four had got to the summit (Sguur Fiona?) had
just
>started their descent when two of them slipped on wet grass and fell 600
ft.
>
>1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
>
>2. As far as I know there is nowhere where you can "slip on wet grass" and
>fall 600ft.
>
>3. Even if there were somewhere, it sounds very unlikely that two people
>could slip simultaneously.
>
>Anyone heard any more details?
>
Peter Clinch
> 1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
>
> 2. As far as I know there is nowhere where you can "slip on wet grass" and
> fall 600ft.
>
> 3. Even if there were somewhere, it sounds very unlikely that two people
> could slip simultaneously.
1) There are plenty of isolated patches of grass in the unlikeliest of
places on rocky slopes. And sometimes they make a pleasant change from
scree or the like.
2) On a steep slope (scree generally lies on slopes of about 1 in 1,
which is steep), once you start rolling you may or may not stop: witness
blocks knocked down accidentally, that sometimes stop after one bounce,
or sometimes just keep rolling.
My closest call to date was... slipping on wet grass. Difficult to be
sure, but I think I must have rolled a minimum of 50 feet before
stopping by *pure* chance landing on a flat piece of ground on a burn
bank. Very luckily, my pack broke my fall, though the impact ripped the
shoulder harness off. But for chance, I'd have kept on rolling faster,
and that wasn't anything like as serious a hill as An Teallach (some
bimbly thing near Buttermere, while I was doing a KIMM, so I even had
studded fell shoes on, the best there is for wet grass).
3) Two people together, one slips, grabs/is grabbed by the other who
can't hold it, off they go together. Don't see why this is that
unlikely.
> An Teallach must be one of the most beautiful and inspiring mountain walks
> in the country. Anything that can be learned from this terrible accident
> would be of great use to all.
wet grass is bloody dangerous stuff on steep ground with a big runout
underneath, and there's no shortage of places where you get that. It
can often be worth using an axe or poles to aid their safe traverse, if
you have them with you.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.c...@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
Heather Alexander
Teallach is not a good hill for walking in the spring because of the problem
of slippery wet grass (or words to that effect). News to me!!
--
Heather Alexander
-------------------------------------------
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Paul Simonite
from "Robin Jackman" <ro...@jackman999.freeserve.co.uk> contains
these words:
> 1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
If the weather was as bad as it was here in Caithness last weekend
they may well have not realised exactly where they were until they
began to fall. Unlikely I know, but one only needs to be a yard or
three out with ones bearings and what should be a slope could be a
cliff, etc... and even slopes can kill.
--
Cheers,
Paul (Compo) Simonite, Caithness.
Barry Ferguson
deaths were roped together.
Robin Jackman wrote in message <7hnfjs$92g$1...@news4.svr.pol.co.uk>...
>Did anyone hear radio 5 news this morning? (Sunday 16th May)
>
>Two tragic deaths on An Teallach. The story lasted for about two bulletins
>and was never heard of again.
>
>They said that a party of four had got to the summit (Sguur Fiona?) had
just
>started their descent when two of them slipped on wet grass and fell 600
ft.
>
>1. There is no grass anywhere near the summit.
>
>2. As far as I know there is nowhere where you can "slip on wet grass" and
>fall 600ft.
>
>3. Even if there were somewhere, it sounds very unlikely that two people
>could slip simultaneously.
>
>Anyone heard any more details?
>