Avalanche risk

THE avalanche hazard in Glencoe remained high yesterday, a day after two climbers were swept hundreds of feet to their deaths on a Buachaille Etive Mor.

The pair were climbing on Curved Ridge when a slab avalanche knocked them off their feet and they plunged 1,500ft down the mountainside.

A third member of the party survived as he was not caught in the avalanche. He was assisted by two other climbers in a separate group, who then alerted emergency services.

Police had still not identified the victims last night, as some family had not yet been told of the tragedy.

Yesterday, the Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) advised climbers that the avalanche risk in Glencoe remained high above 600ft.

It said significant quantities of fresh windslab had accumulated in the mountains, mostly in the south and west.

Mark Diggins, of the SAIS, said there was currently an unprecedented situation in the mountains with a weak snowpack created in the past few days with fresh snow and strong winds on top.