Climbers killed by avalanche on 'safe' route

Two climbers swept 1,500ft to their deaths by a wave of snow on a "safe" mountain route were victims of an "unforeseen tragic accident", a sheriff has ruled.

• Shorn of snow, Buachaille Etive Mor is still an imposing prospect

Mountaineering instructor Chris Walker and client Robert Pritchard plunged down a gully after being hit by a "slab avalanche" on Buachaille Etive Mor last year.

A fatal accident inquiry heard how their climbing party had tragically changed routes in a bid to avoid avalanches. They were struck on a route considered by mountaineer experts as "safe".

In a written determination published yesterday, Sheriff Douglas Small said: "I am satisfied (they] were swept to their deaths by a small 'slab avalanche'.

"I am satisfied that the avalanche was completely unpredictable and that the circumstances of this accident were highly unusual.

"I consider that this was a tragic accident which could not have been foreseen."

A two-day inquiry was held at Fort William Sheriff Court in November. It was told Mr Walker, 29, from Keswick in Cumbria, was a freelance instructor employed by Sheffield-based Jagged Globe and had taken two of the company's clients for a winter climb of the Curved Ridge in Glencoe on 24 February.

Survivor Ritchie Birkett, 29, a software developer, described how he saw the pair desperately plunging their ice picks into the snow in a bid to stop being dragged to their deaths.

Mr Birkett, one of the clients, said they were enjoying the third day of their expedition when the tragedy happened. He said there had been no trouble climbing to the summit, but then conditions took a turn for the worse.

Mr Birkett said: "Chris decided not to take the route down through Coire na Tulach. He left us in no uncertain terms that it was not a safe route, because of the avalanche risks. He ultimately made the decision."

The party started their descent down the north-west ridge instead, with another pair of climbers they had met at the summit.

Mr Birkett said: "Suddenly the snow in front seemed to start moving. It became loose and I realised it was an avalanche, because it was the whole section of the slope. I shouted 'avalanche'. They turned around and were instantly taken down. The last I saw of them was trying to do an ice axe arrest in to the snow. They instantly went out of sight."Mr Birkett said he and the other climbers were not hit by the snow and continued their trek down the mountainside.

He came across a helmet belonging to Mr Walker, adding: "It was not in a good state." The other climbers found the bodies and they then made their way to the base to raise the alarm.

In his findings, Sheriff Small said: "I do not consider that the organisation or supervision of the intermediate course on that day can in any way be criticised."

He added: "As regards the route chosen by Christopher Walker as a descent route, it is quite clear that his choice was entirely the correct choice.

"What initiated the 'slab avalanche' is a matter for speculation. John Grieve (leader of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team] speculated that the slab avalanche would have been caused by a build-up of snow caused by the wind, which could have been triggered by its own weight."

Mr Pritchard, 37, from New Malden in Surrey, was also an experienced climber.