Danger as snow covers vital cairns

WALKERS on Britain's highest mountain are at serious risk of losing their way as three vital cairns used for navigation are completely covered in snow.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) warned of "severe danger", including risk of falling down 2,300ft cliffs on 4,409 ft Ben Nevis.

Heather Morning, safety adviser for the MCofS, said missing the cairns can be very dangerous and walkers should pay careful attention to judging distances while descending from the summit.

She said: "They are key points in navigation and mark the place where you have to change direction.

"If you miss the bearing, you can get too far south, where there are steep slopes, or get too close to the ridges in the north.

"Summit navigators have the tendency to walk to the left in bad visibility, to avoid the drops of the north face. This can lead unwary mountaineers close to Five Finger Gully, an equally perilous drop to the south-west near the top of the main path zigzags."

Ms Morning added: "Ben Nevis is extremely popular for winter climbs, though it's mainly experienced climbers that go there.

"You need to have special equipment, such as ice axes, to be able to get up there."

The three bearings are part of a series of 12 cairns that normally help mountaineers descend from the peak safely along its most often-used access track.

The ones that are now fully hidden mark the change in bearing around the top of Gardyloo Gully, which has a precipitous drop just 20m from the main path.

There have frequent heavy snowfalls on Scottish hills this winter. In Glencoe, as much as 32in fell in 24 hours, while unprecedented depths of snow in the Cairngorms led to controlled explosions at ski slopes to help reduce avalanche risk.