Scrambling the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe is one of the classic mountain scrambling days in Scotland. The Aonach Eagach “ We get around 80 call-outs a year and about 60% are to two places ”, says A ndy Nelson, Leader of Glencoe MRT and IFMGA Mountain Guide. Sgor nam Fiannaidh The Aonach Eagach above the A82, looking up Glen Coe Elevation 967 m (3,173 ft) Conditions were good and they were said to be well equipped. Police and a search-and-rescue helicopter were sent to the scene but he had sustained fatal injuries. Fred Maclean, 44, who was walking at Aonach Eagach Ridge, died in a fall on Saturday morning. There does come a further question about maps - OS maps and Harveys maps in particular. p.p.s. Would anyone, other than the press and the ‘nanny state’, want to see that? Should they show danger spots? In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. p.s. Heather Morning - MCofS© Mick Ryan About The Mountaineering Council of Scotland A gentler alternative is to continue along the ridge, until reaching the bealach between Sgorr nam Fiannaidh and the Pap of Glencoe. Aonach Eagach. I’ve done the Aonach Eagach four times, the last time being 2008 when most of these images were taken. The first recorded incident on Sharp Edge was in January 1961, to a young man who had slipped and fallen 100' and sustained a fatal head injury. The Clachaig gully descent off the Aonach Eagach has historically been a well known hazard. Through their mountain safety initiatives the Council offer subsidised training course in mountain skills. Aonach Eagach Ridge...it does what it says on the tin! A look through Scottish Mountain Rescue statistics reveals the most common accident ‘blackspots’. In length the full ridge continues for 10 km from the Pap of Glencoe at the west to the eastern end at the Devil's Staircase. A GLASGOW policeman was killed in a freak hillwalking accident in Glencoe yesterday afternoon on a path between the two Munro peaks on the Aonach Eagach ridge. 'In the Coroner's opinion, action should be taken to prevent the occurrence or continuation of such circumstances, or to eliminate or reduce the risk of death created by such circumstances. The Aonach Eagach is a rocky ridge lying to the north of Glen Coe in the Scottish Highlands, boasting two Munro summits. The unfortunate fact is that hills can be dangerous. In reality, many people obtain a provisional licence and are then accompanied by a qualified driver, not a professional instructor. It's perfectly possible for someone with no experience whatsoever to make a happy ascent and descent of Ben Nevis with no alarms - hundreds, probably thousands of people do this every year. "It was just an accident," he added. Glencoe, Scotland. ! Skills Calling in … So far, all we've asked of you is that you visit and interact with the site but we are in uncertain times. It is folk with inadequate experience and equipment who are exposing themselves to a greater level of risk. In wet weather or poor visibility the descent is quite unpleasant and exposed in places. Whether we like it or not, accidents in the mountains create emotive responses. If all works out I might be doing the ridge in winter conditions over the next few months – watch this space! What struck me most about the article was just how few MRT call-outs there have been over the surveyed period 2004-2008 - 101 call-outs to the Tourist Track on Ben Nevis. They can catch out the experienced and the inexperienced - different people will be caught out by different things. To me, that doesn't sound like a dire problem desperately in need of a solution. sorry for the late reply, been very busy this year! View A Close run thing on the Aonach Eagach Image Gallery - 5 Images. For your average hill walker the tourist track is an easy, well constructed path all the way. … In the five years from 2004 – 2008 there were 32 incidents of the Aonach Eagach closely followed by 29 incidents on the Buachaille. The pair, from Arlington, Virginia, were climbing the Aonach Eagach ridge on Saturday. After the soaking I had received on my last two ridge walks, yesterday and Friday, I was hoping for something a little drier today. This again reflects the popularity of these locations. The central section, some 2 km in length, is very rocky and the route along it requires scrambling ability. Tap to unmute. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland, the body which represents the interests of Scottish climbers and hill walkers, promotes the importance of self-reliance in the mountains. I did Crib Goch last easter, after the aonach eagach and found it easier and less exposed. Some saying it's dangerous and should be avoided (deaths have happened), while others think there is nothing wrong with it. Mountain literature such as The Munros should be updated to highlight seasonal specific blackspots/dangers eg Coire Tulaich and suggest alternative routes of ascent and descent for winter conditions. Many thanks to Bob Sharp for his kind support and information regarding accident statistics. Erik also makes the sensible suggestion that books and other forms of guidance should direct readers away from known danger spots. Should venturing into the mountains be any different?” I find I cannot agree with the analogy. Man, traversing Aonach Eagach E to W slipped at the pinnacled section of the ridge and fell down S side for 200m. Perhaps the way forward is to encourage and foster a culture of self reliance through the provision of training. © UKClimbing Limited. The press love to get hold of a mountain rescue story – the avalanche incident (resulting in three fatalities) in Coire an Tulaich on Buachaille Etive Mor last winter resulted in a huge amount of press coverage. Additional safety measures should include more visual and audio warnings of possible dangers'. A considerable amount of money has been spent on the summit of Ben Nevis to do just that. Research into the Scottish Mountain Rescue statistics reveals the accident hotspots. You wouldn't think it was acceptable to jump in a car and drive without having some professional instruction first. The technically difficult sections are few in number and very short-lived. So it was back to school on Monday morning with another war story to tell. Please help UKClimbing continue to provide varied and free content by becoming an official UKC Supporter. I'd really love to do this walk. Or is there a bigger picture to consider here? As for publishing lists of accidents and known danger spots. © 2006-2020 SummitPost.org. That makes it the highest number of call outs to one specific location in Scotland. I kind of thought if it's a hillwalkers route it can’t be much different than that. Moreover, exploring the driving analogy would have us being first licensed before venturing out and then having to be qualified before venturing out alone. Within the mountaineering context, we could sensibly replace qualified by suitably experienced, in line with the HSE definition of competence. Discussions are on-going as to whether the close proximity of some of the cairns to the precipitous North Face is likely to 'lure' somebody over the edge in winter conditions. Don't do it in bad weather, wait for a good day if you've done Crib Goch, you'll have no bother with the ridge, just a few section in the pinnacles are extremely exposed. Hear pronunciation Press to hear pronunciation. 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