Walker rescued from Ill Crag by mountain rescue teams
Team stretchered injured walker off the hill after air support limited by weather
Mountain rescue teams have completed a nine-hour operation, to assist a walker who sustained an ankle injury on Ill Crag, rendering him unable to continue.
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) received a call at 13:55 on Saturday about the incident and made a Full Callout to respond. Due to the casualty’s remote location, an air asset from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (Rescue 199) was requested but could not perform the rescue directly due to low cloud base.
As an alternative, team members were transported to Lingmell Col, where they worked alongside the Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service team stationed nearby on training exercises. Together, they packaged the injured walker and stretchered him down to Wasdale Head. Members of his walking party then transported him to the hospital for assessment.
The rescue teams have wished the walker a swift recovery and thanked both Rescue 199 and RAF Leeming for their assistance during the operation.
For some team members, the callout followed an already early start at 4:30 am, with the operation finishing at 23:30 after a long and demanding day in cloudy, cold conditions.