A mobile phone call had been received from a lone female walker on Kinder Scout stating that she had injured her ankle and could not proceed. She was unsure of her exact position but early presumptions indicated she was probably at the top of Crowden Brook.  Buxton and Edale teams were called simultaneously to rendezvous at Tipps car park, Upper Booth. With Buxton team members already dressed for the hill the response was impressive and had their first section ascending Crowden Brook with fifteen minutes of the call. 

Not being entirely sure of the woman’s position, Edale team was tasked to check Grindsbrook. Three search dogs were also called.  Derbyshire police helicopter was deployed, and flew over the area for nearly an hour using thermal imaging equipment. The lady still could not be located. After an hour, team members were up onto the moor and a search of the entire southern edge path was started. As a belt and braces back-up, Kinder team was called to explore the Kinder Downfall area, along with Glossop team who were tasked to start up from the Snake Road and climb Fairbrook.

Just as the police helicopter had left the area to return to its base for fuel, and as Kinder and Glossop members were pulling on their boots, faint cries for help were heard by a Buxton section sweeping the edge towards Grindsbrook. An Edale section was able to pick up on the indication and moved to locate the casualty at the top of the true left gully. 

With a suspected fractured ankle it was obvious that the casualty would need to be carried from the hillside and extra team members started to climb Grindsbrook with the necessary kit. The police helicopter was asked to return and evacuate the lady, but they could not confirm that helicopter would be able to land on the moor in the dark.  After around forty minutes the stretcher party just arrived at the scene in time to see the police helicopter land and load the casualty for evacuation to Derby.  With the heavy kit not required it then had to be carried back down the valley.   

At the time of this incident the weather was wonderfully clear but temperatures were dipping to minus four. Had the lady not been found, she could well have perished during the night through hypothermia. Peak District Mountain Rescue again urges everyone to respect the hills and carry the spare emergency equipment that might just save their life. Extra insulation in case of an enforced overnight stop, a torch, and a whistle are absolutely essential throughout the winter periods.

Photo: Library image of Derbyshire Police Helicopter operating in daylight.

See Team Call-out 18.

A sixty year old German visitor staying in Sheffield was reported to have slipped whilst walking in Padley Gorge and sustained a serious ankle injury.  The teams rendezvoused at Grindleford Station as an air-ambulance was already making its approach.   Team members were able to assist the paramedics and then carried the casualty a short distance to where the aircraft had been able to land.  The lady was then flown to a Chesterfield Hospital.

A spate of rescue incidents in the Peak District during the last few weeks has highlighted the need for continued vigilance of the prevailing weather conditions, and the need for good preparation for a day’s walk on the moors.  In fact, the conditions on the hilltops in some areas are becoming worse even though the valleys may seem calm and inviting.

Heavy snowfall last weekend, and again this week, has fallen on top of the previous deep snows of December and January.  Whilst the older snow pack is well consolidated, the new snow is particularly unstable, especially on the steep sides of gullies on Bleaklow. There have already been reports of snow avalanches  which may easily triggered by the unwary walker. 

Popular footpaths are now becoming extremely slippery with compacted ice making walking potentially dangerous.  Wintery conditions still persist at higher levels and dense hill fog can be encountered at any time.

The message is simple: Don’t be fooled by an apparent break in the weather.  Be prepared for winter conditions to continue for several weeks to come. Sub- zero temperatures, particularly at night are still common and there is a great risk of thick low cloud suddenly reducing visibility to a few feet at any time.  Wear and carry the appropriate clothing and equipment and ALWAYS CARRY a TORCH and WHISTLE.   Be sure you understand the snow conditions and appreciate the avalanche risk.

That said, the hills are there to be enjoyed by the well equipped and sensible enthusiast.  Get out there if conditions are suitable - but remember, there is always another day!

The call started at 21.00 following a report of two males overdue from a day’s walking on Bleaklow Moor, north of the A57 Snake Pass Road. Heavy snow and wind caused white-out conditions for the rescue parties which were hampered by the severe risk of avalanche as fresh snow built up on the historic snow pack.

Three other Peak District search dogs were also deployed in what was becoming a full scale search.   However, just after midnight the two men managed to make their own way onto the Snake Road and made themselves known to the rescue teams. A fortunate escape in severe winter conditions compounded by darkness.

The weather was bitterly cold with temperatures below freezing and snow falling.  A member of the public remembered seeing the gentleman near the golf club in the afternoon so the search was concentrated on the course and surrounding woodland. 

Fortunately the man was located at 02.00 am by Peak District Search Dog Bryn with handler Steve Ward.   The casualty was cold, wet and confused but otherwise unharmed however he was taken to hospital for a check up.

The call-out at 17.50 followed an afternoon of low cloud, freezing temperatures and light snow which was beginning to blanket the hillside.  The group had set off from Barber Booth but became disorientated as darkness fell and they couldn’t find their way off the moor.   The party was known to be inadequately dressed and had little or no equipment to deal with the conditions.

The Rescue Controller, in cell-phone conversation with the group, was able to estimate their position and a member of Edale team located them on Grindslow Knoll.  A section of Buxton team quickly rendezvoused at the casualty site and was able to offer additional clothing and lighting to the poorly equipped group.   The party was then led back to Edale.

The timely finding of the casualties meant that four of the dog units were not deployed on to the hill but Dave Mason and Megan were well committed searching up the Grindsbrook Valley before the stand-down. 

See Team Call-out 16.

The man who “makes Ray Mears look like Paris Hilton*” is giving his spectacular “Against The Wall” lecture at Macclesfield Rugby Club on Friday 12th March and all in aid of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team!

The US magazine Climbing once described Andy as a climber with a “strange penchant for the long, the cold and the difficult”, with a reputation “for seeking out routes where the danger is real, and the return is questionable, pushing himself on some of the hardest walls and faces in the Alps and beyond, sometimes with partners and sometimes alone.”

Andy’s speciality is big wall climbing and winter expeditions, which involves pitting himself against a vertical climbs of over 1000 metres (that’s two and a half world trade centres), often in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees. Andy has scaled Yosemite’s El Capitan – one of the hardest walls in America – over ten times, including two solo ascents. One of these ascents was a 12 day solo of the Reticent Wall, viewed at the time as perhaps the hardest climb of its type in the world.

In 2002 he undertook one of the hardest climbs in Europe : a 15 day winter ascent of the West face of the Dru. This 1000 metre pillar pushed him and his partner to their limits and was featured in the award winning film ‘Cold Haul’.

Andy has also taken part in three winter expeditions to Patagonia . The stories that Andy has brought back from these expeditions have become modern classics in the climbing world and have brought new meaning to the words ‘epic’ and ‘cold’…

The Lecture Andy will be giving for us is about his experiences in Patagonia, on the Eiger and El Capitan .  Andy is a very entertaining lecturer and puts on a great show.

Friday 12^th March, 7.30pm (doors open 7.00pm)                                   Macclesfield Rugby Union Football Club, Priory Lane , Macclesfield

Tickets £10, £6 concession

Tickets are available from Campfour or online at www.campfour.co.uk.

For concessions, we would ask that customers please contact us in advance of placing their order online.

Campfour contact details:

Address: Pickford Street , Macclesfield, Cheshire , SK11 6HB

Email: info@campfour.co.uk       Telephone: 01625 619 204

The Rescue Team extends a big thanks to Campfour of Macclesfield for organising this event.

Photos:  Copyright: Ian Parnell

* quote: Metro Magazine

Operating from Edale, the team commenced a search of the southern edges for the man and his 13 year old son who had become disorientated in thick low cloud and darkness after a day’s walking.  Although in cell-phone contact with rescue control, the man was unable to give any clear indication of his whereabouts and a full scale search of the moor was commenced. 

Eventually the two, from Salford, Manchester, were located by a search dog team operating from Hayfield and were escorted off the moor.