Two hikers were rescued off Britain’s second highest mountain in minus 15C temperatures wearing just jogging bottoms and trainers.
The pair in their 20s had set-off at 6pm on Tuesday to climb up 4295-foot-high Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands.
But two-and-a-half hours later the hikers became stuck – with one suffering from hypothermia.
Thirteen members of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team went to their aid and found the two men in ‘a precarious state’.
‘They wouldn’t have survived the night with what they were wearing,’ said team leader Iain Cornfoot.
‘One was suffering from hypothermia. He was in a bad way. The other was also very cold.’
It comes as Britain is in the grips of an Arctic blast with temperatures in large swathes of the country plunging well below zero.
A rare cold health alert was issued yesterday for the whole of England, warning that the icy weather might lead to an increase in deaths.
Two hikers were rescued off Britain’s second highest mountain in minus 15C temperatures wearing just jogging bottoms and trainers
The pair in their 20s had set-off at 6pm on Tuesday to climb up 4295-foot-high Ben Macdui in the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands
Large areas of the UK are covered by a snow and ice warning on Friday
Mr Cornfoot said the two hikers were found three metres apart and 1,050 metres up the mountain.
He said: ‘It was minus 15C with the wind chill. One was also in a very precarious position.
‘If he had slipped, he would have gone a long way and would have suffered serious injuries.
‘We have no idea what they were trying to do. They had left Edinburgh at noon and then started to climb Ben Macdui at 6pm in those conditions and with that equipment, or lack of it.
‘They were incredibly ill-equipped. They became cragfast in the Goat Track area of Coire an t-Sneachda.
‘The pair had set off intending to climb Ben Macdui, but without crampons or an ice axe they quickly found themselves unable to continue on steep ground in the winter conditions.
‘It was very icy. It was a good job they stopped where they did. If they had gone further up in the dark and wandered about it would not have had a good outcome.
Britain is in the grips of an Arctic blast with temperatures in large swathes of the country plunging well below zero
‘After some rewarming and reassurance, the team were able to set up a belay and lower them safely back down to the corrie floor.
‘Everyone was off the hill and back at base by 1 am. It was a good outcome all round, but you have to ask why did they do what they did?’.
The pair did not require medical treatment.
Yesterday, the Met Office issued yellow weather alerts for ice and snow covering most of Wales, the West Midlands, the Cotswolds, London and Kent, swathes of the Scottish Highlands and islands and the entirety of Northern Ireland.
Snow up to 5cm deep could blanket some areas especially on higher ground in parts of North Wales and north-west England, according to forecasters.
The alerts are in place until 10am in Northern Ireland and 12pm in England and Wales on Friday, but will last until the end of Sunday in Scotland.
Forecasters have warned of potential disruption on the roads and rails and slippery surfaces in the south, while rural communities face being cut off by snow or even suffering power cuts.
A spokesperson said: ‘This warning highlights the risk of disruptive snow showers and icy surfaces, particularly in northern and eastern areas, with impacts on travel and potential hazards for the public.
‘We expect this cold spell to persist into the weekend and on into next week, with further warnings possible as temperatures remain well below average and snow showers continue in places.’
Chilly conditions are expected nationwide, with highs of 5C expected in Belfast, 7C in London, 6C in Manchester, 3C in Edinburgh and 8C in Cardiff.
In a post on X on Wednesday, the Met Office said a ‘dip in the sea’ on January 1 will feel ‘relatively mild compared to the wind chill that can be expected on land’.
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Two hikers rescued after trying to climb Britain’s second tallest mountain in the dark amid -15C temperatures while wearing jogging bottoms and trainers