Overview
- Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team was alerted after a concerned mother reported her son overdue on Friday night, prompting searches by Wasdale, Duddon and Furness, Keswick, Langdale Ambleside and Cockermouth teams.
- Rescuers searched through the night across the Wasdale area and Duddon and Furness team members spotted a flashing head torch in Upper Esk around 2.40am, where they found a very cold and exhausted man who had been there since about 6pm.
- Coastguard Rescue 912 airlifted the casualty down the valley after he was warmed and assessed on site, and the incident concluded after more than nine hours early on Saturday morning.
- Searchers said phone-location tools helped narrow areas but proved limited when the walker’s phone and power bank ran out of charge, and they credited the head torch and spare clothing with enabling his rescue.
- Teams warned that changeable mountain weather with snow on Scafell Pike and near-freezing felt temperatures raises exposure risk and urged walkers to carry a head torch, spare warm layers and a fully charged power bank.