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Buachaille avalanche ruled as accident

A Sheriff has determined that the avalanche which killed two climbers on Buachaille Etive Mor last year was a tragic accident that could not have been foreseen. The Fatal Accident Inquiry report by Sheriff Douglas Small into the deaths of Chris Walker, 29, from Cumbria, and Robert Pritchard, 37, of New Malden, last February, has been published and it states that the slab avalanche could not have been predicted.

Sheriff Small reported: “I am satisfied that the avalanche was completely unpredictable and that the circumstances of this accident were highly unusual. I consider that this was a tragic accident which could not have been foreseen.”

Ritchie Birkett was also on the mountain on 24 February and was caught up in the avalanche but survived despite being swept almost 500m down the mountain.

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You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is every walker's responsibility to check it and to navigate safely.