Police have named two of the three people who died after an avalanche in the Cairngorms on 14 February as on Thursday. Squadron Leader Rimon Than, 33, of RAF Valley, North Wales, and Flight Lieutenant Fran Capps, both members of the RAF Mountaineering Association were killed along with a student taking part in a winter skills course at Glenmore Lodge. Nine other people were caught up in the avalanche in the Chalamain Gap, a steep sided glen linking the Cairngorm ski road with the Lairig Ghru, were unhurt.
Bob Kinnaird, Principal of Glenmore Lodge, said it was the first fatality at the National Outdoor Centre for more than 40 years and that, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who have lost their lives.”
Rimon Than was described as an experienced climber and mountaineer having completed a climbing expedition to China in 2012 where his team were the first to summit Wupingfeng, a 5640 metre peak in Sichuan province. He was also a qualified doctor.
The Police also paid tribute to the rescuers saying they had responded extremely quickly to the incident and located all three climbers in a short space of time. The three were buried by the snow and once located were all airlifted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
UPDATE: The Ministry of Defence have confirmed the identity of the female victim as 32-year-old Flight Lieutenant Fran Capps, from Dulverton in Somerset.
UPDATE: Police have confirmed the details of the third person who sadly died as William Currie, 18, from Penzance.