Man dies in 230ft fall from mountain ridge in Lake District

A walker has died after falling 230ft (70m) from a mountain ridge.

The man fell from Sharp Edge on Blencathra, in the Lake District on Thursday afternoon, Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said.

After the fall, they recovered his body before it was transported by air ambulance to the team’s base.

In a post on social media, the team thanked fellow walkers who went to help, and offered condolences to the man’s family.

‘Our first call-out of the year had a tragic ending after a man died in a 70m fall from Sharp Edge,’ it wrote on its Facebook page.

‘A Keswick team member already on Blencathra made his way to the scene above Scales Tarn, along with the crew of (helicopter) Helimed 58, who landed nearby.

‘Keswick team recovered the body to H58 who then airlifted the man to Keswick MR (Mountain Rescue) Base.’

Sharp Edge is popular with walkers and was described by Lakeland writer Alfred Wainwright as a ‘rising crest of naked rock of sensational and spectacular appearance’.

However, the route comes with challenges.

It is classified as a grade 1 scramble so requires the use of both hands and feet, and has a high level of exposure.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said every year people get into trouble on the ridge, although dry conditions ‘should present few problems to competent hill walkers’.

However, it becomes ‘notoriously slippy’ when wet, and should be avoided unless experienced or well prepared.

Between 1949 and 2018 there have been 11 fatalities along the route.

This included in October 2021 when a man died traversing it as part of his preparations to scale Mount Kilimanjaro.

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