A man has died while traversing a notorious razor sharp ridge leading to the top of a Lake District mountain.
A spokesman for Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said the man slipped from Sharp Edge, on Blencathra, on Friday afternoon and fell down a gully on the north side, suffering fatal injuries.
The casualty’s friend was able to make his way to the bottom of the gully and called 999 to ask for help.
Members of Keswick Mountain Rescue Team and the Great North Air Ambulance were the first on the scene with the emergency helicopter landing some distance away on Bannerdale Crags.
The air ambulance doctor and paramedic climbed the gully to the casualty.
Keswick MRT went to the base of the gully and also along the ridge in order to set up a lowering line.
The Coastguard helicopter arrived on scene and attempted a pass over the gully to assess for winching but the gusty and showery conditions were not suitable.
One team member was then lowered from the ridge down the gully to the casualty site to ‘pick off’ the paramedic, the casualty’s friend and finally the stretcher with the casualty.
The Coastguard helicopter was then able to transfer the friend and then the casualty to Crow Park in Keswick.
Seventeen team members were involved in the incident which lasted for five hours and 15 minutes.
