Avalanche teen reunited with rescuers 40 years on

A man who almost died in an avalanche 40 years ago has been reunited with some of the mountain rescuers who saved his life.

Simon Ellis was a 17-year-old venture scout in 1984 when he was injured on Helvellyn in Cumbria.

He was one of a group of six from Wolviston Scout Unit in Teesside who took part in a weekend of snow and ice climbing at Nethermost Cove.

Three of his friends died in the accident, which made the reunion with Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team all the more poignant.

The five venture scouts and an adult leader started their adventure in Patterdale in January 1984.

Mr Ellis recalled: "It was getting more blustery, there was light snow starting to fall, but we stuck to our route."

The team took it in turns to lead but, just 100ft (30 metres) from the top, disaster struck as they were swept away in an avalanche.

The scouts were pushed 700ft (210 metres) down the mountain as "the sky fell in on us".

Another team of climbers, from London, were also on the route and escaped the avalanche.

They gave first aid before heading down to Patterdale to raise the alarm.

Dave Freeborn, who was one of the rescuers and is still a member of the Patterdale team, as well as its president, said: "The weather was horrendous.

"There were a lot of teams involved in the callout, but the weather was really bad."

It was about 15:00 GMT when the London climbers reached the valley.

Mr Freeborn said: "There was no mobile phones then of course, so they had to come down over the snowy fields to get to the nearest farm.

"The village policeman was called out, he called us out and we had to get up to them.

"There was time that was lost then that wouldn’t be now because of mobile phones."

The Patterdale team was joined by rescuers from Langdale and Ambleside, Penrith, Kirkby Stephen, Kendal and RAF Leconfield but, with Kirkstone Pass blocked by snow, the teams from the south had to come up the motorway.

Mr Ellis was one of the lucky ones brought to safety.

Three of the six, John Lonsdale, John Sanderson and Steve Chilton, died in the avalanche.

Mr Ellis said he only realised the extent of what happened when he "came to" six weeks later in a hospital in Newcastle. He had been in a coma.

His wife Tracy organised the reunion as a surprise for her husband while they were on holiday in the Lake District from their home in Colorado.

Describing the moment he met the team for the first time since 1984, he said: "Oh my goodness I was so overwhelmed and emotional.

"And so was my dad Neville. It was the first time he had been back to the Lake District in 40 years.

“It was an overflowing of sadness, of relief, of memories, of what it meant to me and what it meant to all those around, including the families of my friends who died.

“I was able to express how grateful I am and so profoundly humbled that we survived.

"It was also with the help of teams from Brent in London who came to do the same climb. Without them the mountain rescue would not have been alerted."

Mr Freeborn said it is a rare privilege to be reunited with those who have been rescued, adding: “It was equally emotional for me.

"It was so great to meet Simon and his family."

The Ellis family walked up Helvellyn the day after the reunion to say prayers of thanks.

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