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Broken ankle leads to Green Gable mountain top rescue

Keswick Mountain Rescue People in red jackets lid by headtorches with snow blowing around them attend to a casualty in a pop up orange tentKeswick Mountain Rescue
Rescuers went to the aid of a woman who broke her ankle on Green Gable

Mountain rescuers were called out 44 minutes into the new year when a walker broke her ankle in wind and snow.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Team said two "well-equipped and experienced" women were trying to get to Great Gable in the Lake District to see in 2023.

After encountering treacherous conditions they "wisely" decided to turn back, but one slipped and fell.

Fourteen Keswick volunteers and 11 RAF rescuers took part in the nearly five-hour long rescue.

A spokesman for the Keswick team said it "must be some kind of record" for the quickest call out of a new year with the women calling 999 at 00:44 GMT.

Keswick Mountain Rescue A group of volunteers in red and black waterproofs walk at night, lit by head torches, in sleet and snowKeswick Mountain Rescue
Conditions were "impressively unpleasant" near Great Gable on New Year's Eve

He said the walkers had "considered the weather forecast" and "decided to celebrate the start of the new year on top of Great Gable".

But upon reaching Green Gable they were met with "impressively unpleasant" conditions including "strong winds blowing persistent rain, sleet, hail and snow" so they "wisely turned back", the spokesman said.

As they descended one slipped and fell breaking her ankle leading to the 999 call.

Keswick Mountain Rescue Volunteers in red and black coats and lit by headtorches push a stretcher across snow and rocksKeswick Mountain Rescue
The rescue took four hours and 51 minutes

Members of RAF Valley and RAF Lossiemouth were staying in Keswick for a few days so were "able to boost our numbers considerably", the Keswick spokesman said.

The teams approached from Honister and found the women and two dogs using a phone find app, with the casualty given first aid and then carried back on a stretcher.

A coastguard helicopter was also deployed but had to turn away due to the weather conditions.

The spokesman said the rescue, which took four hours and 51 minutes, was a "memorable start to the new year".

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