Team have first winter snows whilst on exercise in High Pennine
Gale force winds, sub zero temperatures and the first heavy snows descended on the Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team's November 24 hour exercise.

On Saturday evening a micro navigation exercise took Team members up to a pre-planned bivi site 700m above sea level.

Strong winds and fresh snow under foot added to the challenge of navigating the featureless terrain of the high Pennines. During the night blizzards returned, and in the morning Team members woke to find their bivi bags mostly buried under drifting snow.

The Team Control vehicle located on a now snowbound road (nearly 2000 feet above sea level) received information about the search exercise and began planning the strategy at 05.00 hours.

Two lost walkers reported in the Cross Fell area. Search groups departed from the bivi site in clearing weather at first light to begin a search of the area. Though the day conditions deteriorated with heavy spindrift and deepening drifts, but all were rewarded with stunning landscape views as the clouds temporarily parted over the 850m+ plateaux areas of Great Dun Fell and Cross Fell.


At lunchtime on the Sunday the two casualties were located, treated and evacuated to the Team off road vehicle, which had negotiated difficult tracks up to a height of over 2,500 feet.

A stunning start to The Team's winter exercise programme!

Apologies for low resolution of some of the photos
Teesdale & Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team
20/11/06 2000hrs