Latest Incident: 23/03/25 Team called by NEAS to assist with a potentially tricky casualty extraction. The team were stood down shortly after being called when NEAS identified ... More details
20th November 2006 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
Notes For Editor Teesdale
& Weardale Search & Mountain Rescue Team are affiliated to the "Mountain
Rescue - England and Wales". We provide a Search and Rescue service throughout
County Durham and beyond primarily for the Police but also for the other emergency
services. All Team members are volunteers and we rely on monies raised by ourselves
as a registered charity to run the Team. Further details regarding our latest
callouts and Team information can be found on our website www.twsmrt.org.uk
