A climber blown off his feet on a snow-lashed mountain and left with his ankle shattered in two places has hailed the “legends” who rescued him from a pitch-black mountainside.
Jake Evans, 32, is recovering in hospital after the horror fall while descending Ben Klibreck in Sutherland, Scotland.
The peak was so windswept it knocked him to the ground, snapping his leg in two places and leaving him stranded in freezing conditions.
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The adventurer now faces surgery to have screws and metal plates inserted into his ankle.
Despite the agony, Jake managed to dial 999 as mountain rescuers battled through appalling weather to reach him.
Members of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team stretchered him off the mountain after a coastguard helicopter was unable to land due to thick fog.
The drama unfolded on Friday (20 Feb), as reported by Need To Know.
Jake had been attempting to become the first person to walk the entire 750-mile line of Scotland’s watershed in winter – raising money for Mind and Scotland: The Big Picture.
Scotland’s watershed is a 750-mile line running the length of the country, where rain falling on one side drains to the Atlantic and on the other flows into the North Sea.
Ben Klibreck was the final ‘Munro’ – a Scottish mountain – on his epic route.
Describing the terrifying ordeal, Jake said: “On the very last Munro of my journey, the winter finally got me.
“As I made my final steps up to the summit of Ben Klibreck the wind suddenly increased to a ferocity I have never experienced in my life.
“It knocked me over twice and I had to crawl the final few metres to the summit.
“Once I got there, I bum shuffled to the slightly more protected eastern slopes and got back to my feet again and started walking down a snowy but relatively shallow slope.
“Then the wind returned.
“Catapulting me forwards on to the snow and forcing my left ankle into a very unnatural angle.
“It had broken in two places.
“I knew immediately Mountain Rescue was my only option.
“I made 999 call, gave my co-ordinates, received assurance help was on its way and got all my emergency survival equipment and shelter out.
“It was going to be a very long wait in the snow, I was in a very remote and high location.
“Luckily I also had emergency hip flask given to me by my dad filled with Laphroaig’s finest whisky.
“At one point, I heard a coastguard helicopter making an attempt to pick me up, but the fog proved too thick and they had to give up.
“But eventually, six hours after my initial 999 call, the first members of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team emerged out of the darkness.
“I can only begin to describe how absolutely incredible they all were, as more and more arrived.
“They worked tirelessly over four hours to keep me warm, fed and as comfortable as possible as all the appropriate equipment and personnel were brought up to start getting me safely off the mountain.
“It then took another four hours, carrying me on a specialised stretcher carefully and safely to a point clear enough for the helicopter to finally pick me up.
“The helicopter paramedic assessed my condition wasn’t critical so I was flown to a waiting ambulance which then took me to Inverness hospital
“Almost 18 hours after the accident.
“Not a fun time.”
Jake admits he is still coming to terms with how close he came to disaster.
He added: “I’m still trying to get my head around what happened as all the adrenaline starts to wear off.
“Looks like it’s going to take a while for my ankle to heal fully.
“But at the moment I’m taking solace in the fact I did reach the summit of the final Munro on my route and had only a handful of days left.
“I’m already thinking next winter once I’ve recovered, I can perhaps return to symbolically tie up all the loose ends.
“Thank you so much to everyone that has supported during this Watershed Trekking effort.
“I would not have got even half as far as this, if it wasn’t for all of you.
“It’s fuelled me immensely.
“And I’m so sorry I couldn’t quite complete it.
“Scotland’s great Ribbon of Wildness decreed otherwise I guess.
“Perhaps it was fate all along.
“Once I eventually get back home and recover a little more, I will produce some artwork to sell in support of Assynt Mountain Rescue Team.
“All these legends are volunteers.
“And they saved my life.”
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