Missing Climber in Scotland Lived in Canada

Rachel Slater and Tim Newton went missing this past weekend on a trip to Ben Nevis.

It is unclear if the two were attempting a technical route or hiking and camping, but winter storms have created avalanche conditions.

Originally from the U.K., 24-year-old Rachel moved to Calgary with her family in 2005. In 2007, she joined the youth climbing team and a year later was competing regularly at regional and provincial comps.

She left Canada in 2009 and later graduated from the University of Manchester. Rachel’s parents, Nigel and Rosemarie, live in Calgary and are involved with the local climbing community. Rachel has become an accomplished climber, visit her blog here to read some of her stories.

Rachel and 27-year-old Tim were on a Valentines weekend trip to Ben Nevis, which is a popular winter mixed climbing destination. Newton is a moderator on UKclimbing.com and is attending university, according to online sources.

On Wed. Feb. 17, rescue crews and a helicopter were battling poor weather to continue the search, which had been called off.

The HM Coastguard Rescue helicopter 951 set off after midday on Wednesday. The latest news is that conditions are too dangerous to search on foot.

It is believed they had been camping behind the Charles Inglis Clark memorial hut on the north side of the mountain. John Stevenson from the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) said, “It’s always a worry when you’re putting people in to these areas. It’s quite scary and very hard work in these conditions.

“As time goes on it’s very difficult, the weather conditions have been really bad and no-one has heard from them or seen them is a worry,” he said. “You always have hope but as time goes on that diminishes quite rapidly.”

On Tuesday, 36 people were sent out to look for the couple around the Coire na Ciste and South Trident Buttress area – the location where Slater and Newton were last believed to have been seen on Sunday.

The effort was called off after five hours due to poor weather, high winds winds and cold temps. The same day, two members of the rescue team were caught up in an avalanche but survived.

– Visit the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team’s Facebook page here for updates and more info.