Glasgow woman lucky to be alive after Cairngorm avalanche

Maddie Owen was left clinging to the side of Cairngorm Mountain while surrounded by snow for four hours until rescuers traced her and came to her aid.

The 24-year-old and her climbing partner were swept almost 90 metres down the rockface after an innocent move on their ascent trigged the terrifying event.

Maddie, from Dennistoun, exclusively told the Glasgow Times how experts have told her it was a miracle they survived.

She said: “I’d been winter climbing there before without any issues, however this time things suddenly took a devastating wrong turn.

Maddie on the mountain just before the avalanche hit. (Image: Contributed)

“The weather conditions quickly changed and as my friend went to move, it trigged a huge rush of snow that just pushed us right down the mountain. It all happened so fast that we didn’t have time to think, one minute we were climbing and the next we were trapped by a massive bank of snow. It was terrifying.

“Thankfully, my climbing harness was still attached to the rock, so I mainly suffered scrapes and bruises, but my friend suffered a broken ankle and serious spinal injuries, so there was no way for us to move. We literally were left clinging to the side of the mountain while we were battered by 70mph winds. All we could do was hope and pray that someone would be able to locate us.”

Maddie manged to call for help and says she will be forever grateful to the 27 Scottish Mountain Rescue volunteers who brought them to safety.

The mountain rescue team in action helping the stricken pair. (Image: Contributed) She explained: “Due to our position and the horrendous weather it took over four hours to reach us. It was a daunting operation that meant that the team had to climb to the top of the mountain and work their way back down to where we trapped. It was complicated because there was a real fear of triggering another avalanche, so every step was critical.”

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Maddie says the pair know they owe their lives to the brave rescuers who put their own safety on the line to get them off the mountain.

The last photo taken before the avalanche struck shows Maddie's ice picks secured to the rockface - a move which saved her from being swept away. (Image: Contributed)

She added: “We were just incredibly fortunate that they got to us and we will be forever grateful to them for saving our lives. My friend had to be stretchered away and was then taken to hospital for treatment.

“It’s something you never think will happen to you, but people need to be mindful of how fast the weather conditions can change when climbing. That’s when you realise just how isolating it can be. If something goes wrong, like it did in our case, your life is then in the hands of others. These men and women truly are unsung heroes.”

In a bid to raise funds for the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team who came to her aid during the incident in December, Maddie is pulling on her trainers to take part in the Loch Ness marathon on Sunday.

Maddie is taking on the Loch Ness Marathon. (Image: Gordon Terris)

Described as “one of the most stunning in the world”, the race follows a spectacular route alongside Loch Ness and the River Ness before finishing in Inverness city centre.

Maddie says that getting into running has helped her come to terms with the ordeal, and says she is keen now to give someone back.

She said: “It took a couple of months to really get to grips with what we went through. Running has helped me cope mentally and this will be my first ever marathon. I’m hoping to complete the race in four hours while raising money for this great cause.

“It’s just my way of giving something back to those who were they for us when we needed their help the most. I’ll be forever grateful because one wrong move could easily have triggered another avalanche, one we might not have escaped from.”

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