Qualla: Cairngorm Plateau Disaster

Cairngorm Plateau Disaster: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jim Barton, CC BY-SA 2.0. On the morning of Monday, 22 November 1971, a helicopter pilot flying over the Cairngorm Plateau in near-whiteout conditions spotted what he thought was a red tent. Edging closer, without reference points in the blowing snow, the crew realised they were looking at a person on her hands and knees. Catherine Davidson, 20 years old, was trying to crawl for help. Her hands were frozen solid. Her legs were locked in a kneeling position and could not be straightened. She was in the advanced stages of hypothermia, barely able to speak -- but she managed to tell her rescuers that the rest of her group was close to where she had been found. When search teams reached the site, they discovered five teenagers and Davidson's assistant dead from exposure, buried under snow that had accumulated over two nights of blizzard.

Image: Jim Barton | CC BY-SA 2.0

Cairngorm Plateau Disaster: An Ambitious Plan

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Alan O'Dowd, CC BY-SA 2.0. The expedition had been a two-day navigational exercise for students from Ainslie Park High School in Edinburgh, staying at the Lagganlia outdoor training centre in Kincraig. On Saturday, 20 November, 14 students set out with three leaders to cross the Cairngorm Plateau from Cair...

Image: Alan O'Dowd | CC BY-SA 2.0

Cairngorm Plateau Disaster: Stranded Above the Clouds

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mike Pennington, CC BY-SA 2.0. As the groups set out, the weather deteriorated, as had been forecast. Beattie's group navigated successfully to the Curran shelter and spent the night inside. Davidson's group was not so fortunate. Unable to locate the shelter in whiteout conditions -- she knew it could be compl...

Image: Mike Pennington | CC BY-SA 2.0

Cairngorm Plateau Disaster: The Rescue

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Russel Wills, CC BY-SA 2.0. Beattie's group struggled off the plateau on Sunday and reached safety that evening. At 19:00, he reported Davidson's party missing at the Aviemore police station. Fifty searchers with helicopter support deployed on Monday morning. The Whirlwind helicopter from RAF Leuchars attem...

Image: Russel Wills | CC BY-SA 2.0

Cairngorm Plateau Disaster: The Mountain's Rules

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jim Barton, CC BY-SA 2.0. The Cairngorm Plateau has a subarctic climate. Snow can fall in any month. Wind speeds above 170 miles per hour have been recorded at the summit station. Even on days when conditions are moderate at lower elevations, the plateau can be engulfed in storm. The shattered granite ter...

Image: Jim Barton | CC BY-SA 2.0