Rescuers on Skye revealed details of several days of search on Cuillins
Volunteers Skye Mountain Rescue team shared details of a large-scale search operation that lasted several days and was included in the documentary project BBC "Highland Cops". Experienced 67-year-old traveler Roderick (Roddy) MacPherson stopped communicating after surveillance cameras recorded him near Sligachan Hotel.
The search was made much more difficult by the large number of routes leading from this starting point in different directions, and the initial work on the slopes of the Red Hills hills was hampered by severe weather. In total, the volunteer team worked for over 350 hours, comparing the task to finding a needle in a haystack.
Eyewitness accounts and technical data from a mobile phone helped narrow down the sector: the signal confirmed the exit to Cuillin ridge, and its sudden disappearance pointed to the gorge Harta Corrie, where communication is completely absent. Experts believe that the man was heading to the top of Bruach na Frìthe, but was forced to descend due to deteriorating visibility and weather. On the fourth day after the start of the operation, the tourist's body was found; the police stated that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.
Source: Rescuers describe 'huge' search for missing hillwalker on Skye in documentary - STV News
Context
The area near Sligachan serves as a popular starting point for many different destinations, which is why in the absence of a declared route, the search area instantly grows to the scale of the entire massif. An additional obstacle to navigation and emergency communication are deep gorges like Harta Corrie, whose rocky terrain completely blocks cellular network coverage.