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Man dies after falling 70m from Lake District mountain ridge

4 January 2025, 12:52 | Updated: 4 January 2025, 14:00

A man has died in the Lake District after falling 70m from a mountain ridge.

Keswick Mountain Rescue said its first callout of the year ended in tragedy after a man died following a fall from Sharp Edge on Thursday (2 January).

The rescue team was called out at 12.25pm. A member of the crew made their way to the scene and a helicopter was then dispatched.

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The body of the man - who has not been named - was then recovered to the helicopter and taken to the mountain rescue base in Keswick, Cumbria.

"Many thanks to [helicopter] H58, the Coastguard, and to the hill-goers who went to assist," the team said in a post on its Facebook page. "Our thoughts and condolences go to the man's family and friends."

An image of the rescue shows snow on the ground surrounding rescuers and the helicopter.

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Sharp Edge is a ridge leading to the top of the 868m-high Blencathra mountain. On Thursday temperatures in the area dropped as low as 2°C.

The route is described as "strenuous" on the Cumbria Tourism website, which warns: "Its lofty position and fine sculpted crest have the capacity to excite even the most jaded scrambler. But it also has the capacity to scare some people."