page_title: Cairngorm Plateau disaster
section_title: Start of the expedition
hierarchical_section_title: Cairngorm Plateau disaster / School expedition / Start of the expedition
caption_attribution_description: English: Across the Lairig Ghru from Ben MacDhui. Looking South West from Ben MacDhui to the slopes between The Devils Point and Cairn Toul. In the distance is Benn Bhrotain.
context_page_description: The Cairngorm Plateau disaster occurred in November 1971 when six fifteen-year-old Edinburgh school students and their two leaders were on a navigational expedition in a remote area of the Scottish mountains. When the weather deteriorated they adopted their emergency plan and headed for the Curran shelter, but they failed to reach it and became stranded for two nights on the high plateau in a blizzard. Five children and the leader's assistant died of exposure. A sixth student and the group's leader survived the ordeal with severe hypothermia and frostbite. The tragedy, also often called the Feith Buidhe disaster, is regarded as Britain's worst mountaineering accident.
  A fatal accident inquiry led to formal requirements being placed on leaders for school expeditions. After acrimony in political, mountaineering and police circles, the Curran shelter was demolished in 1975.
context_section_description: On Saturday 20 November the party set off on a two-day navigational exercise to cross the Cairngorm Plateau from Cairn Gorm south to Ben Macdui. Because they were very late in starting (it was almost 11:00 when they left Lagganlia) they used the Cairngorm ski lift to get close to the plateau and then, as planned, they separated into two groups – the more experienced group led by Beattie set off and was followed by the group led by Davidson and Sunderland. After crossing the plateau both groups were to descend to the Corrour Bothy at a much lower level in the Lairig Ghru where they would spend the night – sunset was just before 16:00. The less-experienced group of 15-year-olds would then return along the Lairig Ghru while the other group would return by traversing Cairn Toul and Braeriach on the far side of the valley. In case of emergency each group was to go to the Curran shelter high on the plateau. This plan had been approved in advance by the head of Lagganlia, John Paisley, who could forbid unsuitable expeditions.
  Shortly after the groups set off the weather deteriorated, as had been forecast to the groups' knowledge, but the first party, led by Beattie, successfully navigated to the Curran shelter where they dug snow from the door and spent the night. The leader of the second party, worried that they would not be able to find the shelter in white-out conditions – she knew it could become completely covered in snow – decided on a forced bivouac out on the plateau. The site she chose was at a slight dip at the head of the Feith Buidhe burn about 460 metres (500 yd) east of Lochan Buidhe and the Curran shelter. Beattie was not worried about the missing people because he assumed they had gone to some other shelter.
caption: Lairig Ghru seen from Ben Macdui. Corrour Bothy is in the glacial valley to the extreme left of the picture, too small to be seen.
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