MOUNTAIN RESCUE teams were called out on New Year’s Day to the assistance of two climbers who found themselves in difficulty in the eastern Cairngorms after minor injury.

The two men, both in their mid 30s, had been descending from the summit of Beinn a Bhuird on Tuesday afternoon when one of them sustained a hip injury which slowed their progress.

Inspector Andrew Todd of the Grampian Police mountain rescue team, who co- ordinated the response, said, “We initially had very limited information due to poor phone reception.”

Twenty-six members of the joint Grampian Police and Braemar mountain rescue team, along with 20 members of the Aberdeen MRT, were called out and found the pair near their last known position. The pair were helped off the mountain but did not require any medical treatment.

“After we deployed the teams to the mountain we were successful in getting back in touch with the men and they gave us their exact location,” said Insp Todd.

“This made the incident much more simple for us. Both of the men were well equipped and experienced.

Both men are from the north of England.

In another incident on Tuesday, Cairngorm mountain rescue team was alerted that a 48-year-old man was reported missing from an address in Aviemore.

He was believed to have gone to Lairig Ghru area, but was not equipped for winter in the mountains.

The man, who has not been named, was subsequently found by walkers and given assistance.

When the mountain rescue team and police arrived the weather conditions were deteriorating badly and a rescue helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth was called to airlift the man to Raigmore Hospital, Inverness.

He received treatment but was not detained.