Three
contestants trying to prove they were as tough
as the SAS for a new reality television show had
to be rescued after getting lost on one of Scotland’s
most climbed mountains.
The group of two women and one man were set the
task of climbing the 974m Ben Lomond before returning
to a farm at the base.
The three competitors had been planning to reach
the summit as part of an endurance test for a
high-profile BBC2 programme called SAS - Are
You Tough Enough?.
But during a calamitous attempt to prove their
supposed crack survival skills, they ended up
triggering two different rescue missions in the
space of just two hours.
Despite perfect sunny conditions, the contestants
became lost and disorientated as they tried to
reach the summit.
The mountain, near Rowardennan, Loch Lomondside,
is one of the most popular in Scotland for hillwalkers
and summer family outings.
A squad of 15 search and rescue personnel, aided
by five search dogs and a BBC helicopter, were
called into action on Monday afternoon.
The missing man and two women, who refused to
release their names because of their involvement
in the secretive show, were treated for minor
injuries.
Officials at the Trossachs Search and Rescue Team
said yesterday the operation was made difficult
because of the contestants’ survival clothing
and army-style face paint.
Secretary Stuart Ballantyne said: "They should
have been able to manage this - it was only up
the ben and down again.
"Considering all the competitors were wearing
army camouflage, it made them impossible for the
helicopter to spot them.
"Thankfully they were located and there was no
serious injury sustained."
More than 30 other people, including cameramen
and a full BBC crew, were also on Ben Lomond while
a helicopter filmed the action from the air.
The ben, on the east side of Loch Lomond, is one
of the most popular walking spots in central Scotland
and towers above the West Highland Way.
The rescue operation began at 2pm after a female
contestant failed to return to the farmhouse.
The search was called off a short time later after
the crew reported the woman was safe.
Having returned home, the rescue team was called
out again two hours later after the crew reported
two more contestants overdue.
More than a dozen volunteers combed the area while
other rescuers headed uphill with an eight-wheel
Argocat vehicle and a quad bike.
Rescuers found a woman more than 200 yards off
course attempting to climb down a deep gully.
A man was later discovered limping near the top
of the ben.
Mr Ballantyne said: "It’s quite ironic that
the programme they were filming was called Are
You Tough Enough? because they obviously weren’t.
"After we carried out the first operation we thought
that was it. Then we get another call from the
BBC saying ‘Sorry to bother you again but
we have lost two more people’.
"It could have been serious had the contestants
fallen but thankfully it never came to that."
The six-part programme will be aired on BBC2 from
12 November at 8:30pm.
A BBC spokesman in London admitted the corporation’s
embarrassment yesterday, but stressed it "was
not a major incident".
He said: "It was all over very quickly and no-one
was endangered.
"The programme is all about members of the public
and how they can survive the SAS."
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Three
contestants trying to prove they were as tough
as the SAS for a new reality television show had
to be rescued after getting lost on one of Scotland’s
most climbed mountains. 