A WALKER with 'totally inadequate clothing' found himself stranded and calling for help after reaching the summit of Whernside in freezing temperatures on Friday, January 15.

The Cave Rescue Organisation was called at 4.40pm when the 24-year-old asked for help saying he couldn't find his way off the hill and was struggling to breathe because of his asthma.

A spokesman for the CRO said a small group of CRO members set off on foot and a controller telephoned the ‘casualty’, several times. The only responses tailed off incoherently, so an enquiry was made for an air ambulance.

"Although the weather was clear on Whernside, the appropriate air ambulances were fogged in at their bases, so North Yorkshire Police control room staff were asked to request a coastguard helicopter.

"Meanwhile, the foot party continued up the hill and a second party was set off to Ribblehead to rendezvous with the coastguard. At this point the party ascending saw someone coming down towards them and soon established that it was the person who had called for help.

"With no word on a helicopter, the Ribblehead party stood down and the hill party escorted the man back to a team vehicle. As his condition seemed to be deteriorating, they deemed it unwise to dump their patient at his car to drive home and asked for a Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic to re-assess him. The paramedic in the YAS Rapid Response Vehicle called in a road ambulance and the team stood down.

"Team members were of the view that he had totally inadequate clothing and footwear which contributed to his being so cold that he said his feet, legs and face were ‘frozen’. Hence he could hardly speak."