By Sean Moriarty

Six adventurers who wanted to reach Carrantouhil's snowy summit spent hours stranded yesterday (Wednesday) after making a navigational error.

26 volunteer members of Kerry Mountain Rescue Team were called out at 4.15pm to come to their aid and finished at approximately 1.30am. It was their first major callout of the year.

The climbers - made up of two separate groups - ascended the popular mountain after a Met Éireann Yellow weather alert was issued warning of the presence of heavy snow on the MacGillycuddy's Reeks.

The first two-person group made it to the top and on their way down met the second group of four.

All six decided to descend together, via the south-west face of the Bone on Maolán Buí, an area to the east of the Zig Zags - a well-travelled descent route - when they made a navigational error and attempted to go down an unrecognised route.

The six became cragfast 150m from the gully and raised the alarm around 4.15pm.

“Conditions on the hill were very poor, rendering any approach to the casualties from the bottom of the gully dangerous. The team instead climbed up to a point near the top of the Bone above the gully, where a belay system was set up,” Colm Burke from the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team said.

A number of team members abseiled 200m from the belay point down to the casualties and secured them to haul lines that were used to bring them all safely to the top of the ridge. Once at the top, the casualties were short-roped down off the Bone to awaiting Landrovers in the Hags Glen.

“Apart from being very cold and fatigued, thankfully none of the casualties were injured and the rescue successfully concluded at approximately 1.30am.”

The team confirmed the six hillwalkers were well equipped and wore the correct clothing for a winter summit attempt of Ireland's highest mountain.

Two experienced hill runners dressed in shorts and t-shirts with head torches passed the rescue operation on their way to the top and later made it down safely.