Off-duty RAF climbing team triggered avalanche A TRAGIC avalanche which claimed the lives of three people in the Cairngorms was most likely triggered by an off-duty RAF climbing team, it has been revealed. The 400ft-wide wall of snow then swept down the steep and rocky Chalamain Gap and engulfed a climber on a training exercise with the outdoor training centre at Glenmore Lodge based at the mountain range just four miles away. Squadron Leader Rimon Than, 33, based at RAF Valley in North Wales was the first of the victims named by Northern Constabulary. He was part of an RAF mountaineering team who were all off duty and taking part in a climbing expedition. The avalanche also claimed the life of a female on the same party, while the third victim was an adult student taking part in a week-long training exercise with Glenmore Lodge, from where the rescue operation was co-ordinated. Their exact details have not yet been released. Inspector Murdo MacLean revealed the two parties of six were on opposite sides of the Chalamain Gap when the avalanche was triggered in the area the RAF team were training. The slab of snow about three metres deep swamped the two RAF climbers and then gathered the male taking part in the training exercise. He added: "One group was part of a Glenmore Lodge-organised winter skills course, the other was RAF personnel climbing in the area." The drama unfolded just after 12.30pm on Thursday. Police received a 999 distress call within minutes from one of the surviving climbers from the Glenmore Lodge party and a major search and rescue operation was set into action. It involved over 50 rescuers, including members from the Cairngorm and RAF Lossiemouth mountain rescue teams, as well as search and rescue dogs and two RAF helicopters. Within just two hours they had recovered the bodies buried three metres deep in the snow using long probes. Insp MacLean said: "Clearly this is a very tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the families. It is very important we pay tribute to the rescuers who acted and located the climbers in a very short period of time. Bob Kinnaird, of Glenmore Lodge, said: "I can confirm one of the fatalities was a student on a course at the lodge. This was a tragic incident. The rescuers responded professionally and did everything possible to deal with this terrible episode. He said all those taking part in the course had been experienced and were enhancing their winter climbing skills when the tragedy occurred. The RAF personnel were also part of a mountaineering club and were also experienced and well equipped. He said that while avalanche warnings were issued, such incidents were unusual in the 120ft Chalamain Gap gorge. He added: "Our instructors are highly skilled and always follow the safest possible routes in the conditions. They carried out a full assessment before setting out. Our instructors are used to going out in these conditions. They aer well trained and have the knowledge and experience to look after these groups. However, Scotland's snow and weather can be very challenging and it can be difficult to mitigate against every circumstance. We have been doing training here for 65 years and this is the first fatality for at least 40 years for the centre. Training exercises were temporarily suspended, he revealed, but would resume on Saturday. Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team leader Willie Anderson said: "These people were desperately unlucky. Sometimes these avalanches spontaneously happen, although sometimes they are caused by mountaineers. Insp MacLeod said: "We had officers inspecting the area after the avalanche and there is an ongoing inquiry." He confirmed the avalanche was triggered on the south side of the gap where the RAF team were climbing. David Rutledge, the training officer for Cairngorm Mountain Rescue team, was involved in controlling the operation from the team's base. He said: "We started mobilising within 15 minutes of the call coming through. We had a helicopter here incredibly quickly. We had three doctors available straightaway who were able to get to the scene. This was a fairly contained scenario. We were able to deal with an incident which was relatively close to the roadside, within 2km of the ski road and in a very contained area. From that perspective, no search was necessary. The key aspect to this was to get people there as quickly as possible. The three casualties were flown to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary after being recovered, but were sadly later pronounced dead. An MoD spokesman said: "MoD can confirm that two RAF personnel were killed following an avalanche in the Cairngorms yesterday. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of those who have lost their lives. Next of kin have been informed. We would ask the media to respect the privacy of the families concerned at this difficult time. The RAF team were made up of personnel from different bases in the country, while the students on the Glenmore Lodge exercise were also from various parts of the UK. The Scottish Avalanche Information Service said there was a "considerable" chance of avalanches in the region. The nearby Cairngorm Ski Resort was open for business with good skiing conditions.