Search for climbers after "serious" avalanche in Glencoe A MAJOR search for a party of climbers caught up in a "serious" avalanche in the Scottish Highlands has been launched. The snow slide occurred on on the 3773-feet high Bidean Nam Bian in Glencoe. "Emergency services were alerted around 2pm today to an avalanche at Glencoe," said a spokesman for Northern Constabulary. Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team is currently searching for three members of a party of climbers, assisted by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team members and Police Search and Rescue dogs. One male climber is safe and well and a female climber with serious injuries has been located and taken to Belford Hospital in Fort William. There is no further information at present. An update will be issued when there is further information available. Bidean nam Bian, lying to the south of Glencoe, is a complex mountain, with many ridges and subsidiary peaks, one of which, Stob Coire Sgreamhach, which is classified as a separate Munro - or mountain over 3000 feet. The most noticeable features of Bidean nam Bian are the famous Three Sisters of Glen Coe, three steeply-sided ridges that extend north into the Glen. The SportsScotland Avalanche Information Service had warned today of a "considerable" risk of avalnche in Glencoe today. Last weekend avalanche awareness courses were launched for Scottish mountain users to learn how to avoid the potentially killer slides. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) ran the winter skills and avalanche awareness courses. There have already been 45 avalanches on Scotland's mountains this winter according to the Sportscotland Avalanche Information Service. There were more than 175 recorded last year. In 2009/10 five people were killed by avalanches on Scottish mountains.