Bluff Knoll rescue: Hiker Owen Jones, one of four stranded on mountain, speaks of extreme cold

Four teenage hikers who were stranded in freezing conditions overnight, unable to descend Bluff Knoll, have been rescued by the RAC rescue helicopter. Police were alerted to four young men who were having difficulty descending Bluff Knoll, a popular mountain peak in WA’s Stirling Range National Park, due to bad weather about 6.20pm yesterday. After a night of freezing conditions, police were told that two of the hikers were now “unable to walk” back down the mountain about 6.40am this morning. All four of the men, aged between 18 and 19-years-old, were pulled from the mountain by helicopter on Sunday afternoon and flown back to safety. After being plucked to safety Rockingham local Owen Jones, 18, said the weather took a turn for the worst as the group tried to return from the peak. “There were a fair few clouds, so I thought we thought we could beat them to the campsite,” he said. “And then five to 10 minutes later, once we got down the hill, it was a bit too late to turn back because the rain kicked in and the snow started to go.” “(We were) mainly just worried about the cold really, we did pack enough food and water to last us till about Monday but it was really just the cold. “We’ve never dealt with cold like that before.” The temperature was 1C on the mountain last night, but the windchill was minus 15C. It was also being buffeted by 80 km hour winds, snow and heavy rainfall. After this weekend’s ordeal Mr Jones said “it doesn’t look like” his group would be hiking again anytime soon. “I’d just like to thank the volunteers really, there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have been down this early or even at all today if they hadn’t come and helped, so a real big thanks to them.” The hikers — who began their ascent on Saturday — were assessed by paramedics after bearing winds of up to 80km/h and below-freezing temperatures. “At this time it appears none of them have any serious injuries,” a police spokesperson said. One of the teen hikers, 19, is understood to be from the Bunbury area while the others are from Rockingham. Sergeant David Swain said the rescue was a “good outcome” as he urged members of the public to adequately prepare for their Bluff Knoll climb. “The weather changes quite rapidly,” he said. “In fifteen minutes we can have sunshine to hail... We’ve had hail here today.” “In this case the young guys had mobile phones but we think one of the batteries went flat this morning so (people should) make sure they’re prepared so that emergency services can get in contact,” Sgt. Swain said. Authorities were unable to rescue the men on Saturday night due to “bad weather,” which continued into the morning. “Due to rain and strong winds an air rescue was not possible this morning,” a police spokesperson said on Sunday morning. “Police from Gnowangerup, Tambellup and Albany are working with DBCA Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers, DFES State Emergency Service volunteers and St John WA volunteers to reach the group today to rescue them. “The weather will continue to be monitored, and air assets will be on standby to deploy if a safe opportunity is identified.” Police said earlier the group advised emergency services they had food water and warm clothing with them last night. A DFES spokesperson said multiple SES volunteers were assisting police to rescue the hikers. Bluff Knoll’s peak sits at 1099m above sea level.