A winter hillwalker has plunged more than 300 feet to his death in “treacherous” conditions on the UK’s highest mountain.
The man is thought to have turned back from trying to reach the 4413ft summit of Ben Nevis when he slipped on ice and fell to his death in front of a friend.
The hillwalker fell 300ft to his death on ‘ice rink’ Ben Nevis in freezing rainCredit: Alamy
Rescuers searched for two days in difficult conditions before finding his body at Coire Na Gruagaichean on Monday.
The alarm was first raised on Sunday when one of the man’s companions saw him lose his footing about 3000 feet up the mountain.
He immediately raised the alarm, but as well as the ice, there was poor visibility.
There was also trouble pinpointing the exact location of the accident.
It meant that despite many hours searching on Sunday – aided by a coastguard helicopter from Prestwick – the missing man could not be found and the operation was called off in freezing darkness around 10pm.
The man was attempting the challenging Carn Mor Dearg Arête route with one of his three companions.
They had camped at a coll further away and on the day of the tragedy one of the trio had remained at the camp.
John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said 25 of the team searched on Sunday and another 20 on Monday.They were airlifted as far as a coastguard helicopter from Inverness was able to take them on Monday.
“The conditions were treacherous. The rain had frozen in a clear sheen on the rocks and slaps. It was like a skating rink,” he said.
“This clear icy glaze is far worse than snow. You can’t see it. To make matters worse the visibility was down to about 12-15 feet when we searched.
“So this chap unfortunately slipped and just took off and must have gone over 300 feet.”
His companion saw him slip and immediately raised the alarm. But unfortunately the phone pinpointing system was not precise enough on this occasion and the conditions did not help in finding him.”
Also the man’s companions waited at their camp site in the hope he would return, but their phones did not have any signal where they were. So communication in determining the exact location of the fall was difficult.
“We resumed the search the next day and found the missing chap in the coire after about five hours. It is a very sad outcome and we would like to pass on our condolences to his family and friends.
“The rescuers faced a difficult retrieval – having to carry the body across in the icy terrain. A helicopter was then able to airlift them off from a suitable location.
Mr Stevenson said all the men were equipped for winter walking and had crampons.
“It was just an unfortunate slip in very difficult conditions. We think they were heading for the summit but turned back because of the icy conditions and were heading back to their campsite at the time of the accident,” he said.
“Where the man fell is very steep and a long way down. It is a very sad and tragic outcome.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ” Following a mountain rescue and search operation on Monday, the body of a man was recovered from Carn Mor Dearg area, Lochaber.
“There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death and his family has been updated and supported by police.
“A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
The alarm was first raised on Sunday when one of the man’s companions saw him lose his footingCredit: Getty
