Ben Nevis Death: Man falls 300ft to death in 'treacherous' icy conditions

A winter hillwalker tragically fell 300ft to his death during treacherous icy conditions as he scaled the UK’s highest mountain.

A man is thought to have turned back from the 4413ft summit of Ben Nevis when he slipped on ice and fell to his death in front of a friend, according to a report in The Sun.

It is understood rescuers searched for two days in difficult conditions before finding his body at Na Gruagaichean on Monday.

Searches involving the coastguard helicopter from Prestwick on Sunday were called off at around 10pm due to the darkness and freezing conditions.

A man tragically fell 300ft to his death during treacherous, icy conditions as he scaled Ben Nevis over the weekend with friends (Photo: Getty/CanvaPro).

The man was attempting the challenging Carn Mor Dearg Arête route with one of his three companions.

John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, told The Sun that 25 of the team searched on Sunday and another 20 on Monday.

He said: "The conditions were treacherous. The rain had frozen in a clear sheen on the rocks and slaps. It was like a skating rink.

"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.”

The next day the search was resumed and, after fiver hours, the man was found in the coire.

Mr Stevenson said: “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.”

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."

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