A climber has died after a fall on Ben Nevis in Scotland.
Lochaber mountain rescue team said the man suffered fatal injuries in the fall on Tower Ridge on Saturday morning.
A coastguard rescue helicopter recovered the body from a “difficult location” in a two-hour operation.
John Stevenson, the leader of the mountain rescue team, said: “He had just started his ascent, about a quarter of the way up Tower Ridge – it was a classic day to climb the ridge.
“He was with a climbing partner. The conditions were good – there was a little bit of moisture about, which would have made the rocks a bit slippery, but nothing any experienced climber could not handle.
“He was at the bottom end of the Douglas Boulder, which is a steep climb and a bit narrow.
“A big thankyou to [the helicopter crew], who did a fantastic job to make the recovery from a very difficult location and all the climbers who assisted and brought down the climber’s friend.
“Climbing has its risks and this climb has had a tragic end, sadly. Our thoughts are with his family.”
Tower Ridge is one of several ridges used to reach the summit plateau of Ben Nevis, and is among the few climbing routes to be considered “alpine grade” in the winter in Scotland.
More than 100,000 people are thought to reach the summit each year, with many scaling the mountain as part of the Three Peaks Challenge.
Twenty people died in the Scottish mountains in 2016, according to Mountaineering Scotland.
• This article was amended on 12 July 2017 to correct a typing error in the headline.
