An "inexperienced" mountaineer who fell 100ft to his death in the Scottish Highlands during Storm Dennis was on a "questionable" guided training course, it has emerged.
The unnamed 42-year-old man toppled from a path on the south side of Glen Nevis in Lochaber on Sunday afternoon as 50mph winds raged, and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mountain rescue deputy team leader Donald Paterson, of the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team that recovered the man's body, has hit out at the decision to go ahead with the course, the Daily Record reports.
He said the "conditions were horrific" and he and his team were knocked over themselves by the winds while there was also snow, hail and rain at certain points of the trail.
The man, who fell off the Stob Ban path was with a companion and guide and they had paid to take part in a winter hills training course, but Mr Paterson said it was "questionable" that it went ahead.
He said: “I don’t think their objective was to reach the summit. They were halfway up the hill. But the conditions were horrific – horrendous.
“The winds were gusting over 50mph. I was knocked over twice. Some of my team were also knocked over too. There was snow, hail, wind and rain at lower levels. It was awful.
“It is questionable that they [the guided party] should have been out in that weather but it is their decision to make over the conditions.
“I don’t think the guy who died was experienced. There were three groups on the hill doing winter training. This particular group was two inexperienced people with the guide.
“The man was either blown over or fell 20 to 30 metres (66ft to 98ft) into a small gorge about halfway up the hill.
“It took us an hour to get him out of there and then another three hours to take him down by stretcher. It was horrendous.
“There was also thunder and lightning about. We had 19 team members on the hill. They did a brilliant job.”
It was the third rescue in a week for the team.
Last Monday, four walkers were rescued from Ben Nevis - the highest mountain in the British Isle - in a -20C blizzard – three of them wearing trainers.
Three days later, two climbers were rescued off the mountain after being trapped on the north face.
