A man died after falling around 200ft while winter climbing on the north face of Ben Nevis at the weekend.
The 57-year-old, from the Glasgow area, had been involved in an ice climb on Carn Dearg Buttress with another man when the “tragic accident” happened.
Several groups of climbers raised the alarm after hearing calls for help from someone on the Ben.
But rescuers had difficulty in locating the incident because the other climbers were unclear about where the shouts had been coming from.
The accident happened at about 11am on Saturday.
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and the Sea King helicopter Rescue 137 from RAF Lossiemouth were called in to look for the man, who was traced about an hour later on Carn Dearg Buttress, known as the “showpiece cliff” of the north face.
Team leader John Stevenson said: “Four or five different groups of people called it in after hearing shouts for help coming from the Ben, but they weren’t very sure where the shouts were coming from so it took us about an hour to locate him.
“He and another man had been on the Ledge Route on Ben Nevis at Carn Dearg Buttress when he fell over the side.
“His gear was good so we can only assume he had a wee slip and went over the side in a tragic accident.”
Mr Stevenson said other climbers, who had been nearby, found the man dangling from his rope, which was about 200ft long, and lowered him down to the bottom of the route.
He said: “I think he probably hit his head on rocks on the way down.
“The helicopter couldn’t get in because it was too windy so we had to go up and stretcher him down to the CIC Hut.”
The man was then flown to the mountain rescue base in Fort William, where a doctor pronounced him dead.
A police spokesman said: “Two males from the Glasgow area were winter climbing on the north face of Ben Nevis in Lochaber when one fell and was fatally injured as a result.”
Details of the man will not be released until his next of kin have been informed.