A woman has been airlifted to hospital after tripping and falling down a 98ft slope on Balmoral Estate.
The hillwalker was found by Braemar Mountain Rescue Team and taken by helicopter to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on New Year’s Day.
She was hiking as part of a group of four when tumbled onto rocks and broke her leg near Loch Muick at around 1pm.
The other three members of the group were led safely down the hill following the accident.
Braemar MRT support manager Malcolm McIntyre warned that while the conditions looked picturesque, the conditions were extremely icy.
He said: “They were a bit unconfident on that steep icy ground and they didn’t have axes or crampons.
“I think people expect winter to be here and that’s it. But it does come and go, we’ve had freeze, thaw.
“A nice day followed by a horrible day does tend to catch people out sometimes.
He urged all hillwalkers to check the Scottish Avalanche Information Service’s website before heading out.
While the site monitors avalanche conditions, it also includes blog posts that document the conditions on many hills, often daily.
He added: “Please think about the underfoot conditions because we’ve had snow and then freeze, thaw and all the rest of it. It is boilerplate ice in many places, and you need crampons.
“That probably doesn’t mean the little pavement spikes that some people use, it’s walking crampons.
“Because even on icy paths if you don’t have them you’re skittering all over the place.”
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