A climber has been left with serious spinal injuries after falling hundreds of feet while climbing the UK's highest mountain.
The unnamed mountaineer was ascending Ben Nevis' Green Gully with a friend on Saturday when he plunged from the north face, prompting a callout from Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and a Coastguard helicopter.
He sustained a number of serious injuries, including a dislocated hip, and was airlifted to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital for further treatment.
Miraculously, despite falling with him, the man's climbing partner escaped relatively unscathed - and was able to walk down the mountain with the help of the rescue crew.
Michael Smith, of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, told the Record more than 15 crew members assisted with the rescue - the latest in a series of incidents on Scotland's mountains in recent weeks.
"The lead climber had taken a rather nasty fall and it had ripped out the gear, unfortunately pulling them both down," he said.
"We realised he required an immediate medical intervention and with the help of [rescue helicopter] R151, who have been amazing the last couple of weeks, we got a good team of medics up and he was lifted to QEUH."
Police Scotland has been warning climbers to take care on the mountains following a spate of tragedies.
Seven people have died climbing in the last two weeks including walker Neil Gillingham, who was reported missing a week past Sunday, and 28-year-old Samuel Crawford from Belfast.
Michael, 50, added that climbers should always check ahead before they begin a climb in case conditions have changed since they first made plans - but says they aren't often to blame if things go wrong.
The volunteer says the majority of rescues made by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team - one of several independent volunteer mercy crews operating in the area alongside counterparts in Glencoe and Cairngorm - involve experienced mountaineers who have slipped or tripped.
"The guys we rescued on Saturday had all of the equipment," he continued.
"I think they have just been unlucky.
"Ultimately, mountaineering is an inherently dangerous activity. You can do everything right and still have an accident.
"For every person having an accident there's hundreds of thousands of hours of people not having accidents.
"But you need to be able to stop yourself if you slip. And no climber should be going out without crampons, their pickaxe and a helmet, and knowing how to use them and when."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police were made aware around 4.10pm on Saturday 12 March 2022, of two men in difficulty after one of them had fallen down a gully on Ben Nevis.
"Mountain Rescue Teams attended and one man was airlifted to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital with serious injuries.
"The other man was assisted off the mountain, walking down with the MRT team."
