Mr Cunliffe's went missing while on a winter skills expedition in January

Police have confirmed the man’s remains found on a Cairngorms mountain are those of a hillwalker who went missing in January this year.

The body of Grant Cunliffe, 49, of Long Preston, North Yorkshire, was found at 3.30pm yesterday in the Braeriach area, close to where protracted searches took place following his disappearance.

His remains are believed to have been revealed as snow melted.

The Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team and an RAF Sea King helicopter helped recover his body from the mountain.

Mr Cunliffe, who changed from his job as a hair salon owner to retrain as an outdoor instructor, walked in to the Corrour Bothy in the Lairig Ghru on 18 January and was believed to be undertaking an expedition to practise his skills for his Winter Mountain Leader Award.

His family raised the alarm three days later when they had not heard from him. His ice axe and helmet were found by police in his car. Mr Cunliffe was due to celebrate his 50th birthday with a skiing trip in February.

A huge search over three days was mounted by the Cairngorm MRT, aided by the Braemar and RAF Leuchars Mountain Rescue Teams, Search and Rescue Dogs Association members, officers from Northern Constabulary and Grampian Police, along with Sea King helicopter crews from RAF Lossiemouth.

Other teams from across Scotland joined later searches but to no avail. His family was told he was ‘missing, presumed dead’.

His mother Christine Edwards told her local newspaper the Barnoldswick & Earby Times in January: “The family are devastated. I can’t describe in words how we all feel. He was doing something he loved though; he was driven to climb mountains from a young age.”

Police were alerted when Mr Cunliffe's remains were found in the Braeriach area. Photo: Angus CC-BY-SA-2.0

Mr Cunliffe leaves a wife, Linda Cunliffe, and two daughters, Jessica and Olivia. The daughters took part in a sponsored walk of Yorkshire’s Three Peaks in April to raise funds for the Grant Cunliffe Memorial Appeal, the proceeds of which are going to the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team.

The 49-year-old was a Summer Mountain Leader Award holder and a supervisor and assessor for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The freelance outdoors instructor had climbed both Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya.

Northern Constabulary said they are not treating Mr Cunliffe’s death as suspicious.

Donations to the memorial appeal can be made c/o HSBC Bank, branch sort Code 40-40-10, account number 91470965.