Shaun Bowden

The family of the walker who died in a fall from Bidean nam Bian last week told how he tried in vain to arrest his slide using his ice axe.

Shaun Bowden, 39, of Ware, Hertfordshire, fell to his death from the Glencoe peak, the highest in Argyll, last Friday.

His family said he was an experienced hillwalker who knew the route well.

They said he deliberately avoided pulling his walking companions with him when he fell.

Mr Bowden’s family said: “Shaun’s family and friends were devastated to learn of his death. He had spent many hours on the hills in Scotland.

“Although he was doing what he loved, it was tragic that his death was the result of an accident on a walk that he had been on many times.

“It is a testament to his courage and skill that when he fell, he instinctively avoided grabbing his walking companions which would surely have resulted in their deaths as well.

“Instead he attempted to arrest his fall with his ice axe but the quality of the snow made this impossible.”

They said he was a talented cardiac physiologist but changed career some years ago and was a successful international sales and marketing executive.

“He will be sadly missed by his wife, two children and the rest of his family and many, many friends,” they added.

The walker’s family expressed their gratitude to the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team for their courage during the search for Shaun and to the Glencoe police for their kindness and professionalism.

Mr Bowden’s death on the 1,150m (3,773ft) peak was the 12th this year on Scotland’s mountains.