A mountain-top date ended in tragedy when a woman was killed by a falling rock during a climbing expedition with a man she met online.
She and her companion were about to embark on what rescuers described as a “moderate” ascent in the Cairngorms when she died in the freak accident.
Emergency services were called to the Pygmy Ridge in Coire an Sneachda, but it is understood the woman died instantly.
She and a companion were with two other couples who had met through the Outdoors Duo website, and had been paired-off before they started to scale the ridge.
Two of the couples were on the ridge when the rocks started falling.
They were unhurt, but the woman who died was hit by a huge boulder.
Other members of the party scrambled down the mountain and tried to revive her.
Three weeks ago, climbers using parts of the corrie were warned that torrential rain and wind from the tail-end of Hurricane Bertha had dislodged and loosened rocks.
Willie Anderson, leader of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team, said last night: “It was the size of the rock which hit her that caused what we believe was instant death and emergency teams were unable to do anything.
“Our usual helicopter back-up, Rescue 137 from RAF Lossiemouth was tasked elsewhere, so Rescue 177 was scrambled from HMS Gannet at Prestwick to assist.
“It was an extremely technical process to bring her off the mountain.”
The six climbers, who are all understood to be from England, were all members of online dating site Outdoors Duo. which describes itself as a “meeting place for active outdoor people”.
Its website says: “If you are looking to date an active outdoor partner and enjoy the outdoors hand-in-hand with a fellow enthusiast or just find a few friends with the same interests, then look no further.”
A police spokesman said last night: “At about 2.32pm we received a report of a casualty near the Pygmy Ridge on Coire an Sneachda in the Cairngorm Mountain range.
“We co-ordinated a mountain rescue with assistance from the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team and Royal Navy Sea King Helicopter Rescue 177, but sadly the woman could not be resuscitated.
“The woman will not be identified until all next of kin have been informed. A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
Coire an Sneachda, which is one of the most northern features of the range, close to Cairngorm Mountain itself, is a popular venue for rock and ice climbing depending on the season.
Its name translates as Corrie of the Snow, and it is almost three miles from Aviemore Ski Centre.
One of its routes, the Goat Track, was left in an unstable condition after torrential rain last month.
Slabs of rock had fallen from cliffs on to the track, with walkers and climbers being told to avoid the area while Cairngorm rangers and the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust organised remedial work.
In March, a climber was hurled 600ft down Coire an Sneachda after hurricane-force winds dislodged a block of ice.
He suffered only a minor leg injury thanks to a snowdrift, which had also been caused by the strong winds, providing a soft landing at the bottom of the mountain.