Friends of an Oban student who died in an avalanche tragedy in Glencoe have unveiled a memorial at the science lab where he studied.
Chris Bell, 24, died along with three friends, Una Finnegan, 25, Rachel Majumdar, 29, and Tom Chesters, 28, while climbing on January 19 2013.
The avalanche struck as the party were descending a mountain in Glencoe in an area known as Church Door Buttress.
The memorial was unveiled on the second anniversary of Mr Bell’s death in the grounds of the Scottish Association for Marine Science (Sams), where he was a PhD student in ocean mapping.
The popular student, from Blackpool, was an elite athlete, talented musician, promising scientist and a great friend to so many at Sams and beyond.
As well as unveiling a memorial plaque, the group of friends from Sams also installed a bicycle “optimisation station”, a bike maintenance station that will be used by the many cyclists who work and study at Sams.
The station has been coloured orange as a dedication to Mr Bell, a keen cyclist who raced in orange colours.
Dr Neil Clark, who studied with Chris at Sams, said: “A lot of people would have been in awe of him if he wasn’t so approachable and modest. He was a cheeky lad with a dry sense of humour who had the ability to quietly, subtly connect with people by making time for them.
“He had his little quirks and nicknames for everyone, which made us feel valued on a very personal level and made him immensely popular.
“It’s such an amazing tribute that Sams have made for him. He just loved being on bikes, and it didn’t matter whether he was cycling to work or racing.”
Mr Bell competed in triathlons at an elite level and ranked highly in major national events, including exceptionally tough races in Scotland.