The camera belonging to tragic Valentine’s Day climbers Rachel Slater and Tim Newton has been found on the Scottish mountain on which they perished.
The pair were buried together in April near the slopes of Ben Nevis.
Now it has been revealed by the mountain rescue team that determinedly searched for them, that the couple’s camera was discovered near to the spot where they were hit by an avalanche.
Their hats and gloves were also recovered.
The camera was still working and contained the iconic picture of Tim and Rachel together on Ben Nevis on a previous trip.
It was found by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team member John MacRae a couple of weeks ago while on a trek up to the 4414-feet high mountain’s North Face.
“It was obviously a very poignant reminder. The camera was still working, the battery was charged, and their pictures were on it – including the one of Rachel and Tim on the mountain,” said John Stevenson, Lochaber MRT leader.
“All their photos were on it of them together. It was in a bag which had kept it dry. We are not sure who it actually belonged to – we think it may have been Tim’s. But we have given it to the police to pass it on to the parents.
“There was also hats and gloves of theirs that were found. It was in the area where they were discovered and there may be even more of their equipment that will surface as more snow melts. We will never forget Tim and Rachel and we hope the photographs will contribute to their parents’ memories of the pair.”
The funeral of the two climbers killed on a Valentine’s Day adventure was held amid poignant tributes by the rescuers who had desperately searched for them.
Rachel and Tim were buried side by side in Glen Nevis at the foot of the slopes of Britain’s highest mountain.
Twenty members of Lochaber MRT, who had spent hundreds of hours looking for the couple, were among the mourners at a private service in Fort William, which is overlooked by the mountain.
Two of the team – who are pipers – played poignant laments in tribute.
The bodies of Ms Slater, 24 and her boyfriend Tim Newton, 27 – both from Bradford, West Yorkshire – were found on March 23, buried under a huge avalanche on the North Face.
They had been missing for more than five weeks and it is believed they were hit by the avalanche before they began their ascent.
Ms Slater was a graduate of Manchester University and was employed as an environmental consultant near Bradford.
She spent some time living and climbing in Canada, where her parents are still based, and was known as Yvonne at school in Calgary.
Ms Slater had climbed in various locations in the world.
Her parents, Nigel and Rosemary – both experienced mountaineers – and Mr Newton’s father, Chris, had visited Ben Nevis to see where they last pitched their tent.
They both attended the small funeral service of around 40 people and again thanked rescuers.
The service took place at Duncansburgh MacIntosh Parish Church and was conducted by the Rev. Morag Muirhead.
There was a collection for Lochabert MRT afterwards as thanks for their efforts. Police also attended the service.
Mr Newton, whose family are from the Hinckley area, studied physics at Manchester and Leeds universities.
He joined Hinckley Mountaineering Club in Leicestershire in 2010 before he moved away to university, with fellow climbers there calling him a natural.
Newton’s father, Chris has said: “I do remember him saying [before the climb] ‘oh dad I’ve had such a tough week at uni. I so need and am looking forward to the climbing’.
“They were so young and enthusiastic, full of life and they had everything in front of them. They were so happy.”
The couple are thought to have pitched their tent behind the Charles Inglis Clark (CIC) memorial hut on the north side of the mountain
After their disappearance the families of the couple went to Scotland and climbed to the CIC hut, close to where they were thought to be camping.
“We all had a cry together… and climbed up to the mountain hut where Tim and Rachel had camped. It made you realise when you climb there how hostile the environment can suddenly become,” said Mr Newton.
When their bodies were found their families said the couple died doing what they loved and said they had received kind messages from “all over the world”.
A joint statement from the families said: “Climbing was their passion, they loved the mountains, wilderness and outdoor spaces.”
They also praised the “brave and generous men and women (who) have worked incredibly hard to find Rachel and Tim in difficult and dangerous conditions.”
