A walker who bravely resisted the temptation to grab his companions when he plunged 600ft down a Highland mountain fell because he slipped on ice, a coroner has ruled.
An inquest into the death of Shaun Bowden was told the cause of death was “significant head injuries following a fall from height.
And senior coroner for Hertfordshire, Edward Thomas, recorded a verdict of accidental death.
He added that Scottish authorities had decided not to conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 39-year-old married father-of-two.
Mr Bowden, of Ware, Hertfordshire, died on 3,773ft Bidean nam Bian – the highest peak in the Glencoe area – in March of last year.
He was part of a five-strong group descending from the summit when the weather conditions worsened and he lost his footing on ice.
His body was located by Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team on the day of his fall. However, because of the extreme weather conditions, they stood down the rescue and waited until the following day to bring him down.
The married father-of-two was a successful international sales and marketing executive and former cardiac physiologist.
A statement issued after his death said: “Shaun’s family and friends were devastated to learn of his death. He had spent many hours on the hills in Scotland. He was an experienced hiker.
“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 snow made this impossible.”
It added that he would be sadly missed and thanked Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team for their courage during the search for Mr Bowden and local police for their kindness and professionalism.
The inquest was held in Hatfield.