THE tallest mountain in the UK is free from snow for the first time in more than a decade.
The last of the white stuff has disappeared from a shady gully on Ben Nevis, according to snow expert Iain Cameron.
Mr Cameron has been documenting the last few shrinking patches of snow on the mountain during the summer and says even those have now gone, something that last happened in 2006.
Across the country, only three patches of snow survive in Scotland’s mountains – one on Aonach Beag in Lochaber and two on Braeriach in the Cairngorms, and Mr Cameron also believes these patches could also vanish.
However, the retreating snowline is not thought to be linked to higher temperatures this summer or an increase in warming rains, but is likely been caused by a lack of fresh deposits during the mild winter. He said lack of snow last winter has been a major factor.
Illustrating a picture of the spot on social media, Mr Cameron wrote: “For the first time in 11 years there is no snow anywhere on Ben Nevis. It would have melted a few days ago, at this location.”
Two years ago, 73 patches of snow were found to have survived on Scotland’s hills from the previous winter, the highest number for 21 years.
Mr Cameron, who surveys snow patches in Scotland’s hills and writes annual reports for the Met Office, said: “The situation this year is mainly down to a lack of snow last winter.
“The summer is not a main factor. The ambient temperature over the summer was not much different than it has been before.”
"He said a cool, dry spell would be needed soon for the surviving patches to cling on.
But he added: “My belief is all the snow will be gone before the middle of September.”
The earliest time all of the country’s snow patches disappeared previously was in 2003, when it had melted by August 24.
Mr Cameron is well-known among mountaineering circles as Scotland’s most avid snow-watcher, and has previously documented the phenomenon known as snow tunnels.
These spectacular cave-like chambers under snow sheets form when water melts and flows down the mountain beneath without breaking through to the surface.
However, it is unclear when the snow will be thick enough for these to occur again.
While tourists may be disappointed by the lack of white-capped peaks in Scotland, not everyone is sad to see it go this summer.
John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, which covers Ben Nevis, said he could not remember the mountain being so free of snow “for many years”.
“It is a very long time since it has been free of snow. In fact, we have even rescued people in the height of summer who have been caught out and got stuck in snow, much to their surprise.
"They were shocked to find so much in the summer. But not this year,” he said. “We have been very quiet lately and no snow does help us.”
Meanwhile, a French tourist has been airlifted from the Old Man of Storr on Skye.
The walker was taken by Stornoway Coastguard search and rescue helicopter to the Dr MacKinnon Memorial Hospital at Broadford, Skye, yesterday afternoon. The condition of the walker is not known.
The Storr has regularly featured in Hollywood films such as Ridley Scott’s Prometheus and recent blockbuster Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, as well as TV programmes, commercials, newspapers and magazines.
Pop star Harry Styles also shot a video in the area earlier this year and that has helped it become one of Skye’s most recognisable landscapes.
The ‘Old Man’ is a large pinnacle of rock that stands high and can be seen for miles around.
As part of the Trotternish Ridge the Storr was created by a massive ancient landside, leaving one of the most photographed landscapes in the world.
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