Climbers are being warned to beware the cornices which have formed in Scotland's mountains by recent strong winds and heavy snowfalls.

Cornices are ledges of snow which form on the edges of cliffs and steep ground furthest from the wind. From the side or below they can be beautiful curls of snow and ice and might extend for several metres over thin air.

But for people walking on the top of the mountain there can be little or no sign that they are there, making it all too easy to walk out on a fragile shelf of snow which collapses under your weight.

Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Advisor for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, said: "It's a very real hazard. Last winter there were 18 recorded incidents of people falling through cornices. They can be especially hard to detect if visibility is poor, in cloud or in falling snow.

"So if you are at all unsure of your ability to navigate, then turn around if the visibility becomes poor. The mountain will always be there another day. If the forecast is for poor visibility, then plan ahead and choose a lower mountain or a walk in the glen. "

She said those who were confident in their navigational skills should be able to anticipate where cornices would have formed by studying the prevailing few days' weather pattern.

"Always err on the side of caution and navigate away from corniced edges", she said