The world's top climbers are bracing themselves for blizzards and Arctic winds as they prepare to pit themselves against Scotland's mountains.

As many as forty of Britain's best mountaineers are due to join up with colleagues from across the globe for the biennial International Winter Climbing Meet which gets underway in the Cairngorms this weekend.

Since its inception in 1997 the Scottish Meet has emerged as a major event in the mountaineering calendar.

This year the cream of the planet's climbing fraternity - including the likes of Sir Chris Bonnington and K2 conqueror Alan Hikes - have descended on the Highlands.

Cold snap

They have been lured to Scotland by the prospect of some of the most demanding climbing conditions to be found anywhere in the world.

They will be based at Glenmore Lodge but as the blizzards closed in on the Cairngorms there were concerns that the climbers might not even make it into the foothills.

Forecasters are predicting that weekend temperatures could fall as low as -12C and if the snowfall continues there is a risk that access roads to the main mountaineering areas could be closed off.