The young man, who has not been named, was ice-climbing with two friends when he fell at Coire Cas in the Cairngorms.

Rescuers said the climber, on holiday from Oxfordshire, was lucky to be alive.

He was airlifted by an RAF helicopter from Lossiemouth to Inverness after the fall at 2pm on Monday.

By the time he hit the rocks where we found him he must have been travelling at a very fast speed Colin Matthews, Cairngorm Ski Patrol

The man is being treated for injuries to his back and ribs at Raigmore Hospital, where his condition is described as stable.

Colin Matthews, leader of the Cairngorm Ski Patrol, was the first rescuer to reach the accident scene on his quad bike.

He said the three friends were crossing the ice-covered Head Wall of Coire Cas when one of them became entangled in his crampons and began sliding down the slope.

Despite trying to hold on with his ice axe, the climber hurtled 600 feet down the slope and then carreered a further 100 feet over rocks and ice.

Mr Matthews said: "We placed the climber in a casualty bag which we carry to help injured skiers and kept a close watch on him until the helicopter arrived.

"By the time he hit the rocks where we found him he must have been travelling at a very fast speed.

"He was very lucky to have survived the accident."