Rescuers feared they would be blown off a mountain as they battled to save two men who spent a night stranded on the summit of Buachaille Etive Mor in Glen Coe.
A Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Gannet in Prestwick helped to rescue the pair in treacherous conditions after they were forced to bed down for the night on Monday after darkness set in.
Rescuers feared they and their Sea King aircraft might be blown off the mountain as strong winds battered the summit.
The men were suffering from mild hypothermia and tiredness and one had a minor leg injury but they were otherwise unharmed.
Rescuers, who went to the men’s aid on Tuesday morning, said they were well equipped but had been caught out by the wintry conditions and strong winds gusting to over 60mph.
Lieutenant Commander Martin Lanni, aircraft commander and one of the pilots, said: “Although we found the walkers very quickly, we had to abort our first attempt to get in close to them.
“The helicopter was caught in a strong downdraught and, as we were unable to hold any kind of stable position safely, we were forced to fly away from the scene.”
LtCdr Lanni added: “At the second attempt, however, we did manage to get in closer. We considered winching to reach them, but, again, the volatile, strong wind this time creating strong updraughts was causing us to have to fight to maintain any kind of steady hover.
“We elected instead to try and land the helicopter, which we did manage relatively close to the walkers, although I was concerned the updraughts might actually blow us off the mountain. It was one of the few times I wished the 9.5-tonne helicopter was a bit heavier.
“The summit of the mountain was completely covered in snow and the bitterly cold wind was whipping up clouds of ice, even though the sky looked clear and sunny.
“Our observer [navigator] Lieutenant Commander Rob Suckling battled his way across to the walkers at one point he had to sit down on the snow for fear he was going to be blown over on the exposed ridge checked they were OK and got them safely on board the aircraft. I’d say they were pretty relieved to see us.
“We then transited carefully down the mountain to deliver them into the care of Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team at the bottom.”
The Sea King was scrambled at 9am on Tuesday and, after the rescue, diverted to Killin to take on more fuel before returning to base at Prestwick.