‘Gifted’ Yorkshire doctor died with boyfriend in Glencoe avalanche

A third climber from the region had been with the party but escaped the tragedy after deciding not to go onto the mountain that day.

Friends said hospital doctor Rachel Majumdar, 29, and PhD student Tom Chesters, 28, had been dating for several years and had a shared dream of carrying out voluntary work abroad.

They lost their lives alongside PhD student Christopher Bell, 24, and 25-year-old junior doctor Una Finnegan when they were caught up in an avalanche in the Scottish Highlands on Saturday afternoon.

The four, plus two others who survived the incident, were said to have been experienced climbers who loved the mountains.

Close friends described how Mr Chesters, who lived in Leeds and was studying at Hull University, and Dr Majumdar, who worked at Harrogate District Hospital, had been together since meeting at university in Leeds.

Sam Morris, 35, said the only consolation was that they died side-by-side doing something they both loved.

“They were in love since they met in their first year of university,” he said.

“They were just so soft and sweet with each other - two people so at ease together. They were having fun making plans.

“They had dreams of doing voluntary work overseas together.

“Some of the comfort we have drawn is that these guys had been together to the end. At least they were doing what they liked doing.”

Mr Morris, who worked with Mr Chesters and Mr Bell when they were mountain bike tour guides in the Alps, added: “All four of them were people with a bright future and all of them were committed to making a difference. It’s such a loss.”

Tragedy struck at about 2pm on Saturday as the group of friends made their descent on Bidean Nam Bian in Glencoe.

One member of the party, an un-named man, survived by leaping from the collapsing sheet of snow and hammering an ice axe into firmer ground.

A 24-year-old woman from the Durham area, who was seriously hurt in the incident, remains in a critical condition in hospital in Glasgow.

Tributes continued to pour in yesterday for those who died.

A colleague of Dr Majumdar, who also lived in Leeds but was originally from Merseyside, described her as one of the finest doctors she had worked with.

Rebecca Leigh, who works at the hospital, said: “Rachel was a gifted and dedicated doctor who was in the middle of her training.

“A very promising medical career has been cut tragically short. She was one of the finest doctors I have ever worked with.

“All the staff and patients who knew Rachel will remember her for her caring nature, with a smile and a friendly word for everyone.”

Mr Chesters - said to have been one of Britain’s leading competitive orienteerers - had also been living in Leeds and was working towards a PhD qualification in medical engineering at Hull University.

The university said Mr Chesters, originally from Devon, had a promising career ahead of him.

Michael Fagan, professor of medical and biological engineering, and Catherine Dobson, Mr Chesters’ PhD supervisor, said in a statement: “Tom was a fantastic colleague and friend with so much energy and enthusiasm for everything he did.

“He was a real asset to our research group and was making great progress with his PhD research into osteoporosis. He had a very promising career ahead of him. We will all miss him enormously.”

The university confirmed another of its research students had been with the party but was not involved. He remains in Scotland assisting with the aftermath but has been offered support.