Tall tale behind that picture

It was last week’s most jaw-dropping image, but now it’s emerged why pair stopped on tiny ledge for a casual chat

IT’S a vertigo-inducing picture that went viral, with thousands viewing the image of two climbers on a snowy ledge with no ropes and a sheer 500ft drop.

The dramatic picture, taken by mountaineering instructor Rebecca Coles, 41, near the summit of Ben Nevis, left people all over the world wondering: what were the men doing there and were they stranded? But far from needing rescuing on a 6ft-wide ledge next to Gargoyle Wall, the two men, experienced climbers Joe Brindley and Tim Exley, had simply stopped for a chat about the weather. The pair were with a friend, Rhys Macallister, who is hidden from the camera. Mr

Macallister, 40, from Dublin, and Mr Brindley and Mr Exley, from England and both in their 20s, all live in Chamonix, France, and were training for the British Mountain Guide qualification.

Mr Macallister, who also works for Abacus Mountain Guides, Fort William, said as well as chatting, the climbers ‘were looking after and out for each other’.

DON’T LOOK DOWN: Intrepid Tim Exley, and Joe Brindley, main pic and bottom left, were captured on a Ben Nevis ledge by instructor Rebecca Coles, bottom right