A Scottish climber has claimed victory over one of the UK's toughest ascents, becoming the first person to climb the notorious "Don't Die of Ignorance" route on Ben Nevis without the use of aids.

Dave MacLeod's climb, which was finally achieved after five unsuccessful attempts over the past three years, has won plaudits throughout the climbing fraternity.

Although the route, on the north face of the UK's tallest mountain, has been ascended once before, this is the first time it has been defeated by a climber using the "free climb" method, which is both more physically demanding and dangerous.

Andy Cave and his partner Simon Yates, whose death-defying exploits were recorded in his book, Touching the Void - later made into a film - are thought to be the only other people to have climbed the route, in 1987.

However, free climbing, which relies on far greater physical strength and expert technique, is widely regarded as constituting the "final stage" in a mountain's conquest.

"I've spent the past several years trying to repeat the hardest routes in the UK, so this one was an obvious challenge for me.

"It's definitely the hardest one I've come across," said 29-year-old Mr MacLeod.

He was accompanied on the climb by amateur climber Joe French, who followed using ropes and filmed the nine-hour journey.

The hairiest moment the pair experienced was when Mr French slipped on one of the most difficult sections of the climb and was left hanging by a piece of rope known as a wrist loop above a 300ft drop.

It took two hours before he was able to drag himself back up the rope to join Mr MacLeod, who by then was shivering with extreme cold after shedding several layers of clothing to make himself lighter for the climb.

"By the time he arrived, I was in a bit of a state myself," he wrote later on his climbing blog, www.davemacleod.blogspot.com.

The worst thing was seeing Joe's face when he looked at me Dave, mate, your lips are blue!'"

Claire MacLeod, the climber's wife, who had also been filming parts of the climb, watched as the cameraman dangled helplessly by the rope.

"It wasn't that comfortable to watch," she said yesterday.

A climbing documentary of the ascent is due to be released later this year.