The rock he was hanging on came off and sending the “skilled” amateur climber tumbling 600 feet to his death in Snowdonia. This is the first image of the man.
Jack Carne, 23, was on a trek with his closest friends Mattie Belcher, 24, and Brandan Smith, 23, on Saturday when his handhold abruptly gave way. He was just 30 feet from the Gribin Ridge peak.
The three mountaineers, who are all from Barnsley, were attempting the Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach peaks in preparation for their ultimate goal of climbing Mount Kilimanjaro later this year.
Teams of search and rescue workers think Jack died “nearly instantaneously” after he fell down the steep rockface.
Mr. Belcher said to the Mail that “it doesn’t seem genuine.” We were so near the summit. When Jack reached for a handhold, it abruptly snapped away.
I’ll always remember how silent he was as he fell. There was silence as Jack collapsed. He didn’t yell, scream, or do anything else. Just as he fell. He would appear for a split second and then go.
We yelled at him and attempted to descend, but he was unresponsive and pursuing him was too risky given the close to vertical drop and the deteriorating weather.
We were fortunate to have phone service and were able to contact for help within 20 seconds.
If it’s any comfort, the paramedics told us that he would have passed away instantaneously when we talked with them.
Most weekends, the three of us went camping and hiking. We were going to climb Kilimanjaro together later this year, and we were preparing to schedule a vacation to the Alps this week.
I’ve known him for the most of my life, and I consider him a brother. He was the most pleasant man you could ever wish to meet. I’m simply in shock that he’s gone.
He was also one of my closest friends, Mr. Smith continued. He is like to family. He was everyone’s buddy and usually had a mischievous grin on his face. We would go hiking or climbing once every two weeks.
It still doesn’t seem genuine, she said. I was stunned when I saw him stumble. Though I believe deep down I knew he was lost, I attempted to hold out some hope until they discovered his corpse.
Three young guys were climbing the Gribin ridge when one of the handholds fell off, sending one of them plummeting a substantial distance, according to a spokeswoman for the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team.
‘Unfortunately, he did not survive his injuries. With the support of the Coastguard rescue aircraft, the recovery lasted into Sunday midday. All team members are thinking about the victims’ loved ones at this time.
To raise money for Jack’s funeral, Jack’s pals have created a GoFundMe page.
»23-year-old amateur climber dies in Snowdonia after falling 600ft«