07 February 2023 , 10:52
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A climber has died after falling 600ft from a Snowdonia mountain ridge while hiking with two friends at the weekend.
The 23-year-old, named locally as Jack Carne, was ascending Y Gribin in North Wales at 5pm on Saturday when a handhold broke, which he was using to pull himself up, causing him to fall down the mountainside.
Mountain rescue teams were called to the scene and had recovered the man's body with the help of a coastguard helicopter by Sunday afternoon.
Chris Lloyd, the chairman of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (OVMRO), said the incident was a "tragic accident and very, very unfortunate".
Devastated friends and family took to social media to pay tribute to Jack, from Yorkshire, describing him as a "true gentleman" and the "nicest lad you'll ever meet".
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The 23-year-old, named locally as Jack Carne, was ascending Y Gribin in North Wales at the time (Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation)Responding to the rescue team, Jack's grandma wrote: "A massive thank you to all involved risking your own lives to help my grandson and his friends, we are all heartbroken beyond words.
"You will be forever in my heart and thoughts Jack my beautiful grandson."
His girlfriend commented: "The bravery from you is overwhelming. Thank you so much for everything. I am absolutely heartbroken."
A friend wrote: "RIP Jack Carne you were a well known lad who never did anyone wrong, heart of gold. Sending love to your family and friends in this horrible time."
Another said: "What a sad tragedy, doing what he loved and falling to his death... RIP Jack."
And a third posted: "Rest in peace Jack brother! You are clearly wholeheartedly loved, cherished and deeply missed by so many people who were lucky enough to have met you."
Y Gribin is a grade one ridge, meaning it is one of the least difficult (Alamy Stock Photo)A total of 12 OVMRO rescuers searched for his body, which was found in the darkness shortly after 9pm with no signs of life.
Mr Lloyd, who was part of the rescue effort, said: "He disappeared into the cloud below, falling a good distance down some very steep and nasty ground.
"His two colleagues saw him go so they tried to scramble to the edge to see where he had gone and climbed down quite a bit. It was becoming really difficult ground and they called for him but there was no response.
"It is just a tragic accident and very, very unfortunate. The lads have not done anything wrong. This rock just came away in his hand. It is just so sad."
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Cloudy conditions, regular rockfalls and widespread ice in the valley where the man's body lay meant the rescuers could not attempt to evacuate the man's body until Sunday morning.
Clearer weather then allowed volunteers to carry his body on a stretcher down steep, boulder-strewn terrain for 300 metres to a waiting Caernarfon coastguard helicopter that then handed the body to an undertaker.
Mr Lloyd added: "They were three young men. They have done a lot of hillwalking together and were well-equipped and had all the right kit.
"They were actually going to go and do some wild camping which is why they were so high so late.
"It is quite a popular ridge to go up and it has a little bit of a scramble towards the top so a lot of people walk up there.
"It is not difficult at all but there is loose rock up there, there's no doubt about that. There were definitely good patches of ice. It was just thin layers of it.
"You couldn't really see it and you couldn't tell whether it was wet rock or ice and it is easy to be caught out."
OVMRO's volunteers are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to attend mountaineering incidents in the Snowdonia National Park's Ogwen Valley.
The group was called out 178 times last year and depends almost entirely on public donations to fund its operations.
It is one of six volunteer rescue groups in North Wales.