17 February 2023 , 02:05
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The father of an amateur climber who tragically fell to his death from a mountain in Wales has paid an emotional tribute to his "amazing" son.
Jack Carne from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was ascending Y Gribin in Snowdonia National Park (Eryri) at 5pm on Saturday February 4 when a handhold he was using to pull himself up broke, causing him to fall 600ft down the mountainside.
Rescue teams were then called to a valley between the 3,200ft Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach peaks, with the body of the 23-year-old builder found later in the evening.
Cloudy conditions, regular rockfalls and widespread ice in the area where he was were found meant rescuers were prevented from trying to evacuate him until the following morning.
Paying tribute to his son in a post on Facebook, Mr Carne's father described him as "an amazing lad in every way".
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"I just can't explain how much I love him and how proud I am of him," he said.
Cloudy conditions and widespread ice stopped his body from being recovered until the following morning (Getty Images/iStockphoto)"He was my hero and he will be missed more than I can explain.
"It has been an honour to be his Dad. I wish I could find words to do him justice but I am at a loss."
A fundraiser for Mr Carne's family on GoFundMe set up by his friend Connor Lindley has now raised more than £11,000 of a £15,000 goal, with the proceeds used to help provide support to his family.
Chris Lloyd, who is chairman of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (OVMRO) and was part of the rescue effort, said the incident was a "tragic accident and very, very unfortunate".
Describing what happened, he told the PA news agency at the time: "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."
He shared that the group of three young men had "done a lot of hillwalking together" and had intended to go wild camping, which explained why they had been there in the evening.