Mountain climber crawls with broken ankle for two hours to get to safety after it gets crushed by rock
11 December 2022, 13:45 | Updated: 11 December 2022, 14:53
A scrambler crawled on a broken ankle for two hours to get to safety after a rock crushed his foot and left him unable to climb a mountain.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
The man was with another climber when he pulled on the large rock, which came loose and landed on his ankle during their trek on Glyder Fach, a nearly 1,000 metre summit in north-west Wales.
Left in pain and unable to continue climbing on Dolmen Buttress, the man and his climbing partner called for mountain rescue and said they could get back to safety if they were helped to easier ground, about fifty metres above them.
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue responded and set up a hand line and rope after the Coastguard was unable to provide a helicopter due to a higher-priority job.
They then placed the injured climber in a rigid splint and, after giving him painkillers, helped him crawl for two hours to get to the easier ground.
After negotiating the rocky terrain, the rescuers managed to stretcher him down to a hotel early on December 4, after deploying for a total of 14 hours.
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue said it was "probably our longest job of the year".
