A climber was airlifted to hospital after suffering a "significant" head injury when he fell from a ledge in Snowdonia.
The man, in his 20s, was lead-climbing on Craig yr Aderyn in North Wales around midday on Saturday, August 27, when he was knocked unconscious. He fell past his partner, a woman in her 20's, for the length of the rope in play, but she managed to hold the fall.
Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team said the man sustained multiple cuts to his body during the tumble down steep ground, and also a significant head injury which resulted in a brief loss of consciousness. Although bleeding heavily, the pair managed to return him to the ledge and she was able to raise the alarm - although her message was cut off before full details could be passed on to the police call-handler, North Wales Live reports.
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An ex-mountain rescue team member, camping at a site nearby, heard their shouts for help and also managed to pass on brief details over a very poor line to the police. Given the potential serious nature of the incident, the Coastguard helicopter Rescue and South Snowdonia Search and Rescue Team were also called to assist with the rescue.
An Aberdyfi Search & Rescue Team spokesperson said: "Coastguard helicopter Rescue936 was quickly on scene, but with the climbers unsecured on a ledge there was concern that, if they attempted to winch the casualty, the aircraft's powerful downwash could easily blow them off the crag. Making use of the aircraft to upload equipment and Team personnel to the top of the face, the rope-rescue technicians set about rigging a system to raise the pair to the crag-top.
"This was a difficult process, with a couple of factors slowing efforts to reach the casualty. Firstly there was little in the way of natural anchors to secure the system, and it was difficult to find soil deep enough to make use of of our steel anchor pins. Secondly, the position of the casualties could not be seen from the top of the crag, so the positioning was being directed by spotters some distance away at the foot of the crag.
"On the first attempt at lowering, the rescuer got within shouting distance, but could not reach the pair. However, this foray onto the face helped the rope-technicians re-rig in the optimal position, and the pair were reached on the second attempt.
"Having further assessed the injured man whilst on the ledge, he was assisted up the face using a hauling system. The rescuer then returned down the crag to collect the woman. After further assessment at the crag-top, the pair were assisted to the nearby helicopter, and were down-lifted, along with Team volunteers and equipment."
The injured man was airlifted to hospital for further assessment of his injuries. Everyone was safely off the hill by 6.40pm.
Team spokesperson Graham O'Hanlon added: "The man's climbing partner did a remarkable job, first in holding his fall from a precarious belay position, but then also assisting the man back to a safer position, raising the alarm and stabilising his injuries."
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