Climber fell to his death on Snowdonia after his rope was cut by a falling rock

A 26-year-old climber fell to his death from a Snowdonia ridge after his rope was severed by a piece of falling rock.

Kieran James Strudwick, of New Town, Uckfield in East Sussex, was climbing with his friend, Tom Haynes, on the Dolmen Ridge of Glyder Fach when the tragedy occurred, an inquest heard. The pair had travelled to North Wales on a climbing trip and had stayed in Penmachno the previous night after completing a number of scrambles in the day.

On January 30, they decided they would climb the Dolmen Ridge which is classified as a grade 3 scramble, meaning that safety equipment, including ropes, is required for much of the route. Kieran, 26, and Tom, 25 at the time, had known each other for around two years and both were relatively experienced climbers, comfortable with navigating the scramble, and both had all the relevant safety equipment for the scramble.

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The inquest at Ruthin County Hall heard that the pair followed the correct procedures as they navigated a difficult area known as the ramp and Kieran, in front, progressed up the route, turning right into a gully which obscured him from Tom's view. Moments later Tom heard his partner shout "rock fall" and he shouted the same to alert any climbers beneath them.

Tom then heard a rock falling down and moved to the side, momentarily closing his eyes. When he reopened them, he saw Kieran falling past him only a couple of metres away. Tom told the court he saw his climbing partner fall from a height of around 60 metres, hitting the mountain on his way down.

Despite being in a state of shock, he managed to call 999 shortly after