HIKE IT LUCKY!
Snowdon walker plummets 230ft down the mountain but escapes with sprained wrist:
AHIKER who miraculously cheated death after falling off Snowdon’s notorious Crib Goch ridge managed to escape with nothing more than a sprained wrist.
Jake Robinson tumbled 230ft from the ridge, notorious for its “knife edge” trail, but escaped almost unharmed after being checked over by medics.
Despite the foggy conditions the 27-year-old said “the hiking bug” and restlessness from lockdown pushed him to go-ahead with the trek.
But just 30 minutes from reaching the top of the summit, Jake’s left foot slipped on a rock, causing him to fall from the dangerous ridge which had claimed the life of a walker on the same place just a month before.
He has dubbed himself the “luckiest man” after the 30-second fall saw him remarkably come to a natural halt, stopping just 10 metres away from another cliff edge.
His shocked friend called local rescuers who had to abseil down and load Jake onto a stretcher before a helicopter was able to reach him.
Physiotherapist Jake was eventually airlifted to hospital where he was examined for possible brain damage but was told by doctors he had only sustained a sprained wrist.
Jake, from Henlow, Bedfordshire, said: “I just can’t believe I survived it all.
“I’m a bit of a thrill seeker so I was always up for a bit of a challenge. In the 1950s my grandad completed the Crib Goch route and I haven’t heard of anyone else doing the same.”
“The weather was a bit foggy but we just approached it with a bit more caution. We had been hiking for a few hours and were about 30 minutes from the top when I just stumbled.
“I had put my leg out and I happened to stand on a really slippery bit. My friend said I just disappeared off the edge.
“It was like something out of a cartoon. I didn’t really think about dying I was more concentrating on how to stop. When I finally stopped I looked down at my legs and was expecting to see a bone popping out.
“A few seconds later I wriggled them and realised I hadn’t broken anything, which was good.”
Jake and seven mates visited the peak for a day of hiking after successfully reaching the summit three months earlier.
After catching the “hiking bug”, Jake and his friends decided to repay a visit to Snowdon but decided to challenge themselves with a different trail on August 20.
Jake said only one other friend decided to join him via the notorious Crib Goch pathway to the top of the summit during the foggy conditions.
Agreeing to meet the others at the top, the pair set off at 2pm and said they decided to go at a slower pace as they were mindful of the conditions.
But just 30 minutes from reaching the top, Jake fell after stepping on a slippery rock.
His friend called Mountain Rescue and gave them ‘Blatantly.Flag. Singer’ as their point of rescue via rescue app What3Words.
Jake said: “I remember it being just such a slight slip of the foot... when I was falling down, I just had no concept of time.
“I started calling out for my friend and he called Mountain Rescue. The rescuers had to abseil down to me before putting me on a stretcher and attaching it to the helicopter.
“I was left with cuts and bruises and my left leg very swollen. I’m hobbling around a bit now but it could have been a lot worse.”
Jake is now resting his injuries and wants to warn other thrillseekers of the dangers posed by extreme trails.
He added: “I just want to warn others to really do your research before taking on dangerous routes.
“They are notorious for a reason. Looking back, I should not have done it.”
He added: “I want to give a big shout out to the Mountain Rescue Service as they are just volunteers.
“And if it wasn’t for them I would have been a goner. I’m just so thankful I managed to escape with just a few fractures.”