Mountain Climber, 26, falls 196ft to his death in freak accident after rock cut his rope

dailystar.co.uk:

plummeted around 196ft to their death in a freak accident when their rope was cut by a falling rock.An inquest at Ruthin County Hall heard on Wednesday (September 21) that Kieran James Strudwick, 26, from Uckfield in East Sussex, was killed on January 30, on the Dolmen Ridge in North Wales.He has been climbing with his friend Tom Haynes, then 25, when the horror fall happened at around midday.READ MORE: Putin's nuclear threat is 'something we should take very seriously', says UK ministerThey had headed up to the famous mountain beauty spot to go climbing and had stayed at Penmachno, North Wales Live reports.Having completed a number of scrambles earlier in the day, they decided they wanted to take on the ridge - a grade 3 scramble.

The wind was minimal and rock damp in some places.Grade 3 routes need certain equipment, including ropes, for parts of the path.The pair had known each other for over two years and are understood to have had a good level of experience between them when they took on the ridge.They are reported to have taken no risks and had been wearing all the correct equipment, including helmets, ropes, and harnesses.Kieran is understood to have been in the lead when the horror accident happened, with Tom holding the rope.Kieran had been progressing ahead up a section called the ramp, before turning right into a gully and out of his climbing partner’s view.Tom heard Kieran shout “rockfall” and he too shouted the message down to warn anyone else coming up below.He moved to the side and closed his eyes.As he glimpsed again he saw Kieran falling past him, missing him by just a few metres, plummeting around 60 metres (198ft) and hitting the mountain as he went.Despite what he had just witnessed Tom was able to.