Daredevil climber, 30, was killed when he refused to use ropes to climb deadly Snowdonia slope, inquest hears
- Mountaineer Thomas Furey set off on a ‘free solo’ climb in Snowdonia
- The 30-year-old refused to use ropes to scale the Cneifion Arete, inquest hears
- Assistant coroner for North West Wales records conclusion of misadventure
A daredevil climber died after he refused to use ropes to scale one of Britain’s biggest mountains in Snowdonia, an inquest heard.
Professional mountaineer Thomas Furey, 30, set off on a ‘free solo’ climb without taking any safety ropes but he fell and was found at the foot of the notorious Cneifion Arete climb with ‘catastrophic’ head, chest and leg injuries.
A witness said he’d warned him ‘I wouldn’t want to free solo’ but said the mountain climbing instructor, known as Tom, told him ‘it’s OK. I do this for a living.’
Tom and his fiancee Katie Simmons were staying at a friend’s house in June when he decided to go on the morning adventure.
Thomas Furey, 30, set off on a ‘free solo’ climb without safety ropes but he fell and was found at the foot of the Cneifion Arete climb – here he is pictured with his fiancee Katie Simmons
A witness said he warned Tom not to ‘free solo’ and Tom said ‘it’s OK. I do this for a living’
Tom and his partner were staying at a friend’s house in June when he decided to go on the morning adventure
An inquest heard hospital medic Katie went to work and was due to meet Tom later that afternoon – but she never saw him again.
Witnesses Andrew Cruse and his son Harry were about to tackle Cneifion Arrete, described as ‘more of a scramble than a slope but with a severe drop’ when they encountered Tom.
Andrew said when Tom asked if he could go in front of them he agreed but seeing Tom had no ropes told him: ‘I wouldn’t want to free solo.’
He said Tom replied: ‘It’s OK. I do this for a living.’
He was meant to meet up with Katie later that afternoon – but she never saw him again
Tom was found lying face down at the foot of Cneifion Arete and his helmet was found nearby
But later that morning the father and son found Tom lying face down and badly injured at the foot of Cneifion Arete.
His bloodied helmet was nearby and a rucksack was still 10 or 15 metres up the slope.
They alerted Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team who found him ‘barely alive’.
The coastguard helicopter flew Tom to Ysbyty Gwynedd hospital in Bangor, the same hospital where his girlfriend worked.
The inquest in Caernarfon heard doctors fought to save his life but he was pronounced dead at 2.27pm that day.
He was taken to the hospital where fiancee Katie worked in Bangor but sadly died
Dr Mark Atkinson, a histopathologist, found Tom died from multiple injuries.
Sarah Riley, assistant coroner for North West Wales, found it was ‘more likely than not’ Tom had been wearing a helmet at the time of his fall but that he had not been wearing ropes.
She concluded Tom, of Wrexham, North Wales, died from ‘a deliberate human act with unintended consequences.’
She recorded a conclusion of misadventure.
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