Ben Nevis climber was 'ready to die' after he plunged 100m down mountain
11.03.2022 - 19:41
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
A climber has admitted he was "ready to die" after he plunged 100 metres down Ben Nevis before being airlifted to hospital.
Morgan Hawkins was scaling the UK's largest mountain when he slipped on Monday afternoon.
The 21-year-old tumbled down the steep mountain "face-first" before eventually stopping at the top of a gully, where he admits he "couldn't believe he was still alive".
Mountain rescue teams scrambled to the scene before Morgan was airlifted to Belford Hospital in Fort William.
The farmer, who is originally from Newport in South Wales but now lives in Taunton in Somerset, was holidaying in the Highlands when the terrifying incident unfolded.
Speaking to the Record, Morgan said: "It was the first day of what was supposed to be a nice week away in Scotland with my dad, skiing and going on some nice walks.
"Monday was scheduled to be the best day for the weather conditions so we went up Ben Nevis.
"All was good, until we got just past the 1000m mark when it started getting icy. We carried on taking our time and being careful, but a bit further on I slipped and was able to get back up.
"We then thought it was probably best to go back down for the day to be safe.
"However, shortly after I slipped again - and this time I full on slid around 100 meters down the mountain.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared. Everything happened all so quick so my adrenaline was racing.
"I was grabbing onto any rock I could to stop myself. I was going down head-first at one point - and we’ve all seen stories of people dying due to head trauma.
"I honestly thought I was a goner. I was ready to die."
Morgan was badly injured but was able to shout out for help.
A group of fellow mountain climbers had seen him fall and rushed up to help,