Idwal Slabs, scene of the rescue. Photo Mikey Bean.

A climber was plucked from a north Wales crag by an RAF helicopter performing what mountain rescuers described as ‘superb flying’ in appalling conditions at the weekend.

The Halloween horror began when two brothers, both experienced alpinists, and one of the men’s 21-year-old son, set off late on Saturday to climb a scrambling route close to the site of a fatal fall six weeks previously. The ill advised venture culminated in a seven-hour rescue involving two helicopters and a team from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation.

The trio set off to Cum Idwal in the Ogwen Valley in the mid afternoon after a morning spent on an indoor climbing wall near Llanberis. The Denbigh man decided to walk around the cwm while his brother and his son set off on a scrambling route from Steve Ashton’s popular guide book.

Chris Lloyd of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation described the events that unfolded. “Although the weather had been fine, the forecast was deteriorating,” he said. “The father was carrying a small rucksack, had a small headtorch and was wearing trainers.

“The son had no rucksack but reasonable boots and a small Maglite hand-held torch. Both men had experience in the UK mountains and had climbed in the Alps.

“They set off from the perimeter footpath just beyond the Idwal Slabs, heading up towards the Upper Cliff of Glyder Fawr. Their intention was Route 41 from the guide book which bears left under the cliff and on to Seniors Ridge on to Glyder Fawr.

“However, in failing light and with the guide book in the car, they moved to the right towards Grey Slab. They scrambled up the crag until about 5.30pm when they could not move up or down from their small ledge.

“At this stage they made a 999 call for mountain rescue.”

Four members of the rescue team made their way to the top of the Upper Cliff while a spotter on the road below guided them to a point above the two cragfast climbers.

An initial flight by an RAF Sea King helicopter had to be aborted when the aircraft developed mechanical problems.

In the meantime, one of the rescue team had climbed down 75m to the scramblers, who were stuck on a small ledge. The older man was tied on to a rope and was able to climb up to safety.

Mr Lloyd said: “The aircraft returned and was able to snatch the 21-year-old and the rescue team member from the crag after some superb flying in darkness, rain, strong gusts and close proximity to the steep rock.” They were taken to the team’s base.

The rest of the rescue team member and the man’s father then walked down to the valley floor, arriving off the mountainside about half-past-midnight.

The man was then reunited with his son at the rescue team’s base where, according to Mr Lloyd, he was ‘advised of the error of his ways’.

The Ogwen Valley MRO spokesman continued: “Late departure, poor forecast, lack of guidebook, lack of adequate lighting and trainers are not suitable for climbing on the Upper Cliff.

“He was reminded that barely a month ago we recovered the body of a woman who had fallen in almost the same spot! He accepted our comments.”

The rescuers were finally stood down at 2am. In common with many volunteer mountain rescue teams, the Ogwen Valley organisation has seen its workload increase this year, with the Cwm Idwal taking its tally so far to 110 compared with an annual average around 60.