The injured climber who miraculously survived falling 1,500ft down Britain's biggest mountain battled for an hour to try and save his friend, MailOnline can reveal.
Leo Grabowski suffered bruising and broken ribs after a climbing accident on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands which claimed the life of his friend Patrick Boothroyd.
Despite being dazed and disoriented after his huge fall, Mr Grabowski immediately rang 999 and did his best to help Mr Boothroyd.
He covered him with a survival bag and huddled next to him, shielding him from the freezing snow and wind as they waited for help to arrive.
After an hour the pair were rescued from a narrow gully by a HM Coastguard helicopter team but tragically Mr Boothroyd could not be saved.
Mr Grabowski's mother Rose Hester said he was very concerned for her son, not physically but mentally, after what he has been through.
She told MailOnline: 'I know he's OK physically but this will affect him for a very long time, and I'm worried about him.
Leo Grabowski, 28, (above) who miraculously survived falling 1,500ft down Britain's biggest mountain battled for an hour to try and save his friend Patrick Boothroyd
Mr Grabowski suffered bruising and broken ribs after a climbing accident on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands which claimed the life of his friend Patrick Boothroyd (above)
Despite being dazed and disoriented after his huge fall, Mr Grabowski immediately rang 999 and did his best to help Mr Boothroyd. He covered him with a survival bag and huddled next to him, shielding him from the freezing snow and wind as they waited for help to arrive
'I can only imagine it's been a traumatic experience for him. We've only spoken on the phone, I know he survived and is OK.
'He's been through a lot and he's lost a close friend who he has known for years.'
Mr Grabowski had been excited about the trip and had posted a picture of his Christmas tree decaorated with climbing gear on Instagram.
The pair are believed to have fallen 1,500 feet after tying to scale Tower Gully on Ben Nevis last Sunday afternoon when an overhanging ledge of ice and snow is believed to have collapsed on top of them.
John Stevenson, team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said Mr Grabowski had no recollection of the fall but remembers waking up afterwards in a gully on the side of the mountain with Mr Boothroyd lying unconscious nearby.
He wrapped the strong lightweight, wind and water proof plastic bag - which acts as a personal emergency shelter by reducing loss of body heat - around Mr Booothroyd.
'He did admirably in the circumstances, he raised the alarm and then did all he could to try to save his friend,' Mr Stevenson told MailOnline.
'When the team reached him he was still quite dazed and said he couldn't remember anything to do with the fall.
'The only thing he remembers is coming to and seeing his friend badly injured below him.
'He managed to scramble down the slope to reach him and gave him as much shelter as he could; he did this by placing his friend inside a bag, a bright orange plastic bag that climbers use to protect themselves from the elements and to be visible for rescue teams.
After an hour the pair were rescued from a narrow gully by a HM Coastguard helicopter team but tragically Mr Boothroyd could not be saved
Mr Grabowski's mother Rose Hester said he was very concerned for her son, not physically but mentally, after what he has been through. She told MailOnline: 'I know he's OK physically but this will affect him for a very long time, and I'm worried about him'
Ms Hester told MailOnline: 'He's been through a lot and he's lost a close friend who he has known for years.' Mr Grabowski had been excited about the trip and had posted a picture of his Christmas tree decaorated with climbing gear on Instagram (above
'Bearing in mind that he'd had a very, very big fall, he sought to care for his friend until the HM Coastguard helicopter arrived just over an hour later and managed to winch them both away from the gully in an incredibly agile piece of flying.
'In my 38-years of being involved with Mountain Rescue, I've never known anyone to survive falling 450 metres - about 1,500 feet - and walk away with relatively minor injuries as he did.
'It's nothing short of a miracle that he's been left with only a few cracked ribs after falling the same distance as his friend, who sadly died.'
Mr Stevenson said they believed the climbers were trying to cut through a sheet of ice, snow and rocks around 25ft in length which came loose and fell on top of them.
The rescuer praised the skill of the HM Coastguard helicopter pilot who successfully reached the men in such a remote and awkward spot.
'The gully is very steep,' he said. 'It's an angle of about 75-80 degrees so even though weather conditions were fairly good that day it was still a risky rescue operation.'
As Mr Grabowski, a Cardiff graduate who still lives in the city, recovers from his injuries, friends and family of Mr Boothroyd paid tribute to the late climber.
Mr Boothroyd was the vice chairman of the Cardiff University Mountaineering Club and was well known and liked in the climbing community.
The pair are believed to have fallen 1,500 feet after tying to scale Tower Gully on Ben Nevis last Sunday afternoon when an overhanging ledge of ice and snow is believed to have collapsed on top of them. Pictured: Mr Boothroyd on another climbing trip
John Stevenson, team leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, said Mr Grabowski (above) had no recollection of the fall but remembers waking up afterwards in a gully on the side of the mountain with Mr Boothroyd lying unconscious nearby
'He did admirably in the circumstances, he raised the alarm and then did all he could to try to save his friend,' Mr Stevenson told MailOnline. 'When the team reached him he was still quite dazed and said he couldn't remember anything to do with the fall'
Alex Seekings, President of Cardiff University Mountaineering Club, said his death had 'left a hole' in the hearts of both the club and committee, adding 'We will all forever cherish our fond memories of him.
'He was a loved friend and amazingly valued member of our committee and club as a whole. He will be missed dearly by all.'
He added: 'Speechless, as we all are. CUMC is more than a club, it is a community. Lean on each other. Take care of each other. Or reach out to whoever you need to reach out to in this tragic time. I know we are hurting. We will miss you so much Patrick.'
Bournemouth University Climbing Club added: 'We would like to extend our sincere condolences to all our friends at CUMC, as well as to Patrick's family. Let's honour Patrick's memory by climbing harder and further than before.'
His avid climber father Nigel Boothroyd, who instilled a love of climbing in his son, wrote his own heartfelt tribute on social media.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection for his son, he gave 'heartfelt thanks to everyone who has posted comments and condolences about our wonderful, amazing son Patrick'.
He went on: 'We are so proud of him and miss him so much. It is such a comfort to know how much you all thought of him and to know he had so many lovely friends.
'Thank you to all for being there to make his time at Cardiff so exciting and full of adventure: he certainly lived life to the full and made the most of every opportunity out there.'
As Mr Grabowski, a Cardiff graudate who still lives in the city, recovers from his injuries, friends and family paid tribute to Mr Boothroyd (above). Mr Boothroyd was the vice chairman of the Cardiff University Mountaineering Club
Alex Seekings, President of Cardiff University Mountaineering Club, said his death had 'left a hole' in the hearts of both the club and committee, adding 'We will all forever cherish our fond memories of him'
Mr Boothroyd, a third year undergraduate at Cardiff, had travelled extensively as part of his love of climbing.
Tom Chitson posted online: 'Sending condolences on behalf of everyone at University of Birmingham Mountaineering.
'A few of us met Patrick in Chamonix in the summer, and are deeply saddened to hear about the loss of such a friendly and energetic guy.'
Mr Boothroyd, a geology student of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, had organised the trip as a Christmas treat for his club, of which he was the vice president.
An overhanging ledge of snow collapsed, sending him and his pal - a former Cardiff Uni student - tumbling down on Britain's tallest mountain.
His devastated primary school teacher mum Nicky had previously paid tribute to her 'amazing and brilliant' son, who had climbed all over the world.
Overwhelmed by the outpouring of affection for his son, Nigel Boothroyd gave 'heartfelt thanks to everyone who has posted comments and condolences about our wonderful, amazing son Patrick'
Paying tribute, Helen Astle from Plymouth University's mountaineering club, wrote: 'Our hearts are with you. As so many have said, societies are more than a club, they're a family - we simply cannot comprehend what you're going through.
'Just remember you're all in our thoughts, especially Patrick - and let us know if there's anything we can do. I'm sure, wherever he is, he's already found that next great peak to summit.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/22/climber-who-survived-1500ft-ben-nevis-fall-shielded-tragic-friend-from-wind-and-cold-for-an-hour/
Main photo article The injured climber who miraculously survived falling 1,500ft down Britain’s biggest mountain battled for an hour to try and save his friend, MailOnline can reveal.
Leo Grabowski suffered bruising and broken ribs after a climbing accident on Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands which...
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Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/20/13/7657514-6515393-image-m-10_1545313715050.jpg
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