NORTH WEST WALES
An experienced climber died when he fell while abseiling on a rock face in Morocco, as his wife watched, an inquest heard.
It is not known what happened to cause computer programmer Ben Wintringham to fall.
The 64-year-old from Caernarfon was with his wife Marion and a friend when the accident happened last October.
North west Wales coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones recorded a verdict of accidental death.
He said a lump of rock was used as an anchoring point.
“There’s no evidence really to show what actually happened,” he said.
“If the rope around the bollard slipped off I would expect it to have fallen but it didn’t. I have no answers.
“The evidence doesn’t show why Mr Wintringham’s rope came off and he fell in the way he did.”
Mr Wintringham’s wife Marion told the inquest the climb was “very straightforward” and the piece of rock looked “safe”.
She and the couple’s friend had already abseiled down safely.
“Ben attached himself to the sling,” she said. “We just happened to look up and he was coming down quite happily.
“All of a sudden he was in the air. He hit the deck. It was obvious there was nothing anybody could do. He had hit his head badly. His helmet was smashed.”
