What started as another adventure for three best friends from South Yorkshire ended in tragedy on the rocky ridges of north Wales. 23-year-old Jack Carne, died after plunging nearly 600ft from Glyder Fawr in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, when a rock he grabbed during a climb suddenly broke loose.His closest friends, Matty Belcher and Brandan Smith, watched helplessly as Jack “somersaulted” down the mountain moments before reaching the summit.“We’d probably walked for about four hours, and then it all went wrong,” Matty later recalled. “It could have been anybody.”The trio had travelled from Barnsley for a weekend of camping and climbing in February 2023. The route, they said, was no more difficult than climbs they had tackled before.
‘I couldn’t do anything’
An inquest heard the three friends were climbing between Gribin Ridge and Glyder Fawr when the fatal accident happened.Brandan told the hearing that the rock Jack used as a handhold came away suddenly, causing him to lose balance. The boulder reportedly fell onto him as he plunged down the mountain.“I couldn’t do anything, it all happened so fast,” Matty said.The two friends could later see Jack’s rucksack lying nearly 50m below, but despite repeatedly shouting his name, there was no response.Mountain rescue teams were alerted immediately, but harsh weather conditions meant Jack’s body could not be recovered until the next day.Senior coroner John Gittins ruled the death accidental, saying Jack was “fully prepared and experienced” and had taken no unnecessary risks.
Mountain rescuers called it a ‘freak accident’
Volunteers from Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue later reassured the devastated friends that the incident was a tragic freak accident.“The boys were well equipped and well organised,” rescuer Chris Lloyd said. “One slip can lead to disaster.”The coroner suggested water erosion may have weakened the rock face, causing the hold to collapse under pressure. Jack died from multiple crush injuries.
The emotional return to the mountain
Just a week after the tragedy, Jack’s father Rich asked Matty and Brandan to take him back to the exact spot where his son died.Accompanied by mountain rescue volunteers, the group climbed Glyder Fawr together in search of closure. “They took us back up to where they found Jack,” Matty said. “We had about half an hour there asking questions.”During the visit, they found Jack’s cap still lying near the place where he had fallen and brought it back down with them.
A tragedy that created an unlikely friendship
Instead of ending their connection to the mountains, the tragedy forged a deeper bond between Jack’s family and his friends.Within weeks, Rich began joining Matty and Brandan on hiking trips across the UK and abroad.“Going out with his dad is just like going out with him,” Brandan said. “He treats us like we’re his best mates.”Matty added that continuing to climb felt like carrying a part of Jack with them on every journey.
Final tribute on the mountain Jack dreamed of climbing
Among all their trips together, one carried the greatest emotional weight — climbing Tryfan, one of north Wales’ most iconic peaks.Jack had always wanted to scale the mountain but never got the chance. “So after the funeral we went up Tryfan with Jack’s dad,” Matty said. “We scattered his ashes at the top. It felt like we’d finally all done it together.”Brandan laughed while imagining what Jack would think of his two best friends now spending weekends hiking alongside his father.“He’d probably think it was a bit weird,” he said. “But it feels like he’s still there with us.”
