A 19-year-old developed hypothermia after climbing the highest mountain in Wales in only his underwear. The incident has prompted mountain rescue teams to urge climbers to dress appropriately when hiking to ease the burden on their services.
Nathan French from Merseyside was doing a charity climb in superman pants to the 1085-metre peak when he took a turn at the summit.
French was climbing Snowdon to raise money for Dementia UK on behalf of his grandmother who suffers from the condition. He has raised over £2000 for the cause.
He was able to get off the mountain after some passers-by gave him tickets to ride the Snowdon train back down, but on the train he started to feel sick and his father called for help.
French, who is studying for a degree in sport, nutrition and health, told the Guardian: ‘[On the train] I started to go deaf and my sight started to go funny. It was at this point my dad decided to ring for help.’
Paramedics met French at the bottom and found that his blood pressure and blood sugar levels had dropped and he was suffering from hypothermia.
Miles Hill from the Llanberis mountain rescue team which looks after climbers on Snowdon said it could have been a lot worse.
‘While we are sympathetic to his charity fundraising for a very worthy cause, we would question the planning and perseverance which went into his day on the hill,’ he told the Guardian.
While French did not need assistance from the mountain rescuers, Hill pointed out that the situation could have easily required a rescue mission to go out after him.
‘If the train hadn’t been running from the summit, the outcome could have been very different. While charity events in your kecks are commendable, it’s not a trend we want to see started,’ he said.
The Llanberis rescue team provide information on their website about how to climb safely, including details of appropriate clothing to wear.
Speaking to the Guardian, French felt the negative comments he’s received on social media as a result of the incident have been unfair.
'There are lads my age robbing and into drugs and violence, and I’m out there doing something big for something that matters and I get the hate,’ he said.
He added: ‘I was with the paramedic for no longer than 20 minutes. He said I wasn’t wasting his time at all and he actually saw the humour in it. So I haven’t cost any money to the emergency services at all.’
To have an ambulance called out costs the NHS around £150, with the figure increasing if transportation to hospital is required.
Hill also pointed out that the mountain rescuers are volunteers themselves.
He said: ‘As a rescue team, we are sometimes called to individuals and groups taking part in charity events who haven’t realised that we ourselves are a charity, and our volunteers have left their loved ones at home in order to help.’
He added: 'We hope Mr French is back in the mountains soon, perhaps in the full suit (cape optional), rather than just the underwear.'
Image: Nathan French/Facebook
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.