An Exeter adventure travel expert was given a lesson in risk management when his solo mission to a mountain summit took an unexpected turn for the worse.
Adrian Ferraro, 38, was minutes away from the top of Glyder Fawr in Snowdonia when he fell over and dislocated his shoulder.
The husband and father-of-two found himself immobile, in sub-zero temperatures, and with nobody to help him.
But he used his knowledge and experience to co-ordinate his own rescue from the mountainside.
Adrian, who runs an independent city travel agency specialising in worldwide school adventure trips, said: "Some people might say I was stupid to be out on my own. Others might say, no matter how well prepared you are, accidents still happen."
The mountaineering trip on December 12 had started promisingly when he awoke on a "glorious winter's day" with clear air and a fresh covering of snow.
Just 15 minutes from the mountain summit at around 7.30am, however, he slipped on a rock and realised he would be unable to reach the top.
He said: "It was a silly, innocuous slip. I knew I needed help, but also that I had to look after myself. I could cope with the pain, but the cold was a very real potential danger."
Adrian phoned Mountain Rescue and was able to tell them his exact location.
He managed to get under his bright orange emergency shelter where he tried to stay warm and conscious.
He said: "I wasn't worried because I had all the right equipment and knew what I was doing. I knew help would arrive."
A Sea King helicopter arrived 45 minutes later and took him to Bangor Hospital where a nurse apparently praised him for maintaining his body temperature.
After being discharged from hospital hours later, Adrian and his car were driven by his car insurance company around 280 miles back to Exeter.
Mr Ferrano, the director of the Specialist Travel Consultancy in Dix's Field, said: "My misadventure was a perfect case study of the risk management I do on a daily basis.
"It would have been better if it hadn't happened, but as an incident it went like clockwork because I was prepared and help arrived quickly.
"You hope for the best and prepare for the worst. But you can't and would not want to eliminate all risk.
"I believe adventures offer the greatest learning experience there is. Accidents do happen, but with sensible planning the benefits should always outweigh the risks."
