A FURNESS Coastguard rescue officer has thanked his colleagues after they came to his aid when he fell 50 meters down a mountain.

Rob Mcclymont, 32, went to Aviomore in Scotland for a four-day ice climbing adventure with a group of friends before events took a turn for the worse.

During Saturday’s climb down in Cairngorm National Park Mr Mcclymont slipped and fell approximately 50 meters before coming to a stop.

Luckily two instructors from Glenmoor Lodge were out and they came to his aid.

The Inverness coastguard helicopter was called, as well as Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team.

With the temperature at -3 degrees and gusts of 80mph, it looked like the helicopter would not reach Mr Mcclymont but the mountain rescue team carried him for half an hour to a safer location before he was airlifted to hospital.

Amazingly, the slinger at BAE shipyard only sustained cuts and bruises in the fall.

Mr Mcclymont said he was lucky his injuries were not severe.

He said: “As I approached the last stage of the climb, I went to cut into a ledge in the ice so I could place my foot on there, but I slipped and began falling down the side of the bank.

“It started with me sliding but I was gathering speed. The slide turned into a roll and then a bounce before I was thrown into the air.

“Altogether I fell around 50 meters but only sustained cuts and bruises. I was very lucky.

“When I stopped, I could not get up and my group were over 10 minutes away from me.

“I was carried for more than 30 minutes to a safer location because the conditions were horrendous - it felt like hours.

“I have no idea how the pilot guided the helicopter.”

Mr Mcclymont has been released from hospital and hopes to be climbing back up in Scotland in about three weeks’ time.

He wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who helped him.

He said: “I want to thank everyone, including my friends and family, who helped me. It could have been a lot worse and I am extremely grateful for them saving me.”