The incident happened on the North Ridge of Tryfan. Photo: Bob Smith/grough

A walker with a bad leg injury was praised by rescuers for his efforts in making his way down a Snowdonia mountain after falling.

The 74-year-old man from the South of England slipped and gashed his leg while descending Tryfan on Saturday.

Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation was called out about 4.30pm after being alerted by North Wales Police.

A team spokesperson said the walker had come to spend the weekend in the national park in preparation for an upcoming trip to the Alps and was with two others on the mountain.

He said: “They had had a full day of scrambling on Tryfan. The day had started well, but the cloud had descended and rain fell making the rocks greasy after the spell of hot weather.

“The man slipped on a rock and gashed his shin, exposing the bone for several inches. One of the other two men in the party dressed the injury and called for assistance.

“A hasty party of three was dispatched to the casualty site. After the administration of analgesia, the casualty offered to walk off the mountain. A stretcher party was mobilised but not needed, as the casualty carefully descended to below the cloud line.”

He was accompanied down the North Ridge and then down No Name Gully.

The spokesperson said: “From a point below the Heather Terrace and the upper reaches of Tryfan Bach slabs, the [Caernarfon Coastguard] rescue helicopter was able to creep in below cloud level and winch the casualty on board for delivery to hospital in Bangor by about 7.30pm.

“Meanwhile, the other two members of the party descended on foot to Oggi base, for a debrief, tea and cakes before driving to the hospital.”

The 3¼-hour rescue involved 13 volunteers from the Ogwen Valley team.

The spokesperson said: “An extremely unfortunate accident but very well managed by the party.

“The casualty made an impressive effort to walk from the mountain. This saved a long and arduous stretcher evacuation down small crags, loose screes and heather covered boulder fields in miserable weather.”