A 74-year-old walker died and an ice-climber was seriously injured in separate incidents on the slopes of Snowdonia.

The walker had slipped and fallen on Glyder Fawr, above the Ogwen Valley on Saturday, and was found to be dead on arrival at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.

He had hurt his head after falling a short distance when walking with two companions.

Fortunately, the helicopter was assisted by favourable weather RAF spokesman

He was given artificial respiration at the scene and life-saving attempts continued on the flight to hospital aboard a Sea King helicopter from RAF Valley on Anglesey.

Earlier the same helicopter had winched an ice climber from a rock face on Cwm Silyn, a mountainside in the Nantlle Valley.

The man had fallen 60ft and hurt his head and back. He was flown to hospital semi-conscious but his injuries, although serious, were not believed to be life-threatening.

Later, the same helicopter returned to the rock face to rescue the man's companion, who was cragfast in freezing conditions.

Rescues

He was lifted off and landed unharmed close to a mountain rescue team.

A spokesman at RAF Kinloss, which co-ordinates all military search and rescue helicopters and RAF mountain rescue teams in the UK, said: "People go up in the hills to enjoy themselves and, just as it's getting dark, they decide to go home.

"But their legs get tired and they fall on their way down.

"Fortunately, the helicopter was assisted by favourable weather today."

100ft fall

The Snowdonia mountain range has been the scene of countless rescues in recent years.

Last June, two climbers were air-lifted to hospital after falling 100 feet in the Snowdonia mountain range in north Wales.

Rescue teams were alerted to the incident on Cnicht, near Bedgellert, by a female climber using her mobile phone.

She told rescuers she had seen a climber falling.

The man had been able to get to his feet, but then collapsed again, she said.

In a mission co-ordinated by North Wales Police, members of the local mountain rescue team and a rescue helicopter from RAF Valley were sent to the scene.

The winchman was expecting to find just one casualty, but when he arrived at the scene saw the second injured person.