'He shouldn't be here' - walker opens up on 60 metre fall down Lake District fell

Keith Wilson has parkinson's disease and uses extreme sports as a form of medication. Credit: ITV Border

A 74-year-old mountaineer has been speaking about his experience of falling 60 metrer down a snowy ravine in the Lake District.

Keith Wilson praised the volunteers who rescued him from the side of Great End after his footholds collapsed near the top of the mountain and his ice axe came loose.

Keswick Mountain Rescue alongside Penrith Mountain Rescue helped Keith back down the fell.

Speaking to ITV, Keith said: "I was nearly finished. I was about two moves away from safety on to easy ground at the top and both footholds just disappeared and my ice axe yanked out.

Keith Wilson says he had fears the fall would kill him. Credit: ITV Border

"I catapulted downwards, backwards off down the shoot, down sort of a snowy groove and over a ledge. And the rucksack acted like a toboggan I was going backwards down this slope.

"When I knew I was going to go over the drop, I thought this could kill me."

Keith was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease six years ago and finds that adrenaline relieves his symptoms.

He said: “When I was first diagnosed, I thought I was going to turn into a couch potato. When I discovered that climbing made me feel young again.

"The adrenaline rush I get from climbing or from other sports as well actually means I don't have to take any drugs. I take one drug a day, apparently statistically I should be on six levodopa tablets a day."

Keith's wife Jill said that it was "miraculous" that he was still alive.

Keith's wife Jill wants him to keep doing the things that he loves. Credit: ITV Border

She said: "When you look at the whole incident, he really shouldn't be here. Because he flipped and his rucksack acted as a sort of sled, that's protected his body a great deal on the way down.

"And then landing in deep snow, when he actually did stop, made a huge difference. It's quite miraculous I think.

“I think he will choose his routes carefully and choose his activities carefully, probably a little more so than he previously did but I don't think really it'll change his mindset and I'd rather him do that.

"I want him to do what he wants to do while he can. Keith's advice for people with Parkinson's is always do more of what you love while you can."

Tom McNally explained the challenges of the rescue. Credit: ITV Border

Tom McNally from Keswick Mountain Rescue explained the challenges of the rescue.

He said: “It was difficult to extract him from the gully, he was still quite high up in steep ground, so we set up a rope system whereby we lowered two team members down to secure him, administer first aid and then they were lowered to the base of the gully into the care of other team members."

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