This was it. The moment that my life would end. As I tumbled uncontrollably down the exposed rockface, the jagged outcrop of World’s End blurred past me in sickening flashes. Gravity’s unforgiving grip dragged me closer to the base of the towering cliff over 200 feet below – a deadly labyrinth of broken, unforgiving rock fragments. My body moved without control, but my mind was cruelly sharp, painfully alive to the magnitude of what was about to happen. Even if, by some miracle, I survived the fall, I knew the sheer force of impact would irreparably change everything. I believed all hope was lost.

In those terrifying seconds, I confronted the reality that we all fear but rarely face: the helplessness of knowing your life is no longer your own to save. My desperate shouts for help echoed into the void, swallowed by the vast emptiness around me. There would be no time for goodbyes, no chance to make peace with the life I’d so eagerly embraced. Only fate would decide how this chapter of my story would end.

My lifelong thirst for adventure had led me to this life-altering moment. As a boy, I had been captivated by tales of daring and survival, like Joe Simpson’s harrowing account in Touching the Void. That book, found on the dusty shelves of my school library, had awakened something deep within me – a yearning to test myself against the raw power of nature. The rugged, untamed peaks of North Wales became my proving ground, a place where I could climb, explore, and grow alongside my best friends. Each summit brought a rush of exhilaration, each rockface demanded courage. Yes, there was risk, but it was always calculated – or so I thought.

Now, as I plummeted toward the earth, seconds stretched into an eternity, each heartbeat a stark reminder of what was slipping away. Life wasn’t flashing before my eyes, but for the first time, it came into piercing focus.

Ellie – God, I’d never see Ellie again. My loving family, the friends I’d forged unbreakable bonds with – all the people who had made my life meaningful would be left behind. A flood of dreams burst forth: climbing Mount Everest, serving in the Special Forces Reserve, travelling the world. Dreams that had driven me, defined me, would now remain unfulfilled.

Three words clung desperately to the frayed edges of my consciousness as I neared the jagged ground below, words that felt like both a prayer and a command to the universe:

“Please don’t die.”

The impact was inevitable. Life hung in the balance. But as I would soon learn, it wasn’t the end – it was the beginning…