A HILLWALKER who miraculously survived an 800ft fall off a cliff edge has spoken of the terrifying moment he stepped out into "nothing".
Ollie Daniel, from Cambridge, suffered horrific injuries on Sunday when he plunged down a sheer rock face in the Cairngorms.
Mr Daniel was navigating in the area of Coire Sputan Dearg in blizzard conditions when he disappeared.
The 25-year-old survived the massive fall and was found three hours later by mountain rescue teams.
Speaking from his hospital bed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, he said: "Essentially we were navigating in near-zero visibility in a white-out. We came across a cornice cliff that we thought we were quite a lot further away from than it turns out we were. As I was navigating I was the first one who realised and I just put my foot out into nothing."
Mr Daniel had been navigating the mountains with his father James and another man when he had the near-death experience.
He said he slid down some parts of the cliff while at other points he was simply falling through the air.
Mr Daniel added: "You could not reasonably expect to fall down that cliff and survive, then mountain rescue to find me and rescue me. It's credit to them."
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