Former Porthleven schoolboy died in freak rock fall

1:03pm Tuesday 8th April 2008

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A former Porthleven and Helston schoolboy was killed in a freak rock fall despite the heroic efforts of his fellow climber, an inquest heard today.

Rock climbing enthusiast Christopher Polden died from devastating injuries and blood loss after being hit by a number of table-sized boulders while on a charity expedition to an unexplored island in Greenland.

Mr Polden, whose parents Vera and Peter still live in Porthleven, was exploring glaciers on the uninhabited island of Prins Christian IV, south Greenland, with friend and fellow climber Benjamin Anderson on July 18 last year.

The experienced climbers were part of a nine-man team raising money for the charity Get Kids Going and on the day of 30-year-old Mr Polden's death the pair had set off at 4am in good conditions.

At around 1pm they reached a small gulley, which Mr Polden - who grew up in Porthleven but had moved to Cheshire where he worked as a computer programmer - had begun climbing when there was suddenly a loud rumbling sound.

Mr Anderson, a 25-year-old student in Manchester, said: "I looked up as two to three pieces of table-sized rock came towards us. The first rock hit Chris and he was probably knocked unconscious at this moment with a blow to the back of his head."

The force of the rocks caused Mr Polden to somersault and fall 15 feet into a gulley, while Mr Anderson was also pulled from his feet and miraculously escaped being hit by another rock.

Mr Polden briefly regained consciousness but his speech was slurred and he was delusional. He had also suffered horrendous injuries, particularly to his head and arm.

Still in danger from further rock fall, Mr Anderson strapped his friend to himself and abseiled down two steep slopes to reach a safer place. He then dug a snow hole, in which he left the now unconscious again Mr Polden together with all the spare clothes he could find for warmth, before making his way further down the mountain so he could call for help on the satellite phone.

A helicopter airlifted Mr Polden off the island and took him to a hospital in Nanortalik, where he was formally declared dead.

The inquest heard a statement from Danish hospital nurse Lotte Valentine, who attempted to treat Mr Polden.

She praised the rescue attempts of Mr Anderson, telling Mr Polden's parents via the statement: "There's no doubt in my mind that Ben and everyone else did everything possible to rescue your son."

The nurse added that everybody in the hospital had been deeply effected by Mr Polden's death and they had held a service with traditional Greenlandic songs and passages from the Bible.

Coroner Dr Emma Carlyon recorded a verdict of accidental death, declaring the cause of death as haemorrhage and multiple fractures.

Speaking after the inquest Mr Polden's father Peter, an engineering instructor at RNAS Culdrose, said: "He'd always been an adventurer. Life's a risk. He enjoyed being out there and having the wind in his hair."

His mother Vera added: "He's gone but he's not forgotten. Christopher left a legacy and a big hole. He did have a good life, a full life and a happy life. That's all a parent can ask for. I know that he's at peace and with Jesus."

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