AN inquest into the death of Chippenham-born rock climber Ross Tamin has recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The 35-year-old adventurer, whose parents Connie and Kutir live in Hill Rise, Chippenham, lived in Bournemouth with his girlfriend Andrea. He was on a one-month holiday in Utah with his climbing partner Richard Connors, of Cambridgeshire, when the fatal accident happened.

The two friends met at the Bridge Centre in Chippenham, and had been climbing together for seven years.

They flew to Los Angeles on April 27 and went to various climbing venues before arriving at Zion National Park, Utah.

"The first day of climbing was fine and went according to plan," said Mr Connors, the only witness to the accident. "We climbed 500 feet and left our ropes in place so we could climb further the next day."

On April 21, the two climbers rose at 5.15am and headed to the park.

"The weather had been deteriorating since Sunday and there was a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms," said Mr Connor. "But we decided to climb to the point we had reached the day before and then see what the weather was like and take a decision from there."

But when they reached their 500 foot point it started to rain and the climbers decided to put safety first and retreat to the ground. "We got down to the last 200 feet and were sorting out the ropes. Ross was to go first whilst I collected the ropes from above," said Mr Connor.

For the last descent, Mr Tamin had to tie two ropes together in a double figure of eight knot.

Mr Connor said: "It is a safety knot that Ross knew very well and there is no reason why he would not have tied it properly.

"The last time I spoke to him he had tied the knot and he was off the ledge suspended from the anchor. He asked if I wanted him to carry any of the ropes and I said it was okay and I would meet him at the ground.

"I turned around to carry on coiling up the ropes and I heard him cry out.

"I heard the sound of a rope whistling through the air.

"My only explanation is that the knots were loose and came undone."

Mr Connor looked over the ledge and saw his friend sprawled out on the ground 180 feet below. He called out to a hiker on the road and she got help.

"It took me a while to climb down and when I reached the ground the emergency services and National Park rangers were already there," he said.

The hiker, Diane Wood, was the first to Mr Tamin's aid. "He was breathing erratically, and his pulse was very weak," she said.

By the time Mr Connor reached the ground his friend had died.

Wiltshire coronor David Masters said: "Mr Tamin had done this safety knot on many prior occasions with competency and safety."

"The only conclusion I can draw is that the knot came undone.

"There were no suspicious circumstances."

Mr Tamin died from chest and spinal injuries caused by the fall.

He had a 13-year-old son who lives with his mother in Wales.

Mr Tamin was one of five children. He went to St Paul's Primary and then Sheldon School in Chippenham. He started climbing at the Bridge Centre when he was 16.

He had several near misses in the past and was once trapped under an avalanche. Two of his brothers still live in Chippenham while another brother lives in Trowbridge. His sister, Tina Slade, of Fairfoot Close, Chippenham, described him as "an optimist who ran out of his 900 lives."