'One of a kind' teen, 19, died after taking 'shortcut' down mountain

Philip Zhu, 19, accidentally fell to his death a mountain in Snowdonia National Park while he was hiking alongside his two younger brothers who ended up witnessing the incident

A teenager lost his footing on a rock and fell to his death while walking down from a Snowdonia National Park peak with his two younger brothers, an inquest has heard.

Philip Zhu, 19, had been hiking with his brothers at Tryfan, Capel Curig, Conway, on Monday, May 6, when he convinced them to take a shortcut, but he ended up losing his balance and fell on a loose rock. His brother Andrew told police they had taken the shortcut but that Philip ended up on a loose rock "and slid all the way down."

John Gittins, coroner for North Wales, told the inquest at County Hall in Ruthin on Friday he would record a conclusion of accidental death. The inquest heard the medical cause of the teen's death was blunt head and spinal injuries due to a fall from height.

Volunteers from the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Team were called to the location where they had been. The rescuers went to an area called the V Cleft where they located the teen's body. The brothers were then assisted off the peak.

A post examination found there were no drugs or alcohol in Philip's system. Concluding Mr Gittins said: "The injuries were unsurvivable and almost certainly injuries which caused immediate death to Mr Zhu.

"He will be sorely missed by everyone." He then expressed condolences to Philip's brothers who witnessed the tragedy.

His uncle Philip Cheng said after the inquest: ”The community has been very upset but super supportive. Everybody at the gym, everybody around the area of Seaforth has been really amazing. We can’t thank them enough. We are very proud of Philip for all he achieved. He was a special young man. He’s a great loss to our family.”

The inquest heard Mr Zhu hoped to join the RAF. Philip had been a member of the Combat Unit martial arts gym at Seaforth since he was 11 and coached children and professional fighters.

Connor Dickinson, owner of The Combat Unit, said previously: “I grew up with Phil. I have done martial arts for 20 years and started coaching it eight years ago when Phil was just 11. On the first day I stepped onto the mat as a coach he stepped on as a student. I have coached him since that day.

"I have watched him grow up from being a teenager to being a man, he worked his way through as a student and then became a coach himself. He has taken junior classes and adult classes as well, he was a massive part of the community and massive part of the gym. He is always cleaning the gym, he was at every competition, cornering fighters, he was always there in the corner.

"Phil was really one of a kind. He always had the greatest smile from ear to ear and could light up a room with it. He fully dedicated his life to martial arts and in recent years his passion was passing on his knowledge to the next generation in the most fun and loving way you could imagine.

"Phil was such a loving son and brother. Always going out his way for his family and making sure to spend quality time with them as much as he could. He was greatly loved in the whole combat sports community and he was very well known for how much of a talented fighter he was, but more importantly known for being a really genuine, nice person. Phil will be missed by many, and forever hold a special place in everyone’s hearts."