British climber rescues himself, heads straight to the pub

A British climber earned legendary status earlier this week when he managed to not only drag himself down the mountain on a broken leg, but then elected to make his first stop at the local pub upon reaching civilization.

According to U.K. newspaper the Daily Mail, 44-year old Sean Moore was climbing on the 11,423 foot tall Mulhacen peak in Spain's Sierra Navada mountains on Sunday when he fell, breaking his leg in the process. He then spent the next two nights alone on the mountain, with high winds, sub-zero temperatures, and heavy snow falling around him, before he decided to hobble down the mountain on his broken leg. Upon reaching the town of Granada, he wandered into a local bar, where the patrons immediately alerted the local authorities.

Moore's wife had reported him missing on Sunday when he failed to return from Mulhacen, the tallest peak in mainland Spain. On Monday, search and rescue teams went to work on the mountain, but their efforts were hampered by the poor weather conditions. They began to fear the worst before the Brit turned up in the local pub.

At last report, Moore was still in the hospital in Granada, having been treated for exposure and recovering from surgery on his damaged leg. His injuries are described as non-life threatening however and he is said to be recovering nicely. There is no word on whether or not he had a drink in the pub while he waited for the ambulance.

Filed under: Climbing, Europe, Spain, United Kingdom