A CLIMBER who risked his life in an attempt to save his father and two friends trapped in a snowstorm was last night back home with his family.

Stephen Riddiough, 30, risked his own survival in an effort to get help after the climbers became stranded on Mount Mulhacen, in southern Spain, at the weekend.

Despite their efforts, rescuers arrived too late and the bodies of Colin Riddiough, 46, Paul Dick, 56, and John Plews, 32, all from east Cleveland, were discovered 24 hours later.

It is believed they died from hypothermia.

The Cleveland Potash mine at Boulby where Colin had worked for 16 years, funded the plane ticket to get Stephen back home to his family as quickly as possible.

He arrived in Teesside on Tuesday night.

Spokesman for the company, Chris Gibson, said Stephen was physically fine but devastated by the tragedy.

Early reports from the Spanish authorities claimed the group had ignored bad weather warnings and appeared to be ill-equipped.

But family and friends described Colin as a meticulous planner, experienced, and with the latest climbing equipment.

Officials leading the search told a local newspaper that although the group were well-equipped for the terrain, they had not been prepared for the severe change in weather, nor were they prepared for spending the night on the mountain.

Yesterday, an officer from the Spanish Civil Guard, which led the investigation, spoke of Stephen's bravery.

Sergeant Antonio Milan said: "He was very brave and did all he could to save them. The equipment necessary to survive in the conditions which developed would have to be similar to those you would carry for an Arctic expedition.

"They did not have the equipment for overnight temperatures. The snowstorm didn't allow visibility of more than a metre - just a whiteout and 20 degrees below zero."

Their bodies were recovered from Mount Mulhacen three days after the group had set out on an excursion up the mountain.

They were found in a snow hole 2km from the closest mountain refuge.

Stephen managed to reach the village of Capileira, where he told a shop assistant his father and friends were trapped.

The rescue team launched a search, which was called off at nightfall.

The next day, a helicopter spotted clothing sticking out from the snow.

It is understood the bodies of the three men are being kept in a morgue in Granada awaiting repatriation to Britain.