A French tourist probably slipped and hit his head on a rock as he tried to get off Cader Idris in bad weather, an inquest has heard.

Mathieu Pierre Jacques Dantigny, 30, an IT worker who had been staying at a B&B at Bala, was found dead on 4 October on Cader Idris.

Mountain rescue teams, search dogs, police and a coastguard helicopter had looked for the missing walker after the B&B owner raised the alarm and his car was found in a car park.

Graham O’Hanlon, of the Aberdyfi search team, told the Caernarfon inquest that Mr Dantigny was lightly-dressed and may have lost his footing and taken a tumbling fall.

Pathologist Dr Mark Lord said: “Death must have occurred extremely quickly.”

Coroner Dewi Pritchard Jones said the Frenchman parked his car on 1 October and the tragedy occurred that day. He wasn’t equipped for an overnight stay on the mountain and the weather wasn’t very pleasant.

“I believe he probably tried to get off the mountain but went across country,” the coroner remarked. He suffered a severe head injury in a fall.

A conclusion of death due to an accident was recorded.