THE father of a climber hoping to become the first person with Cystic Fibrosis to scale Everest has spoken of his son’s lucky escape from the deadly avalanche.

County Durham born Nick Talbot was on a mission to raise £100,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust when the avalanche, triggered by Nepal’s worst earthquake in 80 years, swept through the Everest Base Camp on Saturday, April 25.

He was one of hundreds of Brits caught up in the earthquake, which has claimed the lives of more than 3,600 people so far.

At 7.50am this morning (Monday) the 39-year-old tweeted: “Tough 48 hours after earthquake tsunami of snow, rock and ice hit base camp. Bruised, battered and lucky to be here. Thanks for all the kind messages.”

Hartlepool climber Ellis Stewart, 41, also survived the disaster. Today, his wife, Tamara, confirmed the father-of-two was safe and well.

Helen Pounder from Spring Gardens, near West Auckland, County Durham, who was travelling in Nepal, has also contacted her family to tell them she is unharmed.

The 21-year-old’s name had appeared on a missing persons list compiled by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to the Red Cross more than 90 British and Irish people remain missing.

Mr Talbot’s father, Keith, from Kentmere in Cumbria, knows the anguish their families are experiencing all too well.

The Talbot family had an agonising wait for news from Nick, who grew up near Hamsterley Forest and attended Barnard Castle School.

“We heard of the earthquake and avalanche soon after it happened and it was a matter of hours before we had confirmation he was okay,” said Keith, 66. “You can’t help but think the worst.”

Nick was a few weeks into a two-month charity expedition to the summit when the avalanche overwhelmed the Pumori Advanced Base Camp.

Keith, who has spoken to his son twice since the disaster, said: “He was in base camp in his tent. It was a very calm morning but then he heard a noise that was like thunder. He ran out and saw a wall of snow and ice coming towards him. Obviously he ran away but there was no chance of getting away from it.”

Dressed only in light clothing and socks, Nick was knocked to the ground and covered in snow, which threatened to suffocate him.

Luckily, he managed to free himself and find temporary shelter until the avalanche passed.

“I don’t know how long it lasted but it must have felt like a long time,” said Keith. “He looked around and saw a lot of the tents had been swept away. He was starting to get hypothermic but managed to find a coat and a group with a tent so he took shelter with them.”

Keith added: “He is extremely determined. To have Cystic Fibrosis and to attempt to climb Everest you have to be determined.”

Nick, who lives in London and works for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, suffered cracked ribs and was badly bruised.

On Sunday (April 26), he was taken by helicopter to Kathmandu, where he received treatment and was able to borrow a phone to contact his family.

Tragically, Nick’s American team-mate Daniel Fredinburg was killed in the disaster and several other team members were injured.