The son of daredevil billionaire Richard Branson had to be rescued by helicopter from the top of the Matterhorn after a death-defying adventure in the Swiss Alps went awry.
Sam Branson scaled the 14,692-foot-high peak Wednesday as part of the Virgin Strive fund-raising challenge, but he became disoriented as he started his descent.
His father, founder of the Virgin Group, witnessed the terrifying event.
“By the time Sam completed the challenge and reached the summit, he hardly knew where he was,” Richard Branson said on his website. “He had a blinding headache and could only briefly look up and take in the open blue sky.”
Richard Branson — who once crossed the Atlantic in a hot-air balloon — said his son was physically ill as the rest of his team huddled around until a rescue helicopter could arrive.
“I watched all of the drama unfold and felt totally helpless,” Branson said. “There was no way Sam would have made it back down the mountain on foot.”
Sam was resting at home after the failed descent, but as his father pointed out, the goal was achieved because the challenge was to get to the top of the Matterhorn.
“Nobody said anything about coming down again!” Branson said.