Woman climbs cliffs with toddler on back

LLANWRDA, Wales, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- A Welsh mother famous for climbing cliff faces with her toddler strapped to her back says safety is always on her mind.

Menna Pritchard, 26, of Llanwrda, whose blog about climbing has courted questions about the safety of her 2-year-old daughter, Ffion, during the climbs, said she has been scaling cliffs with the girl in tow since she was 4 months old, the Western Mail, Cardiff, Wales, reported Tuesday.

"I bought my first baby carrier when I was six months pregnant and Ffion's first summit was Pen y Fan in the Brecon Beacons when she was 4 months old. She slept through the whole thing. She was in a front carrier at that time and it really was incredibly safe. Safety is always paramount," Pritchard said.

"The thing that provoked the most controversy was a picture I had posted online of me rock climbing with Ffion on my back. I can appreciate if you didn't realize how safe the environment I was in, it could be worrying, but I was top-roping which means if you fall you don't fall any further than where you came off. It is the safest form of climbing you can do. I was also in a beach environment surrounded by experienced climbers," she said.