A freak avalanche dashed climber Duncan Whichello's dream of conquering the highest mountain in the tropics in his latest expedition but already he is planning his next trip.

Mr Whichello, 34, of the Pippin, in Calne, had planned to spend a month in Peru climbing Huascaran, which is 22,208ft above sea level.

The mountain has an excellent safety record but days before he was due to start the ascent a large avalanche engulfed two American expeditions, killing 17 people.

Instead, Mr Whichello's expedition, organised by Jagged Globe, climbed the 19,000ft summit of Pisco, in Peru.

The group was due to climb three mountains but was only able to complete Pisco because of poor weather and avalanches.

To add to the misery, as soon as the group of Britons, Australians and Indians began the trek, Mr Whichello was struck with food poisoning and had to travel strapped to a horse for two days.

Mr Whichello, a driver at RAF Lyneham, said: "Getting food poisoning was probably the lowest point of the trip. If someone could have shot me I would have taken the bullet.

"Four other people had it but not as badly.

"Reaching the mountain's summit is the most exciting part of the trip.

"I really wanted to break the 20,000ft mark on this expedition but Huascaran was way too dangerous, the whole route was unstable and there was no way we could have attempted it."

Mr Whichello also had to cope with extreme temperatures, headaches and altitude sickness, which made all the climbers lethargic.

In 2000, Mr Whichello was trapped for eight hours in a landslide on the Swiss Alps during a blizzard.

He broke his arm but had to climb below the storm before he could be airlifted off the mountain with his companions and taken to hospital.

His wife Louisa said: "I get worried about him being out there but I know it's something he's got to do.

"It's worse when he's on one of his longer expeditions because I can't speak to him as much.

"I was very relieved when he e-mailed me, but he's had one accident so he should be alright for a while."

Mr Whichello said: "I saw some beautiful avalanches in Peru and so long as no one is being caught I can sit and enjoy watching them.

"I'm still out there climbing so the accident hasn't put me off, but there are times when I worry it could happen again.

"I realise these things happen and in the end it has made me more aware and a better mountaineer."

Mr Whichello's next project is the Matterhorn, in the Swiss Alps, which he has pencilled in for the summer of 2003.

He is going ice climbing in Chamonix in January but in 2004 he wants to go to the Himalayas, in Nepal.

"It would be nice to climb a virgin peak in the Himalayas and name it," he said.

"To be the first to climb a mountain that would be a dream come true."