I know, look how hard it was for him to stop himself just from the descending slope of the ridge and with almost zero momentum... Going over either side would be fatal. It's actually surprising they arent clipped onto a line. That snow looks terribly slushy and slippery.
Just shows how insanely dangerous it is that a small stumble like that could kill you. Guy barely lost his footing for a second and almost went over the side
I understand why people think that it's amazing how he was so calm while in a dangerous situation. But that's how you have to handle it. When you panic, you die.
I've gone down and back up the Arete myself when I climbed around the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc, and I can tell you that's one scary place place to be, particularly if you lose your footing like this chap did. It slopes away on either side very steeply, and it's a long way down if you fall. Thank god he managed to act quickly and dig his ice axe in, could well have ended in disaster.
Anyone who grew up in heavy snowfall area's that have temps dropping in the negatives knows this... My old house had one of those lopsided type properties, mind you a ski mountain was about 6-7 mins away from my neighborhood so we all lived basically on a hill my old area. I was just a middle school student at the time of this. Early morning, catching the bus, while walking down my vertical driveway, if it became icy, that's when you could tell my families property was a bit lopsided. I mean you would have to be on a bike riding up the driveway to feel the true difference. That said when it became icy, you can easily slide down which happened to me. Mind you there's big snow piles so nobody saw me sliding down until I literally slid into the street and ended up 3-4 feet from going under the bus. I couldn't get a grip and all I remember was trying hard to dig my feet in. Lol this again was basically on a flat land.. I can only imagine a more vertical would have sent me.flying into the buses tires that morning.
Yes fast reaction stopped him. If he did not stop himself in going down. He would go further and so he propably could anymore stop himself sliding and so I think he would slide in the right side, that looks better to slide in, than sliding in the left side. Yes this all started, when he just talking and one leg miss step caused it slide through the snow and so his body fell into sliding mode also, so you should be always careful there. Sliding into left side of the mountain I think you cant survive and sliding into right side of mountain you maybe can survive, if it will countinue to not go that deeply down.
I had read all the previous comments , and they were terrifying.....and now this one...hahaha !....to break the ice (so to speak)......a perfect way to leave this post in a good mood....thank you
@@thomaskarvunidis8014 Seen very correctly! If it had been hard snow, he would have rushed down. Apparently he has stood with his right foot on his left foot and hooked his point there.
just bad all around, not having his one axe tied either, he almost let go when he first slipped, almost gg, something as simple as a wrist strap can be the difference between life and death, many have slipped leaving their ice axe in place, he was lucky.
Went snowboarding near Austria a few weeks ago and can attest to how terrifying it is to slide even milliseconds in a direction you don't want to when you are not trying to. It takes literally next to no time to build up speed and momentum and the longer it goes on the harder it is to stop. This is nightmare fuel for me but at least he stayed calm and regained his stability.
Just out of curiosity, where exactly where you? I am Austrian. So when you say "near" Austria, do you mean actually IN Austria? Near Austria could also mean Italy? France? I find the expression funny. Like I'd say I was on holiday near the US :)
@@MW-xx4cc - Was thinking the same thing when I read that. I'm not from Austria, but depending on Quran's personal definition of "near", it might even be my home here in Australia 🙂
Did this in the early eighties in winter. Can entirely relate to this. There was a rope, but only halfway. Absolutely terrifying. Walking in ski boots, skis slung over my shoulders, I had two Swiss army soldiers behind me. I thought I was making a fool of myself taking baby steps with the rope gone. Until I looked back and saw they were both sitting, sliding their way down. I'll never forget that day, that paralyzing fear, and then the fabulous descent on the glacier to Chamonix.
Still better than a rope which fails on you. Basically, you do not know the state of any rope you have not installed, thus, you should not use such ropes.
@@bodefishing8773 - Not usually Bode. Generally during the ski season this ridge is VERY carefully walked down - while holding your skis or having them strapped to your back-pack - and sometimes even roped to your guide (if you are with one). The classic and relatively mild "Vallee Blanche" glacier run down to Chamonix starts at the end of this precarious walk and thousands do it every season. (But if the conditions are extremely favorable, a very small number of people do ski/ride that part shown in the video and to the viewer's left down nearly 3000 vertical meters to Chamonix. If interested, look up Mallory Route or The Eugster Couloir.
@Lee Morris With any extreme sport or even simple nature walks, who cares if you look ridiculous, a fool or not cool with what you are doing. (Walking baby steps.) One must always know one's limit and always keep safe because so many fatal accidents always result from one small mistake. It's hard when there are douchebags who will laugh at you for looking like a fool or coward, but they are not you. You don't have the same body. Also, who cares. You won't usually see them again. Plus, many people realize the dangers when videos like these are posted and experienced people and experts post their comments.
dude did this about as fast or faster than most people practicing to do it in controlled environments (intentional slip, safe bottom). Given the immense risk and probable fatigue this is a very impressive save, with a bit of luck thrown in to keep him sliding straight
0:40 A very clumsy and reckless individual, the way he turned back to talk (not focused) and even later leaving momentarily the ice axe (that had just saved his life) to adjust his laces. Not a safe climbing partner.
The camera has a way of making terrain look way tamer than it actually is.....and this still looked insanely steep. Dude has nerves of steel and handled that like it was no big deal, as if he wasn't about to fall off of the edge of the world.
@@dong6839 width and angle are two different things. When they set the camera angle at 170 degrees and make sure that beam is at the edge of the field of view, it makes it look narrower. What you're saying is true, but terrain near the center of the field of view tend to look much less steep than they actually are. The "gopro effect" is a real thing.
I did this passage when I was 15 and I wasn't breathing so well while looking down on this gigant slide My father told me, as we were linked by a rope, if one of us is falling on one side, the other one has to jump on the other side. Best way to handle the situation, if you don't have the strenght of a bull, of course.
reminds me of painting a steep roof with my old man when I was earning some extra cash in high school in 1996. We got up there, he had tied a rope around his waist, threw me the other end and told me to go paint the other side 😂
This happened to me on a similarly sloped mountain in Colorado. We didn't expect snow to be on the mountain in July and it completely covered the only path down the mountain. A storm was coming, I'm talking lighting that we could hear and see quickly approaching, so we had to make the crossing immediately. All I had on me was hiking shoes, a 30 pound pack, no spikes, no helmet, no axe, no gloves. The snow had had its surface melted from sunlight during the day, which led to about an inch or two of loose ice on its surface. Got about 10 feet across the trail and completely lost my grip and started sliding essentially as fast as gravity would allow at that angle. Probably got going 15-20 mph before I punched my hands into praying I would slow down and didn't roll down the entire slope and break my legs or slam my head against a rock. Even if I had only broken my legs, we were about 10 miles from the entrance to the trail and 20+ miles from the nearest hospital, with no supplies to deal with that type of wound. My rate of descent didn't slow much and my hands were getting obliterated by the ice, but it was the only thing I could think of, so I just plunged them deeper. I eventually slowed to an unstable stop about 30 or so feet down from where I started slipping. Just sat there for a while taking in what happened and holding on as tight as I could, my hands were completely raw, the surface skin had been stripped down and they were so so cold. Spent the next 10 minutes slowly making my way back up, repeatedly slipping back down several feet. We eventually got off the snow and I basically couldn't talk for about half an hour. My hands have never hurt like that before and I don't believe I have ever been that close to death. Imagine trying to get a grip on a surface that just has no traction and isn't solid while basically in free fall. The craziest part is, there was someone who was a day ahead of us doing the same multi-day path solo. When we got to the snow, we noticed a trail going 40 or so feet straight down, and an accompanying set of angled footsteps back up with repeated smaller slides. That person probably thought he was going to end up bleeding out at the bottom of a valley alone, at least I had people with me who may have been able to help.
wow what a story! i am glad it all turn down to be ok for you! I hope the other person would have been ok too, this type of adventures really push us but we are dealing with big things sometimes being experienced or not could not make much of a difference in these very extreme situations! I hope u can recall this story as a big scary and adrenaline moment and not a very traumatic situation!
Just look at how much falling acceleration he got in that one second without the ice axe stuck in the snow. A brave move to hit that snow again to improve handling, without it he will likely start gaining momentum with no chance of stopping.
This reminds me of the anecdote my history teacher liked to tell us: On their way back from the punic wars, Hannibals men underestimated the dangers of steep mountains and thought they could make it easier by sliding down the mountains. Many men were lost during that foolery.
@@wcavalier3 read my comment again. I was just relaying an anecdote my history teacher told us. I never stated it as a fact. But thanks for being unnecessarily rude and condescending 🙄
I can never get over these amazing people who can generally walk across/down or up steep mountainous areas. I did it recently on Crib Goch but never again. These people make it look easy. They have a head for heights, an amazing centre of balance, great core strength and a healthy respect for mountains. Unfortunately, even they can slip and fall sometimes, it's just the nature of the environment. I'm so glad this young man is safe. Well done 👏
I did Crib Goch too! My only time ever going to the UK. What an unbelievable place. I understand Snowdonia is well known in the UK, but it, and Wales in general, is sorely underappreciated outside the country
Youre right a stern face was of prevented him from slipping and after the 2metre slide he should of been so stern and upset just like his mother died. Grow up. Nothing happened. If that video worries you, you shouldnt climb.
@@Chris-pq3wp I would argue some of the best alpinists can be very cavalier. Your mistake is tarnishing his reaction with the fact he wasnt concentrating.
@@donalddarko3676 if you've climbed you appreciate the catastrophic consequences of being incompetent in a dangerous place. Climbing is not about bravery, it's about skill.
I had the same, same place, 2006! 14 days later two mountaineers died there using a rope to be "safe". On the left hand there is absolutely no change to stop a fall using that ice pick using that technique, you need a good ice tool or you learn to fly next 1000 hm. You had already seem these ice climbers from within the ropeway, so no surprise about step ice. I remember, I canceled my vacation and drove home. It was really enough for me. (Sorry for my english)
I've experienced this when i was trekking on a fort, and it really looks like it's nothing, but it's terrifying tbh, man was really quick and acted accordingly.
I was there a long time ago, it is really amazing. I did it in summer on a super clear day. Once you get to the end of the ridge you walk across the vallée blanche all the way to Italy with the Mont Blanc to your right and then come back with the cable car. The day we were there a bunch of tourist had ventured on the ridge with no equipment and regular shoes, after about 20 or 30 meters they had stopped and realised they were in terrible danger and didn't dare walking back. We had to walk them back one by one and nobody was hurt. Anybody can go there and nobody controlled anything. You just take the telepheric to the Pic du Midi from Chamonix and you get off near the edge of the ridge. On the left the ridge goes all the way down to Chamonix it is really very very steep and and far. The other side stops after a few hundred meters on the vallée Blanche. I will never forget that day.
It just goes to demonstrate that a loss of concentration on foot placement can cause a disaster. His mistake was simple, he trod on his own foot instead of the snow, and that caused him to lose his balance - mainly because of his pack-weight, but triggered by his mistake. His calmness saved him, with a panic reaction, he would likely not have stopped the slide. Lessons learned, I hope. At least he’s alive to learn these lessons.
@@Tobsen660 Watch again. You'll see he hits his left leg with his right crampon. Could have had a bad fall or perhaps a crampon injury with some nasty bleeding.
This can easily happen to the most experienced. The thing about it is you can tell he is experienced because he didnt panic and he fell back on his knowledge of what to do and remained as calm as one could be given the circumstance and dug his axe in. All ittakes is one misstep and its over, but that is half the adventure and rush about it. Glad he lived to see another day.
@@Niggleblade1986 No man, you are missing way more life. He probably lives more in 2 weeks than you have all your years. There is a difference between living and existing, this guy is living you are merely existing.
You're right, but also, you cannot blame him for losing concentration given that you have to stay concentrated for hours and hours on end (which is incredibly difficult).
I know from my years of experience climbing 5 feet up trees and playing on playgrounds as a kid, that u do not look behind you when doing this stuff. It's super disorienting.
That snow looks absolutely dreadful. I've had such slushy snow once, maybe twice on all of my climbs and it usually coincided with incomplete refreezing overnight or a late start/summit and warmer afternoon conditions. Snow like that is slick, slippery, dangerous when it propagates and a pain to kick steps in. Great job on the arrest, stay safe.
Propagates is probably the worst word to use here…I feel like your trying to show your vocabulary but the primary definition is for breeding spreading you seed…the second is to spread out….so idk why you choose that other than trying to flex
Heart stopping. Reminds me of my one and only time of nearest near death equivalent escape on the slopes of Glencoe. Started to slide. Ice axe went down, bit in but then bounced up and out (hit hard ice or rock?) and then nearly jumped out of my grasp (strap wasn't around my wrist) as I started to pick up speed. Just managed to catch it. Grasped tight and pushed back into the snow/ice pak. It still then took what felt like an eternity to stop. I could see the rocks below coming up fast. If the ice axes had left my grip I don't think I'd be writing this 25 years on. remember kids get that strap around your wrist - and don't let go!!!!
If you want to see what would happen if he'd slip, search for a video of a man falling from K2. The speed the body falls and tumbles is way over 100 kph. It's a certain death with all the bones in the body broken.
the "nice" thing about snow is that it gets as slippery as ice after only a couple of seconds of sliding and a bit of speed . it's self-lubricating . so , just stick the metal in swiftly deep and firmly . do not wait . the sliding feeling is fun , way less funnier when you realise you've lost all friction and you're just speeding up .
During the winter season, this ridge has a nicely carved out path with snow walls on both sides and with ropes to hold on to the whole way down. I’ve done it many times in ski boots, the first time when I was 7 years old in 1985. It’s clearly a different experience in the summer, with mostly ice and nothing to hold on to. Glad he caught himself.
@@TheTruthKiwi everything looks dangerous with enough snow. It's pretty much impossible to fall when there's just plain rock, without any snow and with some decent equipment, ropes or chains and plenty of awareness.
I am very happy to see that he managed to arrest the fall, despite the few technical mishaps - mainly the ice axe strap should be around his hand. If the axe got stuck and he would lose grip then he would have nothing to self arrest with, that at least is how they teach it to mountain instructors.
Glad to see another in favor of leashes. The last few trips I guided the gear rental place refused to include them over fears of renters being impaled by the axe or having a shoulder pulled out of socket. We ended up improvising. Although I'm sure people have been impaled, I've never seen it or heard anyone I know who has run into it. But when I was learning to climb and before I had learned a good cowboy walk, I twice dropped my axe on descent. I hooked my points on each other and opened my hands to brace for the impact. If I didn't have a leash, I was in for several thousand feet of pounding on each occasion. On my very first climb, I watched a guy lose his ice axe while glissading down hard pack in 5 deg conditions. He stopped 2000 feet below after rag dolling 4-6 feet in the air on the way down. Son of a bitch got up and walked away after that but he was lucky. You just never want to lose your axe.
And holding the axe back to front, and not wearing the helmet. Luckily made up for it with quick reactions but wouldn't have been possible in colder conditions.
One of the reasons why he slipped is because there's so many climbers on Mt Blanc the snow becomes heavy and sticky on the route. It's like mashed potatoes.
Looks like he was tired and only realized his tripping a bit too late when he started accelerating in the descent. Good thing he had that axe... Its litterally a trophy of his life.
This happened to me a long time ago on the Gross Glockner in Austria.The snow was just sticky enough to create large clumps in my crampons, but also soft enough that a self arrest did not work. I had to roll over vertically to the side twice to stop.
@@yezariaelll no offense, but did he stop? He did. What were the several mistakes he made? I'm just curious as your comment is kind of douchey, not gonna lie
@@jkorkea Fair enough. I don't think its a douchy thing to say, but I arguably also didn't spend more time on explaining my comment. However, its about safety in mountains, so lets discuss (and go fact check what I say as well with the information of your alpine club/association). Yes, he did arrest himself, but my comment didn't argue about whether he did or not, but about how well/efficient it was. This is also not about how well I'd do myself, but a hopefully objective look at the situation. He was lucky he stumbled onto the flat area in the mushy snow...to the side, on the steep slope, this might not have worked if he got more momentum -- but that is pure hypothesizing, so lets disregard that.. I'll try to summarize what I saw as mistakes and/or problematic with what we actually saw. Yes, I wasn't there and sometimes one strays from the "guidelines" given the situation, but I am happy to hear other reasoning -- in the end, we all don't wanna die in the mountains. 0. The zero-th "mistake" was to become inattentive/distracted in a spot you shouldn't. He stumbles because he steps on his own foot (0:27). I have been this careless and dumb myself before, and also lucky that it happened to be in a spot, that allowed me to recover from it quickly. Still a mistake, but not regarding he self-arrest ofc. 1. Generally, one should hold the ice axe such that the adze faces in the direction of walking. In the case of falling, one naturally rotates the axe such that the other hand can grasp the lower shaft part and then pick faces downwards to the snow. In the slushy conditions it might not have mattered, but arresting with the adze might not work so well. Also I dont wanna fall onto the pick. Even if holding it differently can work, you can see around 0:30, he arrests with Adze. 2. Especially on steeper terrain, if you are already speeding up, I was at least taught to lift my feet if I'm wearing crampons and put pressure on the knees. If you got some momentum and the crampons catch on ice or rock, say good bye to the health of your lower leg(s). And if you are even more unfortunate you maybe even go into a 'tumble'. 3. Its a shitty spot and I def. won't claim its easy to arrest on the ridge, but lying sideways on your hip, with stretched out legs is not a great position. Lots of weight on your hips and chest, which will slide and not help self-arrest. Normally you want as much weight on the pick and the rest on the tip of your feet (if no crampons) or knees. Similarly, if no ice axe is present, a push-up position will work (although painful, as my bleeding hands can report). 4. For the longest part of the self-arrest (and that might be an affect by the camera angle), he had his arms mostly stretched. (again body flat against ground). You want to pull in the ice axe below the chest if possible, putting on as much weight as possible. Of course, it gets difficult if the pick would stab you..... 5. Hard to call it a "mistake", but he seemed "to wait" a bit to see if he would stop by himself. He only starts attempting a proper self-arrest after 0:30. Yes, depending on how you fall (head first, onto back etc) it can take time to reposition, but he was ...not really doing much regarding repositioning for the first few seconds , say what you want. In dangerous conditions I think every second can count and this should be a well-trained procedure that comes out as reflex. 6. (Maybe not a mistake, but looks a bit uncoordinated) At ~0:35 he tries to gets up and temporarily dislodges the ice pick before getting himself properly stable and about to slip again. I am sure one can also discuss other things like how he nearly lost his grip on the axe etc.. Was it a total bad reaction? No. Was it great performance? Sorry, but no.
@@yezariaelll that's all a totally fair and balanced comment. I've never had to do this myself but even to my untrained eye I could spot several of the issues you mentioned, based on my limited experience training to use an ice axe. Most important thing is that he arrested, but as you say with the poor technique he needed a fair bit of luck for it to work.
Badass! He never left the pick out of the snow! Good moves! He actually look down to make sure he was sliding straight too! He has some body kinesthetics!
There's 1000m only mountains which are more dangerous than Everest, not because of the mountain itself but because people always underestimate these small mountains such as Snowdon and come without any gear or knowledge and think it's a walk in the park until they slip off a convex in winter with no way of self arresting without a ice axe leading to several deaths every year
@@thwalesproductions I think people underestimate Mountains even if they know the amount of dead bodies on them. What makes the difference is actually seeing the bodies yourself irl rather than some written trivia on a random website or in a video. I think just seeing one fully geared up dead body is enough for people to actually realise how dangerous it is. In my local forest, i once saw the relatively fresh remains of a deer that fell off a 73 meter cliff. It wasnt a nice thing to look at to say the least. Standing at the bottom of the cliff looking up was breathtaking tho.
My wife is trying to figure out why I randomly started yelling self arrest, self arrest, self arrest. Jesus Christ I need a drink now. So glad he's ok.
that slushy shit looks pretty scary actually, and he looked like he was carrying a lot of weight. def better to be light for balance. and to everyone commenting that the axe was the wrong way, if its's frigging slush and soft then you might have better luck arresting with the adze than with the pick
@@chrisbeebe4326 i haven't. it would depend on density and layering. i think in very specific conditions the adze would work better for arresting, probably better to stick with the pick unless you actually test it and it's so soft and loose the the pick doesn't get any purchase at full depth
Climbing that pyramid near the summit I was glad I was roped up. You’re literally walking on a knife edge. This guy fell and stayed on the edge, if he went left or right he was gone, not even proper axe arrest could stop it.
I've been halfway down in snowboard boot which was never ideal and remember some skier had slipped and was saved by clinging to the rope while everyone around him frantically managed to pull him back from doing a straight line down the malory. He managed to keep hold of his ski's and seemed just as important as surviving
@Artemio Medina The malory a 50 degree + ski run with at least 2 abseil in a no fall zone that runs under the tramline. Photos and video don't do it justice. In winter they place ropes on either side of the arete in case skiers slip on the way down as most don't have crampons or an axe.
Great sense of presence whilst looking at the camera too? If he was actually paying attention to where he was going he wouldn't have needed to have an "absolutely incredible sense of presence" The only thing we see here is an idiot almost throwing his life away. And then barely saving it. Nothing amazing about it. But I guess I'm alone in that opinion looking at the replies.
It was a foolish mistake on wet melted snow in the afternoon that was cooked by sun. His reaction was fine, but anyone climbing off rope on steep snow should expect to react similarly.
Right?! I'm glad it worked but he was holding his axe backwards and he only used his arms; he's lucky, if that was harder snow he might not have got back up.
That was nearly game over. Nice save. I once had a similar situation when I walked over the rockery in my garden, slipped and nearly tumbled off the edge, but with guile and fortitude I grabbed the garden shed and saved myself. Truth
Man, this climber is so much NOT supposed to be at Aiguille du Midi that it's a surprise he got to that point. Helmet on the backpack - really? Why bother carrying it if you don't use it? Better leave it at the cable car HQ for safety. You are supposed to have your ice axe with a harness around your hand's joint and that's definitely NOT how an arrest stop should be performed. But the greatest part for me is when at 0:43 he literally challenges his luck when releasing the ice axe from his hand for a couple of seconds. I just hope he doesn't keep doing that in his next expedition, probability says his chances are not going to increase as time passes.
Scary to think you could stop and exchange some casual words in passing with a smiling individual and then a step later he could have been sliding off the side of a mountain. Thank goodness he acted quickly and his ice axe was able to find something to hook into.
He obviously has much experience. Look at how calm and decisive he acts since he slipped. He punched the hell out of that snowy slope to manage to get a grip.
Good axe work & calm response. I remember that section well. Ignore the 'the perfect brigade' who would not have made such a slip. If you've lived these conditions then from time to time this happens to you on some mountain somewhere.
Other than being professional climbers, I heard that your senses, reflexes and inputs are increased when doing extreme climbs especially with minimal gear, not surprised to see them so relaxed in that situation when it's definitely needed for survival
Zdeněk Vach "poor technique..." but looks like the snow here is old and soft, I was taught that it can sometimes be better to arrest using adze in such conditions, not pick. So, carry your axe as you expect to have to use it.
That feeling. The feeling of your adrenal gland just spitting out every bit of adrenaline it has in 0.1 seconds as you nearly die. Then 2 seconds later you're definitely not dead and all you can do is sit down and reflect. It's weirdly addictive.
Returning from where? That's the path that leads to Mont Blanc, there's mountain cabins on the way, they're not doing Aiguille du Midi - Mont Blanc and back in the same day, lol. And I don't remember seeing many people climbing from Mont Blanc to Aiguille du Midi to descent the cable car :/ But that doesn't mean it's not possible or some climbers actually do it.
@@trumpemendous2330 what i was saying is that in the morning you will find an hard snow, but in the afternoon on the way back the snow will be shitty like this
I don’t know why people think the title is inaccurate. Do they not _see_ the drop on either side of him? How far down do y’all think he’d tumble and flip uncontrollably before he finds a cliff face to finish him off?
Pretty damn close considering the momentum he gained, and not using the axe correctly (he did not have any choice as he was totally unprepared to correct his own mistake the proper way). Count your blessings sir. Eye. Needle. Pure luck.
Indeed, he should certainly have gripped the axe in such a way as to be able to bring the pick quickly to bear if the need for self-arrest arose. He should have gripped the axe adze forward; on the descent there is no reason not to. In case it needs to be said (this is UA-cam), anyone who would trivialize that choice hasn't done much mountaineering.
During one of my alpine courses one of the Austrian mountain guides warned against using a wrist strap, because it is very difficult to try and get a hold on your axe when you are sliding and it starts bumping around, which risks you getting hit by your own axe.
Apparently most accidents happen on the way down. That was well recovered.. I’ve been skiing (nothing dangerous but still a confident skier) and the slightest skid or nudge in an unwanted direction does throw you off mentally and physically if that makes sense!
no doubt. Think about it: EVERY step is coming down harder on the way down....than up. Same thing with ladders....the "fall" usually happens when you lazily "plop" your foot down on the ladder....and it slips. You (had) all your weight on the foot that slipped...so you're screwed. LOL
Was there about 12 years ago on a cold sunny day with a long queue hiking down to the bottom. One lad still at the top skied down to the left slope, carved round and traversed down to start of Valley Blanche.
All his movements and reactions showed precise and repeated training in close pendant breaking. Actually, the walking axe he's holding is specifically designed to make such an action possible.
@@blob2092 slopes are very steep, if you don't immediatly stop basically you will gain a lot of speed until you meet some rocks, cliff, or crevaces of any kind
From experience: things never work out in a real situation quite as they should have been done in theory. We all make mistakes, all the time. Do whatever as long as you survive, you did well. But yeah, here he made his step not perpendicular to the surface (full foot contact), and instead it was under an angle, so the crampons didn't catch properly. And then he used the wrong side of the ice axe to arrest himself. Glad he is alive and manged to stop the fall nevertheless.
Why is that the wrong side? I'd have figured, that in deep snow the wide part would offer more traction than the thin side? (No experience, so excuse my ignorance, it's curiosity)
@@mcbrite the wider part is only maybe 3-4 inches long and is smooth, for cutting steps. The "thin" side is much longer and has teeth to dig in a grip on snow/ice.
Well yes lol. Definitely not for everyone, but I’m a bit Hemingway….. I think the mountains are one of the few places left where we can truly feel alive. And I don’t mean that in a morbid or dumb-extreme-sports-nutter way.
thats almost face with it,the real feeling would be if he just continue to go and tryed and coudnt do nothing but feel all of it ,thats when you faced with death for real,this was like a reminder dont smile too much in this dangerous position
this guy was very tired with weakend legs, watch his right ankle shortly before he falls. this happens when body and mind are exhausted. the descent is most dangerous.
It was an average reaction to a common event. He was not focusing on step placement and had lost his rhythm with the interruption. Every step placement is important.
I slipped and fell twice going down Avalanche Peak in NZ. Both times I was feet away from a long drop. The difference between death and “oh I had a little slip up there” is … not much at all.
That reminds me of the time I almost fall to death while descending from the Cayambe volcano, in Ecuador. Although it was not on the glacier, I didn't notice that the on path I was descending through there were a large plain rock covered on dust until I started to drift without control... Fortunately I was able to pick up a rock and used it as an anchor before it was too late... It was quite an experience, thanks God I'm able to tell 🙏
Wow, it reminds me when I was ~10, it wasnt a really high mountain but it was still high and steep and with a lot of sand and dust where you could slip and fall. Then I stepped and slipped and started rolling downhill. Fortunately there was a big rock a few meters ahead that stopped me from rolling further down. I've never been that careless since then in the mountains.
When he does his self-arrest notice the pick is pointed up towards his face while he plants the adze in the snow. That's what happens when you hold the axe with the pick pointed forward. It should be the other way around. If he had been on hardpack snow or ice self-arrest would have failed because the axe is the wrong way around. I see this error all the time on Rainier. Anyway, glad it turned out well.
Anyone who thinks that's not nearly falling to your death doesn't understand how steep those slopes actually are.
Yes, on a video it is hard to understand the steepness
I know, look how hard it was for him to stop himself just from the descending slope of the ridge and with almost zero momentum... Going over either side would be fatal. It's actually surprising they arent clipped onto a line. That snow looks terribly slushy and slippery.
Look at the wing suit flight and Aiguille du midi together a clear idea...i have been there, this is horrifying to me.
To get a clear idea,.. sorry
I can see how steep each side is. You go off either side, you're not stopping.
It's comforting to know that I'll never be in this situation.
Send me your address 😊
This is so funny to me because true that, these videos are enough sometimes
Totally
Unless you’re kidnapped by an evil deranged mountaineer who hauls you up there in order to demand a ransom for you muahahaahahahaa!
100%
Just shows how insanely dangerous it is that a small stumble like that could kill you. Guy barely lost his footing for a second and almost went over the side
I'd guess don't get distracted by a stop and chat while passing someone either
His crampon malfunctioned/slipped off
I understand why people think that it's amazing how he was so calm while in a dangerous situation. But that's how you have to handle it. When you panic, you die.
His panic saved him actually.
He didn't panic? Check his heart rate.
There's also the fact that people who put themselves in dangerous situations willingly like this tend to be more calm under pressure.
Im sure he panicked about the time he slammed that pick into the snow hoping it would stop him
@@SimplyHuman186 if he had not kept his cool he may have very well died that day
I've gone down and back up the Arete myself when I climbed around the Aiguille du Midi and Mont Blanc, and I can tell you that's one scary place place to be, particularly if you lose your footing like this chap did. It slopes away on either side very steeply, and it's a long way down if you fall. Thank god he managed to act quickly and dig his ice axe in, could well have ended in disaster.
Anyone who grew up in heavy snowfall area's that have temps dropping in the negatives knows this... My old house had one of those lopsided type properties, mind you a ski mountain was about 6-7 mins away from my neighborhood so we all lived basically on a hill my old area.
I was just a middle school student at the time of this. Early morning, catching the bus, while walking down my vertical driveway, if it became icy, that's when you could tell my families property was a bit lopsided. I mean you would have to be on a bike riding up the driveway to feel the true difference. That said when it became icy, you can easily slide down which happened to me. Mind you there's big snow piles so nobody saw me sliding down until I literally slid into the street and ended up 3-4 feet from going under the bus. I couldn't get a grip and all I remember was trying hard to dig my feet in. Lol this again was basically on a flat land.. I can only imagine a more vertical would have sent me.flying into the buses tires that morning.
Yes fast reaction stopped him. If he did not stop himself in going down. He would go further and so he propably could anymore stop himself sliding and so I think he would slide in the right side, that looks better to slide in, than sliding in the left side. Yes this all started, when he just talking and one leg miss step caused it slide through the snow and so his body fell into sliding mode also, so you should be always careful there. Sliding into left side of the mountain I think you cant survive and sliding into right side of mountain you maybe can survive, if it will countinue to not go that deeply down.
This made the video even scarier than it already is for me. Thank goodness he's alright.
The film shows that 🤡
Literally could’ve typed the same thing just by seeing this video😭😭 Not saying ur lying but I didn’t gain anything from this😂
Judging from my parents stories, this is the trail they had to take to get the school in the winter when they were children.
Yes, Don, it was. Your mother and I were always so careful.
I had read all the previous comments , and they were terrifying.....and now this one...hahaha !....to break the ice (so to speak)......a perfect way to leave this post in a good mood....thank you
mine had to do it barefoot as well
Sometimes I think every single parent around the world is almost same ...............
especially when it comes to their life struggle stories 😅
Except it was uphill both ways.
What a save by his ice axe. Quick reflexes saved him from a serious crampon accident. So glad he’s alright💪
He would have been fallen several 100m to death.
...but with wrong side of his ice-axe... That's why you shoud always hold it with its sharp tip facing backwards...;o)
@@thomaskarvunidis8014 Seen very correctly! If it had been hard snow, he would have rushed down. Apparently he has stood with his right foot on his left foot and hooked his point there.
just bad all around, not having his one axe tied either, he almost let go when he first slipped, almost gg, something as simple as a wrist strap can be the difference between life and death, many have slipped leaving their ice axe in place, he was lucky.
this is a man who slipped from mount fuji in japan :s :s
ua-cam.com/video/CoUJ7mLGFzA/v-deo.html
Went snowboarding near Austria a few weeks ago and can attest to how terrifying it is to slide even milliseconds in a direction you don't want to when you are not trying to. It takes literally next to no time to build up speed and momentum and the longer it goes on the harder it is to stop. This is nightmare fuel for me but at least he stayed calm and regained his stability.
Just out of curiosity, where exactly where you? I am Austrian. So when you say "near" Austria, do you mean actually IN Austria? Near Austria could also mean Italy? France? I find the expression funny. Like I'd say I was on holiday near the US :)
@@MW-xx4cc - Was thinking the same thing when I read that. I'm not from Austria, but depending on Quran's personal definition of "near", it might even be my home here in Australia 🙂
@bart solari bro your broken english mixed with your native language is fucking hilarious
maybe he's trying to say that if he started sliding he would slide all the way to Austria and it would be dangerous cos its far and vertical
you're comparing this to a snowboard slide ? Might as well compare it to doing the dishes
A perfect example of how quickly/easily a slip can turn into a fall. Nice arrest, fast thinking and likely some training saved his life.
Did this in the early eighties in winter. Can entirely relate to this. There was a rope, but only halfway. Absolutely terrifying. Walking in ski boots, skis slung over my shoulders, I had two Swiss army soldiers behind me. I thought I was making a fool of myself taking baby steps with the rope gone. Until I looked back and saw they were both sitting, sliding their way down. I'll never forget that day, that paralyzing fear, and then the fabulous descent on the glacier to Chamonix.
Still better than a rope which fails on you. Basically, you do not know the state of any rope you have not installed, thus, you should not use such ropes.
You ski the part that was shown in the video?
@@bodefishing8773 - Not usually Bode. Generally during the ski season this ridge is VERY carefully walked down - while holding your skis or having them strapped to your back-pack - and sometimes even roped to your guide (if you are with one). The classic and relatively mild "Vallee Blanche" glacier run down to Chamonix starts at the end of this precarious walk and thousands do it every season. (But if the conditions are extremely favorable, a very small number of people do ski/ride that part shown in the video and to the viewer's left down nearly 3000 vertical meters to Chamonix. If interested, look up Mallory Route or The Eugster Couloir.
Glad you’re here to tell us about it
@Lee Morris With any extreme sport or even simple nature walks, who cares if you look ridiculous, a fool or not cool with what you are doing. (Walking baby steps.) One must always know one's limit and always keep safe because so many fatal accidents always result from one small mistake. It's hard when there are douchebags who will laugh at you for looking like a fool or coward, but they are not you. You don't have the same body. Also, who cares. You won't usually see them again. Plus, many people realize the dangers when videos like these are posted and experienced people and experts post their comments.
dude did this about as fast or faster than most people practicing to do it in controlled environments (intentional slip, safe bottom). Given the immense risk and probable fatigue this is a very impressive save, with a bit of luck thrown in to keep him sliding straight
It seems he even managed with his left leg to put weight away and counter balanced. Very good reflex too. Hugs mountain bunnies..enjoy and stay safe.
That quick shot of adrenaline is also helpful in such situations.
Unlikely any fatigue, he's ~100m from the cable car station.
Exactly! Hes literally walked through the tunnel off the cable car. Wouldnt want be be his guide !😂
0:40 A very clumsy and reckless individual, the way he turned back to talk (not focused) and even later leaving momentarily the ice axe (that had just saved his life) to adjust his laces. Not a safe climbing partner.
Clumsy ninja
The camera has a way of making terrain look way tamer than it actually is.....and this still looked insanely steep. Dude has nerves of steel and handled that like it was no big deal, as if he wasn't about to fall off of the edge of the world.
@@dong6839 width and angle are two different things. When they set the camera angle at 170 degrees and make sure that beam is at the edge of the field of view, it makes it look narrower. What you're saying is true, but terrain near the center of the field of view tend to look much less steep than they actually are. The "gopro effect" is a real thing.
@@dong6839 then you haven't looked at action camera footage properly. The slopes looks less steep than the reality in them.
I did this passage when I was 15 and I wasn't breathing so well while looking down on this gigant slide My father told me, as we were linked by a rope, if one of us is falling on one side, the other one has to jump on the other side. Best way to handle the situation, if you don't have the strenght of a bull, of course.
Good advice
Being a father of a 17-year-old, I can only imagine the exhilarating feeling you both experienced, as a father-son combo.
@@CawKeethen you stop with an ice pick and work your way up. It’ll stop you for sure.
reminds me of painting a steep roof with my old man when I was earning some extra cash in high school in 1996. We got up there, he had tied a rope around his waist, threw me the other end and told me to go paint the other side 😂
This happened to me on a similarly sloped mountain in Colorado. We didn't expect snow to be on the mountain in July and it completely covered the only path down the mountain. A storm was coming, I'm talking lighting that we could hear and see quickly approaching, so we had to make the crossing immediately. All I had on me was hiking shoes, a 30 pound pack, no spikes, no helmet, no axe, no gloves. The snow had had its surface melted from sunlight during the day, which led to about an inch or two of loose ice on its surface. Got about 10 feet across the trail and completely lost my grip and started sliding essentially as fast as gravity would allow at that angle. Probably got going 15-20 mph before I punched my hands into praying I would slow down and didn't roll down the entire slope and break my legs or slam my head against a rock. Even if I had only broken my legs, we were about 10 miles from the entrance to the trail and 20+ miles from the nearest hospital, with no supplies to deal with that type of wound. My rate of descent didn't slow much and my hands were getting obliterated by the ice, but it was the only thing I could think of, so I just plunged them deeper. I eventually slowed to an unstable stop about 30 or so feet down from where I started slipping. Just sat there for a while taking in what happened and holding on as tight as I could, my hands were completely raw, the surface skin had been stripped down and they were so so cold. Spent the next 10 minutes slowly making my way back up, repeatedly slipping back down several feet. We eventually got off the snow and I basically couldn't talk for about half an hour. My hands have never hurt like that before and I don't believe I have ever been that close to death. Imagine trying to get a grip on a surface that just has no traction and isn't solid while basically in free fall. The craziest part is, there was someone who was a day ahead of us doing the same multi-day path solo. When we got to the snow, we noticed a trail going 40 or so feet straight down, and an accompanying set of angled footsteps back up with repeated smaller slides. That person probably thought he was going to end up bleeding out at the bottom of a valley alone, at least I had people with me who may have been able to help.
wow what a story! i am glad it all turn down to be ok for you! I hope the other person would have been ok too, this type of adventures really push us but we are dealing with big things sometimes being experienced or not could not make much of a difference in these very extreme situations! I hope u can recall this story as a big scary and adrenaline moment and not a very traumatic situation!
That's why you head back down before 11am, everybody
What would have happened if you didn’t stop yourself? Was it a drop or bunch of rocks?
Wow that’s scary. I am curious what route was that?
Just look at how much falling acceleration he got in that one second without the ice axe stuck in the snow. A brave move to hit that snow again to improve handling, without it he will likely start gaining momentum with no chance of stopping.
yeah, it was insanely fast the second before he stuck the axe in
Almost as if gravity exists 🤭
@@JD-re3cj I do not wish anyone to experience a gravity in that way ;)
This reminds me of the anecdote my history teacher liked to tell us:
On their way back from the punic wars, Hannibals men underestimated the dangers of steep mountains and thought they could make it easier by sliding down the mountains. Many men were lost during that foolery.
There's people who die on Mt. Whitney who think the same thing and decide to try it.
I died once that way . It sucks.
@@Bushwakbill sorry for your loss mate
@@BenHutchinson92 lmao
@@wcavalier3 read my comment again. I was just relaying an anecdote my history teacher told us. I never stated it as a fact. But thanks for being unnecessarily rude and condescending 🙄
I can never get over these amazing people who can generally walk across/down or up steep mountainous areas. I did it recently on Crib Goch but never again. These people make it look easy. They have a head for heights, an amazing centre of balance, great core strength and a healthy respect for mountains. Unfortunately, even they can slip and fall sometimes, it's just the nature of the environment.
I'm so glad this young man is safe. Well done 👏
I've never seen a single genius mountaineer...
@@FamiliarAnomaly I've never seen a single genius anything 😳
I did Crib Goch too! My only time ever going to the UK. What an unbelievable place. I understand Snowdonia is well known in the UK, but it, and Wales in general, is sorely underappreciated outside the country
@@HickoryJ Totally agree. It's lovely to hear your appreciation. I love it so much I now live here in Snowdonia National Park.
Dis crib goch yesterday, raining with 60mph gusts, my belly was touching the rock because if I stood up I would’ve been blown off
Amazing that people can be so relaxed and cavalier in such a dangerous location
Youre right a stern face was of prevented him from slipping and after the 2metre slide he should of been so stern and upset just like his mother died. Grow up. Nothing happened. If that video worries you, you shouldnt climb.
@@donalddarko3676 No but probably concentrating more may have prevented it
@@Chris-pq3wp I would argue some of the best alpinists can be very cavalier. Your mistake is tarnishing his reaction with the fact he wasnt concentrating.
@@donalddarko3676 if you've climbed you appreciate the catastrophic consequences of being incompetent in a dangerous place. Climbing is not about bravery, it's about skill.
@@peterpozman6972 talent is a factor ie being able to stay calm and focus rather than making additional mistakes
I had the same, same place, 2006! 14 days later two mountaineers died there using a rope to be "safe". On the left hand there is absolutely no change to stop a fall using that ice pick using that technique, you need a good ice tool or you learn to fly next 1000 hm. You had already seem these ice climbers from within the ropeway, so no surprise about step ice. I remember, I canceled my vacation and drove home. It was really enough for me. (Sorry for my english)
Wow I'm glad it had an impact on you really as it should make you take even more care, be safe.
Dude your English is fine! Never apologize for it.
What’s the point in climbing up there?
To make a youtube video.
it's amazing how something that seems like such a small blunder could be deadly with just the slightest hesitancy.
I've experienced this when i was trekking on a fort, and it really looks like it's nothing, but it's terrifying tbh, man was really quick and acted accordingly.
Sure you did poser
Happened to me too but on an icy hill, luckily I used a tree to stop myself. Almost died
@@darealberrygarcia what’s the man posing as, a near-death-experience survivor??
@@darealberrygarcia Take a hike to Jericho bozo.
Have experienced such slushy snow while riding my snowmobile, it moves like water.
I too trekked to a Fort once,My mom was soooo Mad that I used all the pillows and blankets
I was there a long time ago, it is really amazing. I did it in summer on a super clear day. Once you get to the end of the ridge you walk across the vallée blanche all the way to Italy with the Mont Blanc to your right and then come back with the cable car. The day we were there a bunch of tourist had ventured on the ridge with no equipment and regular shoes, after about 20 or 30 meters they had stopped and realised they were in terrible danger and didn't dare walking back. We had to walk them back one by one and nobody was hurt. Anybody can go there and nobody controlled anything. You just take the telepheric to the Pic du Midi from Chamonix and you get off near the edge of the ridge. On the left the ridge goes all the way down to Chamonix it is really very very steep and and far. The other side stops after a few hundred meters on the vallée Blanche. I will never forget that day.
It just goes to demonstrate that a loss of concentration on foot placement can cause a disaster.
His mistake was simple, he trod on his own foot instead of the snow, and that caused him to lose his balance - mainly because of his pack-weight, but triggered by his mistake.
His calmness saved him, with a panic reaction, he would likely not have stopped the slide.
Lessons learned, I hope. At least he’s alive to learn these lessons.
Amend to that.
@@fragelicious *Amen
His crampon failed.
@@Tobsen660 I guess his crampon was absolutely OK, but he stood with his right foot on his left foot and hooked his point there.
@@Tobsen660 Watch again. You'll see he hits his left leg with his right crampon. Could have had a bad fall or perhaps a crampon injury with some nasty bleeding.
This can easily happen to the most experienced. The thing about it is you can tell he is experienced because he didnt panic and he fell back on his knowledge of what to do and remained as calm as one could be given the circumstance and dug his axe in.
All ittakes is one misstep and its over, but that is half the adventure and rush about it. Glad he lived to see another day.
Never happen to me 😎
Id never go
@@Niggleblade1986 Yeah....good plan. MIss out on life and nothing will ever happen, you can just live your life on your phone.👍
@@jensz9360 life? He just fkin nearly died. Im pretty sure he would miss WAY MORE
life than me if he wouldnt of managed to stop 🙄🤦🏾♂️
@@Niggleblade1986 No man, you are missing way more life. He probably lives more in 2 weeks than you have all your years.
There is a difference between living and existing, this guy is living you are merely existing.
@@jensz9360 Living is more than just getting pleasure from adrenaline rush you know.
Thanks for showing me another thing I’ll never attempt to do in my life
The most scary thing is that once you start sliding and you found out that it's nearly impossible to stop yourself with only hands and legs.
Really good perspective angle on how dangerous the ‘easy’ sections of mountains are.
watch yer step, its a doozy !!!
No haters. It´s love. I ask myself, how long was he lying in bed after his mother's anger?
Did you know about the tragedy of Caver John Jones in Utah?
This one time I almost lost my footing in the snow in the Target parking lot so I know EXACTLY how this guy feels. So harrowing. Stay safe.
😂😂😂
Lots of bad stuff starts like this. Quite small mistake, quite slow. Quiet also. He did well to remedy it.
That was super scary. The mountains are no place to let your guard down.
rocket proelled ice break ancor or explosive ancor. mmmm that gives me a idea!
@@LK-pc4sq both sound like wonderful ways to trigger an avalanche
You're right, but also, you cannot blame him for losing concentration given that you have to stay concentrated for hours and hours on end (which is incredibly difficult).
And boy did he let his guard down... Big time.
I know from my years of experience climbing 5 feet up trees and playing on playgrounds as a kid, that u do not look behind you when doing this stuff.
It's super disorienting.
Yup
That snow looks absolutely dreadful. I've had such slushy snow once, maybe twice on all of my climbs and it usually coincided with incomplete refreezing overnight or a late start/summit and warmer afternoon conditions. Snow like that is slick, slippery, dangerous when it propagates and a pain to kick steps in.
Great job on the arrest, stay safe.
As he takes a step, his crampon gets caught in his left trouser leg. Not because it's hard to kick a step in, nor because it is slippery.
Yes, this kind of mushy icy snow is much more prevalent in Europe than NA.
What is the point in doing this at all, looks miserable and you can’t even see from the peak, what is the reward in doing this?
@@RA-ui8yw It’s the feeling of accomplishment that you get from doing it
Propagates is probably the worst word to use here…I feel like your trying to show your vocabulary but the primary definition is for breeding spreading you seed…the second is to spread out….so idk why you choose that other than trying to flex
Heart stopping. Reminds me of my one and only time of nearest near death equivalent escape on the slopes of Glencoe.
Started to slide. Ice axe went down, bit in but then bounced up and out (hit hard ice or rock?) and then nearly jumped out of my grasp (strap wasn't around my wrist) as I started to pick up speed. Just managed to catch it. Grasped tight and pushed back into the snow/ice pak. It still then took what felt like an eternity to stop. I could see the rocks below coming up fast. If the ice axes had left my grip I don't think I'd be writing this 25 years on. remember kids get that strap around your wrist - and don't let go!!!!
Don't ever let go... Don't ever let go. Just don't. Do what this man says. Better yet stay away from these environments.
And buckle your helmet. His came off immediately.
Imma just not do this because it looks very not fun and scary.
If your english permits 'IMMA", you should stay away from scary real world scenarios and stay in your mother's basement. Thank you.
@@billydeewilliams9104 does it involve lizard people in hollowed out moons - or flat Earths?
If you want to see what would happen if he'd slip, search for a video of a man falling from K2. The speed the body falls and tumbles is way over 100 kph. It's a certain death with all the bones in the body broken.
His heart must be pounding. Nearly fell into the clouds and oblivion. VERY steep and dangerous. Excellent arrest!
Where exact did you see the cops show up. Did you guys get the directors cut ?
@@ExtremePainGames Funny! :)
Yep,you only get one shot at stopping that slide,can't shoot your way out of that one. Lucky and good
no this is skyrim not oblivion
0:19 and pause, shows you how steep it is!
the "nice" thing about snow is that it gets as slippery as ice after only a couple of seconds of sliding and a bit of speed . it's self-lubricating . so , just stick the metal in swiftly deep and firmly . do not wait . the sliding feeling is fun , way less funnier when you realise you've lost all friction and you're just speeding up .
During the winter season, this ridge has a nicely carved out path with snow walls on both sides and with ropes to hold on to the whole way down. I’ve done it many times in ski boots, the first time when I was 7 years old in 1985. It’s clearly a different experience in the summer, with mostly ice and nothing to hold on to. Glad he caught himself.
That crampon mistake can happen to everybody, especially with thin paths to walk on and long pants. Also yes that snow looked treacherous.
Who the heck would take a 7yo up there?! One wrong step and you're a gonner
@@TheTruthKiwi did you even read their comment? what the fuck lol
@@xXCrimsonVirtueXx Yeah, he said he went up there for the first time when he was 7 so his parents took a 7 year old up that crazy dangerous ridge.
@@TheTruthKiwi everything looks dangerous with enough snow. It's pretty much impossible to fall when there's just plain rock, without any snow and with some decent equipment, ropes or chains and plenty of awareness.
I am very happy to see that he managed to arrest the fall, despite the few technical mishaps - mainly the ice axe strap should be around his hand. If the axe got stuck and he would lose grip then he would have nothing to self arrest with, that at least is how they teach it to mountain instructors.
In snow that slushy and on that angle he could probably arrest with his elbows and knees if he's quick about it
Glad to see another in favor of leashes. The last few trips I guided the gear rental place refused to include them over fears of renters being impaled by the axe or having a shoulder pulled out of socket. We ended up improvising. Although I'm sure people have been impaled, I've never seen it or heard anyone I know who has run into it. But when I was learning to climb and before I had learned a good cowboy walk, I twice dropped my axe on descent. I hooked my points on each other and opened my hands to brace for the impact. If I didn't have a leash, I was in for several thousand feet of pounding on each occasion. On my very first climb, I watched a guy lose his ice axe while glissading down hard pack in 5 deg conditions. He stopped 2000 feet below after rag dolling 4-6 feet in the air on the way down. Son of a bitch got up and walked away after that but he was lucky. You just never want to lose your axe.
@@snakedike I gotta agree, the risk posed by not having one is greater than the risk of having one IMO.
And holding the axe back to front, and not wearing the helmet. Luckily made up for it with quick reactions but wouldn't have been possible in colder conditions.
One of the reasons why he slipped is because there's so many climbers on Mt Blanc the snow becomes heavy and sticky on the route. It's like mashed potatoes.
Looks like he was tired and only realized his tripping a bit too late when he started accelerating in the descent. Good thing he had that axe... Its litterally a trophy of his life.
He gets points for not seeming to give a shit, "awhoops a daisy, nearly dead" I expected him to go down the west face with an "ahh bugger"
east face isnt that much better with all the pointy rocks screaming that guys name lol
Most of you underestimate and will never understand how close he was to that…
This happened to me a long time ago on the Gross Glockner in Austria.The snow was just sticky enough to create large clumps in my crampons, but also soft enough that a self arrest did not work. I had to roll over vertically to the side twice to stop.
@Aitch lucky you
@Aitch My willy stinks
I saw this happen to someone on glockner...about 12 yrs ago...his friends were screaming...he stopped (was it you?) metres from a crevasse.
@@warptrax2627 No, it happened to me around 1982
@Aitch Are you sure it wasn't between the eyes ?
My uncle lost his life in Chamonix. That mountain range is no joke.
You can't understand if a mountain is dangerous or not until you see it, and definetely the left slope he was gonna fall in is really really slope...
Good job he didn't panic. He acted quickly and knew exactly what to do to save himself, well done.
No offense, but that was a rather badly executed self-arrest with several "mistakes". Glad he managed, but not exactly great performance.
@@yezariaelll no offense, but did he stop? He did. What were the several mistakes he made? I'm just curious as your comment is kind of douchey, not gonna lie
@@jkorkea Fair enough. I don't think its a douchy thing to say, but I arguably also didn't spend more time on explaining my comment. However, its about safety in mountains, so lets discuss (and go fact check what I say as well with the information of your alpine club/association). Yes, he did arrest himself, but my comment didn't argue about whether he did or not, but about how well/efficient it was. This is also not about how well I'd do myself, but a hopefully objective look at the situation. He was lucky he stumbled onto the flat area in the mushy snow...to the side, on the steep slope, this might not have worked if he got more momentum -- but that is pure hypothesizing, so lets disregard that.. I'll try to summarize what I saw as mistakes and/or problematic with what we actually saw. Yes, I wasn't there and sometimes one strays from the "guidelines" given the situation, but I am happy to hear other reasoning -- in the end, we all don't wanna die in the mountains.
0. The zero-th "mistake" was to become inattentive/distracted in a spot you shouldn't. He stumbles because he steps on his own foot (0:27). I have been this careless and dumb myself before, and also lucky that it happened to be in a spot, that allowed me to recover from it quickly. Still a mistake, but not regarding he self-arrest ofc.
1. Generally, one should hold the ice axe such that the adze faces in the direction of walking. In the case of falling, one naturally rotates the axe such that the other hand can grasp the lower shaft part and then pick faces downwards to the snow. In the slushy conditions it might not have mattered, but arresting with the adze might not work so well. Also I dont wanna fall onto the pick. Even if holding it differently can work, you can see around 0:30, he arrests with Adze.
2. Especially on steeper terrain, if you are already speeding up, I was at least taught to lift my feet if I'm wearing crampons and put pressure on the knees. If you got some momentum and the crampons catch on ice or rock, say good bye to the health of your lower leg(s). And if you are even more unfortunate you maybe even go into a 'tumble'.
3. Its a shitty spot and I def. won't claim its easy to arrest on the ridge, but lying sideways on your hip, with stretched out legs is not a great position. Lots of weight on your hips and chest, which will slide and not help self-arrest. Normally you want as much weight on the pick and the rest on the tip of your feet (if no crampons) or knees. Similarly, if no ice axe is present, a push-up position will work (although painful, as my bleeding hands can report).
4. For the longest part of the self-arrest (and that might be an affect by the camera angle), he had his arms mostly stretched. (again body flat against ground). You want to pull in the ice axe below the chest if possible, putting on as much weight as possible. Of course, it gets difficult if the pick would stab you.....
5. Hard to call it a "mistake", but he seemed "to wait" a bit to see if he would stop by himself. He only starts attempting a proper self-arrest after 0:30. Yes, depending on how you fall (head first, onto back etc) it can take time to reposition, but he was ...not really doing much regarding repositioning for the first few seconds , say what you want. In dangerous conditions I think every second can count and this should be a well-trained procedure that comes out as reflex.
6. (Maybe not a mistake, but looks a bit uncoordinated) At ~0:35 he tries to gets up and temporarily dislodges the ice pick before getting himself properly stable and about to slip again.
I am sure one can also discuss other things like how he nearly lost his grip on the axe etc..
Was it a total bad reaction? No. Was it great performance? Sorry, but no.
@@yezariaelll that's all a totally fair and balanced comment. I've never had to do this myself but even to my untrained eye I could spot several of the issues you mentioned, based on my limited experience training to use an ice axe.
Most important thing is that he arrested, but as you say with the poor technique he needed a fair bit of luck for it to work.
Badass! He never left the pick out of the snow!
Good moves! He actually look down to make sure he was sliding straight too! He has some body kinesthetics!
People act like everest is the only dangerous mountain. Meanwhile you can easily die on so many others.
There's 1000m only mountains which are more dangerous than Everest, not because of the mountain itself but because people always underestimate these small mountains such as Snowdon and come without any gear or knowledge and think it's a walk in the park until they slip off a convex in winter with no way of self arresting without a ice axe leading to several deaths every year
@@thwalesproductions I think people underestimate Mountains even if they know the amount of dead bodies on them. What makes the difference is actually seeing the bodies yourself irl rather than some written trivia on a random website or in a video. I think just seeing one fully geared up dead body is enough for people to actually realise how dangerous it is. In my local forest, i once saw the relatively fresh remains of a deer that fell off a 73 meter cliff. It wasnt a nice thing to look at to say the least. Standing at the bottom of the cliff looking up was breathtaking tho.
@@thwalesproductions
British people call Snowdon a mountain. In other countries, it's called an hill.
My wife is trying to figure out why I randomly started yelling self arrest, self arrest, self arrest. Jesus Christ I need a drink now. So glad he's ok.
I'm trying to figure out why you're yelling at a youtube video as well.
of course you wouldn't get it
@@resmarted if he doesn't yell, the guy might not hear him.
This is a really good reason to practice with your ice axe before going out.
Purely instinctive and a sign of his experience in mountaineering. Glad this went well.
First trip methinks
that slushy shit looks pretty scary actually, and he looked like he was carrying a lot of weight. def better to be light for balance. and to everyone commenting that the axe was the wrong way, if its's frigging slush and soft then you might have better luck arresting with the adze than with the pick
Have you tried adze vs pick in the slush? I haven't even though to try.
@@chrisbeebe4326 i haven't. it would depend on density and layering. i think in very specific conditions the adze would work better for arresting, probably better to stick with the pick unless you actually test it and it's so soft and loose the the pick doesn't get any purchase at full depth
Climbing that pyramid near the summit I was glad I was roped up. You’re literally walking on a knife edge. This guy fell and stayed on the edge, if he went left or right he was gone, not even proper axe arrest could stop it.
..."This guy fell and stayed on the edge, if he went left or right he was gone, not even proper axe arrest could stop it."
So true
Then 100% dead if right or left ?
It is LIKE a knife edge....not LITERALLY a knife edge.
Fall to the right would suck but probably not deadly
Like a knife edge, but about a foot wider haha
Cant believe every youtube commentor is a professional climber whose an expert at this very same mountain in the exact same spot. What a coincidence
I've been halfway down in snowboard boot which was never ideal and remember some skier had slipped and was saved by clinging to the rope while everyone around him frantically managed to pull him back from doing a straight line down the malory. He managed to keep hold of his ski's and seemed just as important as surviving
@Artemio Medina The malory a 50 degree + ski run with at least 2 abseil in a no fall zone that runs under the tramline. Photos and video don't do it justice. In winter they place ropes on either side of the arete in case skiers slip on the way down as most don't have crampons or an axe.
Absolutely incredible sense of presence, awareness, and control to make that adjustment and dig in.
What else was he supposed to do?
@@KapitanPisoar1 most people would panic and not realize the resources they have
Great sense of presence whilst looking at the camera too?
If he was actually paying attention to where he was going he wouldn't have needed to have an "absolutely incredible sense of presence"
The only thing we see here is an idiot almost throwing his life away. And then barely saving it. Nothing amazing about it. But I guess I'm alone in that opinion looking at the replies.
It was a foolish mistake on wet melted snow in the afternoon that was cooked by sun. His reaction was fine, but anyone climbing off rope on steep snow should expect to react similarly.
@@NofirstnameNolastname Agree mate, he shouldnt have turned around.. People with cameras man, makes people loose all sense sometimes.
Dude that was the most half assed self arrest from someone in genuine peril. Glad you made it down okay
Right?! I'm glad it worked but he was holding his axe backwards and he only used his arms; he's lucky, if that was harder snow he might not have got back up.
It is so utterly lethal walking along there. I will never understand how anyone would risk it.
Life is pulsating, that is why.
That is why no one will remember your name.
- Achilles
lmao
@Leonard Ney No, I meant what I said.
@Leonard Ney No, it's just a long walk on a short pier in the eyes of the universe. Naught but a blip in time.
@@TheDude_Abides_ No one knows his name nor will remember his if he did die. What he is doing merits no such remembrance.
That was nearly game over. Nice save. I once had a similar situation when I walked over the rockery in my garden, slipped and nearly tumbled off the edge, but with guile and fortitude I grabbed the garden shed and saved myself. Truth
You may be the first person ever to compare falling thousands of feet off a mountain with falling off a garden shed. Props.
Anyone saying that isn't near death knows nothing about mountaineering.
Man, this climber is so much NOT supposed to be at Aiguille du Midi that it's a surprise he got to that point.
Helmet on the backpack - really? Why bother carrying it if you don't use it? Better leave it at the cable car HQ for safety.
You are supposed to have your ice axe with a harness around your hand's joint and that's definitely NOT how an arrest stop should be performed.
But the greatest part for me is when at 0:43 he literally challenges his luck when releasing the ice axe from his hand for a couple of seconds.
I just hope he doesn't keep doing that in his next expedition, probability says his chances are not going to increase as time passes.
hand's joint ?
The helmet is for when rocks can fall from above. Not needed where he is in video
Scary to think you could stop and exchange some casual words in passing with a smiling individual and then a step later he could have been sliding off the side of a mountain.
Thank goodness he acted quickly and his ice axe was able to find something to hook into.
He obviously has much experience. Look at how calm and decisive he acts since he slipped. He punched the hell out of that snowy slope to manage to get a grip.
Good axe work & calm response. I remember that section well. Ignore the 'the perfect brigade' who would not have made such a slip. If you've lived these conditions then from time to time this happens to you on some mountain somewhere.
Exactly, thats why its one of the first things they teach you in training
Pretty bad axe work, he should have kept it in his hand normally. Why would you grip the blade?
bad axe work. he was holding it back to front if he was over ice it wouldn't have caught
Just looking at them walking on that spine is getting my blood pumping.
Nothing like getting a crisp reminder of how much danger your actually in and then having to finish the long journey.
Very important to be mindful of your crampons. Glad he is okay.
His mangina was stuffed with tampons but thanks anyway.
Tampons was good
Other than being professional climbers, I heard that your senses, reflexes and inputs are increased when doing extreme climbs especially with minimal gear, not surprised to see them so relaxed in that situation when it's definitely needed for survival
Had he not remained calm he would now be a former mountaineer.
...because he is not concentrate on what is he doing.
Zdeněk Vach "poor technique..." but looks like the snow here is old and soft, I was taught that it can sometimes be better to arrest using adze in such conditions, not pick. So, carry your axe as you expect to have to use it.
Captain hidesight
Insane. I have anxiety just seeing that steep slope. Glad he’s ok!
That feeling. The feeling of your adrenal gland just spitting out every bit of adrenaline it has in 0.1 seconds as you nearly die. Then 2 seconds later you're definitely not dead and all you can do is sit down and reflect. It's weirdly addictive.
I agree with Kristo. Starting earlier for a more compacted snow sounds way safer to me. That fluffy slush looks dangerous
Yes but when you are returning you will find a snow like this
Returning from where?
That's the path that leads to Mont Blanc, there's mountain cabins on the way, they're not doing Aiguille du Midi - Mont Blanc and back in the same day, lol.
And I don't remember seeing many people climbing from Mont Blanc to Aiguille du Midi to descent the cable car :/ But that doesn't mean it's not possible or some climbers actually do it.
@@trumpemendous2330 what i was saying is that in the morning you will find an hard snow, but in the afternoon on the way back the snow will be shitty like this
@@lucaa4480 Yes but what he was saying was that there are cabins on the path. You can start in the morning, stay there, and come back in the morning.
Self-arresting during a fall is actually a lot harder than you would think. This man handled it like a champ.
I don’t know why people think the title is inaccurate. Do they not _see_ the drop on either side of him? How far down do y’all think he’d tumble and flip uncontrollably before he finds a cliff face to finish him off?
Pretty damn close considering the momentum he gained, and not using the axe correctly (he did not have any choice as he was totally unprepared to correct his own mistake the proper way). Count your blessings sir. Eye. Needle. Pure luck.
Indeed, he should certainly have gripped the axe in such a way as to be able to bring the pick quickly to bear if the need for self-arrest arose. He should have gripped the axe adze forward; on the descent there is no reason not to. In case it needs to be said (this is UA-cam), anyone who would trivialize that choice hasn't done much mountaineering.
Fear is healthy......panic is deadly! Nice job young man.
Holy scary af! That was nerve-racking just watching AND knowing how it ends from the title. Props for keeping his body on center ridge! 👏
Phew!
Dude needs a wrist strap though. He slides when he's re-tieing his crampon, and he's screwed if he can't reach his axe in time.
During one of my alpine courses one of the Austrian mountain guides warned against using a wrist strap, because it is very difficult to try and get a hold on your axe when you are sliding and it starts bumping around, which risks you getting hit by your own axe.
Apparently most accidents happen on the way down.
That was well recovered.. I’ve been skiing (nothing dangerous but still a confident skier) and the slightest skid or nudge in an unwanted direction does throw you off mentally and physically if that makes sense!
no doubt.
Think about it: EVERY step is coming down harder on the way down....than up.
Same thing with ladders....the "fall" usually happens when you lazily "plop" your foot down on the ladder....and it slips. You (had) all your weight on the foot that slipped...so you're screwed. LOL
@@Sahadi420 You're also more exhausted on the way down so it's easier to make mistakes.
appreciate his quick response that saved his life.
the worst part of this is he needed to poop immediately after that and couldnt find a toilet.
genau
He's lucky he slid on the peak of that ridge and not down the side.. would have been a completely different outcome!
Glad he's safe.
Good observation Isaac newton
@@Holub101 Good observation Isaac newton
@@Holub101 nO i'M 15½
Was there about 12 years ago on a cold sunny day with a long queue hiking down to the bottom. One lad still at the top skied down to the left slope, carved round and traversed down to start of Valley Blanche.
All his movements and reactions showed precise and repeated training in close pendant breaking. Actually, the walking axe he's holding is specifically designed to make such an action possible.
yes, but snow is softer then pillow, he wouldnt died if he fell, i think is clickbait
@@blob2092 slopes are very steep, if you don't immediatly stop basically you will gain a lot of speed until you meet some rocks, cliff, or crevaces of any kind
You are absolutely wrong. All his moves showed lack of training and helped develop the situation further. Sheer luck saved him.
Just watching and seeing how steep and thin this hill is made my balls clench up and fight gravity
@@tdegler 🤡🤡🤡
From experience: things never work out in a real situation quite as they should have been done in theory. We all make mistakes, all the time. Do whatever as long as you survive, you did well. But yeah, here he made his step not perpendicular to the surface (full foot contact), and instead it was under an angle, so the crampons didn't catch properly. And then he used the wrong side of the ice axe to arrest himself. Glad he is alive and manged to stop the fall nevertheless.
Why is that the wrong side? I'd have figured, that in deep snow the wide part would offer more traction than the thin side? (No experience, so excuse my ignorance, it's curiosity)
his inner spike gets caught on his pants pulling his shoe crooket resulting in bad engagement with the surface :)
@@mcbrite the wider part is only maybe 3-4 inches long and is smooth, for cutting steps. The "thin" side is much longer and has teeth to dig in a grip on snow/ice.
i noticed him holding the ice axe incorrectly. hes lucky that he stopped.
Heading out to hike some mountains tonight, good inspiration!
Thanks for sharing… there’s a great lesson here for those of us who spend time in the high mountains.
I'm guessing the lesson is stay the hell out of the high mountains, but I suspect that's not what you're getting at.
Well yes lol. Definitely not for everyone, but I’m a bit Hemingway….. I think the mountains are one of the few places left where we can truly feel alive. And I don’t mean that in a morbid or dumb-extreme-sports-nutter way.
This has happened to me. It’s such a rush. Like they say, you never feel as alive as when you’re faced with death.
thats almost face with it,the real feeling would be if he just continue to go and tryed and coudnt do nothing but feel all of it ,thats when you faced with death for real,this was like a reminder dont smile too much in this dangerous position
this guy was very tired with weakend legs, watch his right ankle shortly before he falls. this happens when body and mind are exhausted. the descent is most dangerous.
I remember once when I never did this. It was awesome.
It was an average reaction to a common event. He was not focusing on step placement and had lost his rhythm with the interruption. Every step placement is important.
I slipped and fell twice going down Avalanche Peak in NZ. Both times I was feet away from a long drop. The difference between death and “oh I had a little slip up there” is … not much at all.
Saved by an ice ax. Wow, imagine everything you ever knew and ever will know is holding on with one hand on an ice ax. Good save!!!
The ice ax is there for saving you😂, it's made exactly for that situation
@@federicom74 In other news, the sky is blue.
That reminds me of the time I almost fall to death while descending from the Cayambe volcano, in Ecuador. Although it was not on the glacier, I didn't notice that the on path I was descending through there were a large plain rock covered on dust until I started to drift without control... Fortunately I was able to pick up a rock and used it as an anchor before it was too late...
It was quite an experience, thanks God I'm able to tell 🙏
god my azz,you saved yourself not imaginary god
Wow, it reminds me when I was ~10, it wasnt a really high mountain but it was still high and steep and with a lot of sand and dust where you could slip and fall. Then I stepped and slipped and started rolling downhill. Fortunately there was a big rock a few meters ahead that stopped me from rolling further down. I've never been that careless since then in the mountains.
Sure it does hahah tell us more stories
Reminds me when I saved earth from an oncoming asteroid we had to blow up but by friend Bruce stayed behind and gave the ultimate sacrifice
So what you are saying is that you are an irresponsible accident prone moron?
When he does his self-arrest notice the pick is pointed up towards his face while he plants the adze in the snow. That's what happens when you hold the axe with the pick pointed forward. It should be the other way around. If he had been on hardpack snow or ice self-arrest would have failed because the axe is the wrong way around. I see this error all the time on Rainier. Anyway, glad it turned out well.
Just do not forget to shout out "YAHOO!!" when you have your last slide..