Video: Solo, Unroped Ice Climber Gets Slammed By Avalanche At 400ft
This was probably one of the most terrifying experiences I’ve had while solo climbing. Took absolutely every ounce of strength I could muster to keep holding onto my tools.
.
.
I was on edge about posting this to social media, but it seemed too insane that I had caught it on camera to not. Grateful for years of experience and training in stressful situations to keep me calm and allow me to make it through this freak situation and get back home safe.
Live look at my butthole throughout that entire video:
Albert L. Ortega. Getty Images.Adding to the pucker factor, climber Leland Nisky was rolling solo & unroped. Nothing would have stopped his fall had he lost his grip, and no one would have been there to help in the unlikely outcome that he survived.
Despite appearing wildly calm throughout the entirety, he told Climbing.com that he initially felt "Sheer unbridled terror."
Here's more from that interview:
Can you describe the avalanche?
It was loose snow sloughing off the surface and building until it became an avalanche. Probably caused by a gust of wind. In the video it’s hard to tell, but I was slightly under a bulge of ice, meaning that I did not see it coming. I was actually switching my hands to place my tool when it hit. It was terrifying. I’ve been partially buried in an avalanche years ago in Washington, and the same terror overtook me. I knew if I stayed terrified I probably would die, so I concentrated on controlling my breathing, hugging in tight to the wall to prevent snow buildup on my body, and tucked my head down to breathe a little air bubble. There was a wave in there, about 10 seconds after I managed to calm myself down and throw my second tool in the wall, that hit me with a ton of weight. It was immense pressure, and I felt chunks of snow bouncing off my backpack and body. I thought I was going to die. If a wave of any more force hit me, I don’t think I could’ve held on.
Nisky goes on to estimate he was about 400ft up when the incident occurred, and that the whole thing continued for over two minutes, even as he began his descent. He credited his survival to gaining control of his breathing, and you can even hear that happen in the video as he gasps for air in the first few seconds and then it slows.
Looking up the exact climb at The Ribbon in Colorado's San Juan Mountains, I found a post from 2016 indicating this isn't the first time someone nearly died there:
And yet, I'm sure many more ice climbers will follow the path.
As for me, I'll be on the couch watching documentaries about these types & liking all their Instagram posts. I'm in awe, but better you than me.
And as for Nisky, it's pretty amazing that his helmet/drone cam captured it, and even more amazing that he survived. What did he do when he got back to his car that day?
Went back into town, grabbed a hot chocolate and a cookie and sat in the sun soaking up life for a couple of hours.
No doubt he'll be back up in the mountains in no time.
