A video clip showing an ice skater falling into a deep ice crevice has gone viral, causing shock and fear for fans of the sport and highlighting the potential dangers for its practitioners, according to The Washington Post .
The video, taken last year but recently shared on social media, shows the skier tumbling into the ice crevasse.
As he falls, the image darkens briefly. He lands on some large chunks of fallen snow. Meanwhile, the skier falls for a few terrifying seconds before coming to a stop on the side of the crevasse. This saves him from a more perilous and deeper fall.
The skier, who was apparently filming himself via a helmet camera, is heard trying to catch his breath before uttering the words in French: “You idiot!”
“Terrifying and scary”
On April 18, a French mountaineering group named Les Powtos posted a video. After the post, viewers reacted immediately. One Twitter user found it terrifying, while another commented on the crevasse’s depth being scary and indecisive.
In turn, the group said that its goal was not to make a “fuss”, but rather to raise awareness about the dangers of being distracted while skiing, even for people who have experience with wandering around the mountains, noting that the skier survived the fall and was not injured.
It is noteworthy that the accident occurred in April 2022 on Mount Meiji near the “La Grave” ski resort in the south of the Alps in France, according to a statement made by members of the Les Powtos group to the Washington Post, adding that they eventually decided to publish the video. to educate others.
They explained that their friend, who requested anonymity, could not avoid falling into the crevasse, and estimated that he fell about 15 meters into the ice crevasse before he could stand up.
“The longest minutes of our lives”
The skier’s friends said they saw it unfold from a low corner of the mountain. It took them 15 to 20 minutes before they reached the crevasse into which he had fallen.
They also added that it was “the longest minutes of our lives”, because they feared that their friend had hit his head first when falling, or that he was at a point too deep for them to be unable to save him. Describing that moment, “a lot of emotions were going through our heads, but we had to act quickly.”
The skier pulled himself out of the crevasse using his spiked sandals and skis. When his friends reached him, they lowered a rope to him and succeeded in pulling him up.
After receiving quick relief, he returned to skiing again. According to his friends, he demonstrated calmness and composure in the difficult situation. They also acknowledged that they were unsure how they would have reacted in the same situation.
