What It's Like to Fall Off a Cliff

Discovery News ^ | SHEILA M. ELDRED

[nickcarraway]

British ice climber Mark Roberts, 47, skidded 100 feet down an ice cliff in Wales, winding up with nothing worse than a broken ankle — and a YouTube video to prove it.

When some falling ice, possibly dislodged by a climbing partner further up the mountain, hit Roberts, he started a dizzying slide that ended when his pack and crampons caught a ledge. His helmet may have saved his life, and the camera atop it captured the video.

“I was a little dazed and knew there was some damage to my ankles which were fairly painful if they were moved,” Roberts told the BBC.

The video shows the life-long climber using his axes to slow his descent, but he eventually loses his grip on them. A rescue team happened to be in the area, and he was airlifted to a hospital. Besides the broken ankle, Roberts suffered a bone chip and bruises.

“Accidents do happen, but Mark was well-equipped, wearing a helmet, and that probably saved his life,” rescuer Elfyn Jones told the BBC.

“You have to laugh sometimes,” he told the British Mountaineering Council. “But, seriously, even with experience of risk assessment and making decisions, sometimes things just happen. When it all happens so quickly, you just try not panic and hope there’s some luck with you.”

[Hardraade]

Ha. Ice Age protosquirrel.

[laplata]

He’s lucky he didn’t break both legs.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Don’t they know that playing around in all that global warming is dangerous?!?!? Time for a call to the Nanny State!

[nickcarraway]

I say it’s worth trying to find out.

[muawiyah]

There are already millions of human beings pre-programmed to not slip on the ice!

They are prepared to take over as soon as the Big Ice returns.

Now, to bring back the mastadons ~ 'cause we're going to need something like that to eat!

[Slings and Arrows]

I say it’s worth trying to find out.

After you, sir.

[martin_fierro]

No. No. No.

This and this are how you use a Go Cam.

[TheOldLady]

We watched "North Face" last evening, the true story of the attempt in 1936 to ascend the north face of the Eiger in Switzerland. [spoiler alert - read no further if you don't want to know]



They all either fell, were hit by falling rocks, and/or froze to death. The north face was not conquered until 1938, presumably after the mountaineers at the time learned from the terrible mistakes of the 1936 teams.

[Slings and Arrows]

Nature is a harsh teacher.

[a fool in paradise]

"Well... bye!"

[TheOldLady]

More like executioner in that case.