Climbing a frozen waterfall is as enthralling as it is risky. Enduring the below-freezing temperatures that are needed for water to freeze and the precise technical skills that are required from the climber makes this highly challenging as an adventure sport.
We see the ice climber in this video using all the right gear including crampons, ice axes and ice screws he moves up through the ice face until at the 0 .58 second point of the video when a large section of the ice wall below him towards the right collapses.
Our latest related post: The best high SPF Sunscreen For Hiking Camping Adventure The best waterproof Rucksacks For Outdoor Adventure
The video goes on to show us a more terrifying view from the climber’s friend’s perspective, who was right below the area which collapsed.
Huge chunks of ice come down hurling towards him within seconds but he was able to get out of the path of the falling chunks and move behind a wall just in time.
The climbers communicate and decide to turn back as a lot of the rope they were using has got buried under the ice. The lead climber heads down and at the 2.35-minute point, we see the unfrozen part of the waterfall cascading down. A great video that shows us that climbing a semi-frozen waterfall can be risky business.
This video puts in front of us another example of things that can go wrong while climbing a frozen waterfall. Though it is somewhat funny, it was a good thing the climber was roped up or he could have lost his life.
Here, we see the climber negotiating a rock face and approaching a rather narrow frozen waterfall that is hanging vertically down without any support from the rock wall.
The ice is frozen hard and the climber makes some effort to dig his crampons and ice axe points into the hard ice as he tries to move up.
Unfortunately, the frozen ice is brittle too and the load of the climber along with the vibrations generated from the crampon and ice axe strokes brings a sudden end to his journey.
In the 0.53 second of the video comes a heart-stopping moment, when we see the whole frozen section of the hanging waterfall collapsing with the climber still sticking to it.
He was able to let go and the ropes tied to him were able to pull him away from the path of the falling ice thereby preventing an accident. Another great video which shows the unpredictability of the ice conditions while climbing a frozen waterfall.
CategoriesAdventure MysteriesTagsice climber survives fall, ice climbing death, ice climbing deaths, ice climbing fall, ice climbing lead fall, ice climbing pics, ice climbing video, ice pillar snaps with climber on itPost navigation
Kayaking 101 – What you need to know
Best Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUPs) – Reviews and Top Picks 2019
