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National Geographic Avalanche The White Death
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Some call it the "White Death" |
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and an ancient riddle asks, |
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strikes without hands |
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Every year more than a million |
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Avalanches are simply part of |
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It is only when we get in their way |
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Utilizing unique methods, |
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to better understand the dynamic |
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But the magic of |
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more and more place themselves |
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My machine just moved over me |
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and I just yelled. |
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My whole life's flashing |
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You go to inhale and you were just |
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I was sure I was gonna die. |
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They're not to be trusted. |
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They'll rip you to shreds. |
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Something we need to |
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Annapurna in Nepal, |
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one of the most dangerous mountains |
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October 15, 1997. |
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Brothers Jose Antonio |
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veteran mountain climbers from Spain |
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plan to ascend over 26,000 feet |
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Cameraman Allejandro Rocha |
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is to record their departure |
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and then await their return. |
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Recent storms have left deep snow |
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It is slow going as the brothers |
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some 3000 feet higher on the peak. |
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An hour after they begin to climb |
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they are just two tiny dots |
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as Allejandro shoots video |
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As he faces death. |
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Allejandro captures |
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But just as it reaches the tent, |
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Allejandro is astonished |
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but has little hope for his friends. |
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Are you alright? |
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Like specters they emerge from |
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The following day |
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and they were driven off Annapurna. |
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Some 20 percent of the Earth's land |
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In the Andes, the Caucasus, |
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the Alps and the Rockies avalanches |
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100,000 fall every year |
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from Vermont to Alaska. |
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And here deep in the back country |
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Three experts are seeking to |
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With cinematographer Steve Kroschel, |
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world renowned avalanche experts |
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are here both to trigger |
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and ensure the safety |
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I realize the power of the avalanche |
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I mean it really rouses people. |
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It stirs in all of us something. |
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It's very interesting. |
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But to get those images, |
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I must go down into these |
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where the avalanche |
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and if I make a mistake, |
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So being with people |
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who are experts |
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That's what their main objective is |
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to make sure that |
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I'm aware of the lighting conditions |
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And I'm aware of the kind of |
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But sometimes I feel like |
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Because there's exposure |
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that are in the run out zone, |
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and have avalanche potential |
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And so those are the things |
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First and foremost I want to |
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Can we go along this ridge to |
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where that cornice is just |
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This is a good spot isn't it Doug? |
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Well it's good so far up there. |
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This kind of concerns me |
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as far as landing down there. |
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We'll have to take a look at that. |
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This is the peak right here. |
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I believe it will rip out. |
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I don't like it because |
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And some of the exposure to |
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up here coming off. |
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I don't think it's safe. |
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It takes several hours to find |
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It looks like we could drop |
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in that little pocket there |
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Doesn't that look good to you? |
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Yeah. |
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Lower 'em in there like |
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One camera is positioned inside |
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which is placed directly |
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Timing is everything |
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The camera must begin shooting |
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or it will all be for nothing. |
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One. Two. Three. Four. Five. |
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Ten. Eleven. Twelve. Thirteen. |
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OK! |
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On your mark get set and go! |
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Steve positions himself behind |
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Second one out. |
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Okay keep going... keep going. |
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Several sticks of high explosives |
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will be used to |
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Most avalanches are |
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when the weight of the snow exceeds |
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And most of these occur far |
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I think the usefulness |
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is that a lot of the people |
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with in our avalanche workshops |
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have never seen an avalanche |
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But when they see |
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and they see the power |
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with an avalanche |
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Like the snowflakes |
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no two avalanches are alike. |
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Even very small avalanches can kill, |
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and the big ones are true monsters. |
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They can attain speeds of |
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traveling a mile or more |
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No place in avalanche country |
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In 1988 |
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which had not experienced |
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was struck just after dawn. |
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Houses which had stood for |
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were destroyed in an instant. |
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Remote areas in less developed |
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The greatest known avalanche |
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where an ice slide |
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killing 18,000 people. |
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They're awesome terrible things. |
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They'll Maytag you. |
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But they're also |
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they're delicate, |
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they're graceful, they dance. |
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They're a double edged sword |
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They're not to be trusted. |
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Something we need to |
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In the western world most |
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in the path of danger, |
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and see the mountains as |
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The interesting thing about |
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most of them |
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It's also very interesting to me |
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that roughly 95% of the people |
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are the ones |
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And really the question isn't really |
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it's why did they let themselves |
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because there's so much knowledge |
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nobody needs to get caught |
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The trap is set over |
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One snow flake is light |
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But the stealthy accumulation |
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form massive layers weighing |
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What triggers slides can only |
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by digging into the snow pack. |
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Doug Fesler introduces |
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to the deadly archeology |
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What kind of force |
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That's all I really need to know. |
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First of all do I have a slab? |
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I'll start feeling here and |
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It goes fairly hard to begin |
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with now it's starting to go going |
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A little more resistance again. |
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Right here a little bit easier. |
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Right through here is a crust layer. |
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Now it's very easy right in there. |
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Another shear plane possibly. |
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This is a nasty shear plane. |
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Look how this stuff just falls out |
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Shear planes allow colossal |
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by the slightest disturbance. |
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We're corroborating the opinion |
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and weakness of |
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This stuff is so weak it... |
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Intermediate faceted snow. |
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More people have probably died |
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of this weak layer than |
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These snow crystals can be |
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Fluctuations in temperature |
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to lose cohesion |
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These frozen ball bearings |
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Notice I have my hand ready |
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Okay now we have a |
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Want to make sure the ski |
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See how that came out just like |
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By integrating all that |
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there should be a picture flashing |
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And the picture is one of |
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from a human triggered |
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And so the message there is |
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from steep leeward smooth slopes |
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because those are the ones that |
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What I want you to do is |
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I want you to go. One. Two. Three. |
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Up in the air punch your heels |
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One two three. Banzai! |
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An avalanche on the move |
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a slab will rip out new slabs, |
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transforming, becoming ever larger, |
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and triggering billowing clouds |
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Fortunately, nature can warn |
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with subtle sights and sounds. |
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But if you're hard blasting |
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at 85 miles per hour, |
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it's unlikely that you'll hear |
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Snowmobiles can swiftly invade |
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Riders enjoy jetting up |
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unwittingly teasing |
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The game is called "high marking." |
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Whoever gets the highest wins. |
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These snowmobilers almost lost it |
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A friend videotaped the action as |
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They would all escape unharmed |
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and spend the rest of the afternoon |
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But in January 1998, |
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three friends exhilarated by |
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Oregon were not so lucky. |
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It was all virgin snow. |
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Everything was smooth and |
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And being the first one to make |
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That's where you really get your |
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and just let the throttle do |
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And we could get twenty or |
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from anything and see country |
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see a lot of country in a day |
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The snow just looked like a big |
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it was just smooth |
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When you got on it it would kind |
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because there was nothing holding |
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Both Art and I looked at this |
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Art took a couple of stabs at |
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and I watched him go up the mountain |
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He must have gone up I don't know, |
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I'm guessing six seven eight times. |
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He came down and I decided to go up |
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At that point in time |
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So I got off the low side of my sled |
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My machine just moved over me and |
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I was almost to the bottom getting |
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I just got a big push from behind |
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And when the dust had gone down |
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The snowmobile |
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and my legs were |
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And I turned around |
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and I could see the ski |
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Buried alive, Brian has little more |
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And when everything came to a stop |
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My eyes couldn't focus on anything. |
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And I went into a |
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After trying to get control |
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I tried to move anything and |
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I tried to move a finger |
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and I couldn't even do that. |
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And I ran up to where his |
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and looked around |
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It's about the most helpless feeling |
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You know that there's somebody |
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and you don't have any idea |
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The snow was compressed |
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I... I could move... |
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I felt my cheeks moving |
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I could only move my stomach inward. |
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And after I calmed down |
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I just remember saying |
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And we kinda started digging just |
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we realized that that wasn't |
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We could only dig maybe |
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It was just gonna take too long. |
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So then I figured out |
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And I asked Mark if he had anything |
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So Mark took off with his saw to |
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find a stick or tree |
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When you try to search for |
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then your lips and your eyelid |
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I just remember surrendering. |
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And I just kind of went to sleep. |
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I didn't know what else to do. |
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We were probing close to |
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and started working up the hill, |
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and probably within 10 probes |
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it had some elasticity, it wasn't, |
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And I told Mark I think I have him. |
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Brian was seconds from dying |
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not just from the lack of air |
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but from the extreme pressure |
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Barely a few feet down, he might |
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They reached him just in time |
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and learned a lesson they are |
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In retrospect there were some signs. |
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And had we been as educated then |
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about avalanches we probably |
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But the basic bottom line I think |
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is just |
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Being snow smart out |
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and beepers is a big factor. |
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I would like to see the people |
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country get some basic survival gear |
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and just try and be prepared for |
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Such events have been happening |
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and no one has experienced a longer |
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or more grievous struggle |
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than the stalwart people |
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In the Great Saint Bernard Pass |
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in the 11th century to aid |
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Today the hospice |
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who come to visit the ancestral home |
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In earlier times, |
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quickly responded to travelers |
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With their keen sense of smell |
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nothing could stop |
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from locating avalanche victims. |
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During the several centuries |
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that the Saint Bernards served |
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more than 2000 lives were saved. |
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But the legendary brandy keg |
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never actually hung around |
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The tradition originated with |
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beginning with Sir Edwin Landseer. |
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The last thing a hypothermia victim |
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In World War I, |
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the Alps saw |
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to the danger of the avalanche. |
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When Austrian and |
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each side deliberately triggered |
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An estimated 40,000 men were lost |
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Avalanches are intentionally |
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but for |
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Fire in the hole! |
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Artillery and explosives are used |
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releasing potential avalanches, |
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preparing the mountains |
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Each morning before skiers |
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the ski patrol hits them first, |
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But for some a tamed mountain |
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Extreme skiers seek remote places |
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In 1996, three of them were shooting |
| 00:27:25 |
an adventure film |
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Miraculously, they all survived. |
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Others filming the glory |
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have pushed the margin |
| 00:28:15 |
These experts escaped |
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but near ski resorts, |
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those caught in unsafe |
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in trouble with the law. |
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Here in Loveland Colorado, |
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instead of going to jail |
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this avalanche |
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I'm kinda scared right now actually |
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Buried beneath the snow for up |
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he'll have plenty of time |
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And retrieving him is great training |
| 00:29:02 |
Angel search. That's good. |
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Easily the furriest and friendliest |
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rescue dogs often arrive too late |
| 00:29:14 |
and end up being used |
| 00:29:22 |
Humans on the scene are usually |
| 00:29:29 |
Therefore avalanche safety schools |
| 00:29:33 |
as many as possible the techniques |
| 00:29:43 |
Avalanche "victims" |
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means of escape and survival, |
| 00:29:48 |
such as using swimming motions |
| 00:29:52 |
and creating a breathing space with |
| 00:29:59 |
Radio beacons are a modern aid |
| 00:30:03 |
A transmitter worn by a victim emits |
| 00:30:08 |
But the best defense remains |
| 00:30:16 |
The danger is well known. |
| 00:30:18 |
Warnings abound but sometimes |
| 00:30:27 |
On January 23, 1998, |
| 00:30:30 |
a French Alpine guide broke |
| 00:30:34 |
as he led a group of teenage hikers |
| 00:30:37 |
off of marked trails near Les Orres |
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None of them were wearing beacons. |
| 00:31:04 |
Some of the children slammed |
| 00:31:06 |
into a grove of larch trees they had |
| 00:31:09 |
Their bodies caught in branches |
| 00:31:16 |
More than 150 rescuers |
| 00:31:19 |
in a heart breaking search |
| 00:31:26 |
Yet it could have so |
| 00:31:29 |
The group had discussed avalanches |
| 00:31:31 |
and had even watched |
| 00:31:35 |
But when some of the children |
| 00:31:37 |
of hiking that day, |
| 00:31:54 |
The accident gripped the heart |
| 00:31:58 |
Eleven died, |
| 00:32:01 |
It was the worst avalanche disaster |
| 00:32:10 |
89 years ago in |
| 00:32:15 |
disaster struck travelers who had |
| 00:32:21 |
Number 25, a Great Northern Railroad |
| 00:32:25 |
is followed by Number 27, |
| 00:32:27 |
Great Northern's fast mail train. |
| 00:32:36 |
Heavy winter storms |
| 00:32:38 |
causing both to stop |
| 00:32:43 |
On the following day |
| 00:32:44 |
the tracks are finally cleared |
| 00:32:46 |
and both trains |
| 00:32:50 |
The trains are diverted |
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outside the railroad town |
| 00:32:55 |
There they remain helpless. |
| 00:32:59 |
Crews work to clear the tracks |
| 00:33:01 |
but for each foot they clear |
| 00:33:05 |
and the peaks above |
| 00:33:14 |
Without warning |
| 00:33:16 |
from the mountains |
| 00:33:18 |
where passengers had eaten |
| 00:33:24 |
The tracks ahead and the tracks |
| 00:33:28 |
There is nowhere to go. |
| 00:33:32 |
Five days pass. |
| 00:33:35 |
Some passengers slog to Wellington |
| 00:33:39 |
returning to the train to sleep. |
| 00:33:43 |
A few risk the perilous trek |
| 00:33:47 |
Everyone else remains. |
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Then on March 1st around 1:30 AM |
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the white death falls hard |
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A slab a half mile long, |
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and twenty feet deep |
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Rescue workers follow trails of |
| 00:34:17 |
Mothers, daughters, salesmen, sons, |
| 00:34:21 |
shepherds and miners crushed beyond |
| 00:34:27 |
The final toll is 96 dead, |
| 00:34:33 |
This remains America's worst |
| 00:34:42 |
In Europe, the threat of |
| 00:34:45 |
Alpine residents for centuries. |
| 00:34:48 |
Some homeowners fearing |
| 00:34:50 |
called the "avalanche beast" |
| 00:34:53 |
have built barrier walls |
| 00:34:57 |
A 17th century church meets |
| 00:35:00 |
like a ship plowing through |
| 00:35:05 |
One of the best protections |
| 00:35:09 |
Dense forests of trees can prevent |
| 00:35:13 |
and slow others down. |
| 00:35:21 |
Yet years of mindless deforestation |
| 00:35:24 |
have left some towns hanging |
| 00:35:27 |
on the edge of disaster. |
| 00:35:33 |
Today as the slow process |
| 00:35:37 |
steel and concrete barriers do |
| 00:35:41 |
Although unsightly and expensive, |
| 00:35:46 |
While the search for |
| 00:35:52 |
With their dense population |
| 00:35:56 |
the islands of Japan are a |
| 00:36:01 |
A devastating slide hit |
| 00:36:10 |
It was one of the worst avalanches |
| 00:36:19 |
This disastrous slide would provide |
| 00:36:22 |
for scientists in Japan. |
| 00:36:24 |
Prompting Dr. Kouichi Nishimura |
| 00:36:26 |
of the Institute |
| 00:36:29 |
at Hokkaido University |
| 00:36:34 |
A computer model shows just how |
| 00:36:42 |
Here in Sapporo at the sight |
| 00:36:46 |
he recreates an avalanche |
| 00:36:50 |
to increase his understanding |
| 00:37:03 |
Tracking individual particles |
| 00:37:05 |
as they behave in an avalanche |
| 00:37:09 |
Nishimura's inspired substitute |
| 00:37:25 |
The behavior of the balls |
| 00:37:28 |
to learn more about how hard, |
| 00:37:30 |
how far and how fast |
| 00:37:34 |
Dr. Nishimura hopes to |
| 00:37:36 |
how and where it is safe to build. |
| 00:37:40 |
In Juneau, Alaska, |
| 00:37:46 |
As the city has expanded |
| 00:37:49 |
Juneau is a disaster |
| 00:37:53 |
Just past 5 AM on March 22, 1962 |
| 00:37:57 |
above Behrends Ave |
| 00:38:00 |
a fast moving avalanche raced down |
| 00:38:04 |
and smashed into |
| 00:38:09 |
Miraculously no one was hurt. |
| 00:38:12 |
But there was |
| 00:38:15 |
Yet none of this should have come |
| 00:38:18 |
Avalanches had fallen in the past |
| 00:38:21 |
and Behrends Ave lies directly |
| 00:38:25 |
Studies were commissioned. |
| 00:38:26 |
Plans were made, |
| 00:38:30 |
Mayor Dennis Egan remembers... |
| 00:38:33 |
The city and borough of Juneau |
| 00:38:35 |
hundreds of thousands of dollars |
| 00:38:39 |
doing studies. |
| 00:38:40 |
In fact what we did was list high |
| 00:38:45 |
so when folks see those |
| 00:38:48 |
and go out to purchase a home |
| 00:38:51 |
and come into |
| 00:38:53 |
they'll know that they'll be buying |
| 00:38:56 |
that's in a high hazard area. |
| 00:38:58 |
Now we tried to put language |
| 00:39:01 |
in the deeds that |
| 00:39:04 |
and was refinanced through lending |
| 00:39:07 |
that they were |
| 00:39:10 |
But the property owners |
| 00:39:12 |
opposed to it as well as |
| 00:39:15 |
and it didn't pass. |
| 00:39:17 |
In fact, we had talked about |
| 00:39:21 |
and the folks were violently opposed |
| 00:39:25 |
It's the place they want to stay, |
| 00:39:27 |
it's the place they want to retire |
| 00:39:29 |
and they don't want anybody |
| 00:39:32 |
They know they're |
| 00:39:34 |
but they've come to accept it. |
| 00:39:38 |
This summer I started in July |
| 00:39:42 |
and I'm working on this building |
| 00:39:46 |
which... |
| 00:39:49 |
I'm not |
| 00:39:52 |
I know what I want. |
| 00:39:56 |
I want to be able to see |
| 00:39:59 |
And I guess it's sort of |
| 00:40:02 |
uh blow ye winds and |
| 00:40:04 |
I like the weather. |
| 00:40:09 |
Apparently the risk of dying |
| 00:40:12 |
is less than that |
| 00:40:14 |
and I'm not a vegetarian |
| 00:40:17 |
it's just... whatever you do, |
| 00:40:20 |
I mean, people live in flood plains, |
| 00:40:23 |
people live in hurr... |
| 00:40:26 |
where we waited for hurricanes |
| 00:40:31 |
You know, there's no place on earth, |
| 00:40:37 |
that is completely hazard free. |
| 00:40:39 |
My friends they make jokes about it. |
| 00:40:41 |
They call this Fort Liston. |
| 00:40:42 |
And I get a charge out of it, |
| 00:40:45 |
And they say, well we know |
| 00:40:47 |
you're going to be seeing |
| 00:40:49 |
and I say... Bring it on! |
| 00:40:53 |
In 1972, a powder blast rocketed |
| 00:41:02 |
Luckily by the time it hit town, |
| 00:41:07 |
Many residents thought it was simply |
| 00:41:12 |
A look up should have been enough |
| 00:41:16 |
Experts say that it's not |
| 00:41:19 |
but "when" |
| 00:41:23 |
While some choose to live |
| 00:41:26 |
others must earn a living there. |
| 00:41:29 |
One of the most incredible |
| 00:41:32 |
took place at the Bessie G mine |
| 00:41:35 |
high in the La Plata mountains |
| 00:41:38 |
In November 1986, Lester Morlang |
| 00:41:43 |
to build a snow shed |
| 00:41:46 |
and best friend Jack Ritter. |
| 00:41:50 |
We knew this storm was coming |
| 00:41:52 |
and we had to get this timber |
| 00:41:57 |
That was the whole purpose was |
| 00:42:01 |
for our ventilation inside. |
| 00:42:04 |
Because of winter weather, |
| 00:42:05 |
the Bessie G had only been |
| 00:42:09 |
But Jack Ritter, who knew more about |
| 00:42:13 |
had figured out how to |
| 00:42:16 |
Yet this was the worst weather Jack |
| 00:42:20 |
Two feet of snow had already fallen |
| 00:42:23 |
and both men were |
| 00:42:26 |
Lester was in the bucket |
| 00:42:28 |
and Jack was handing him timbers |
| 00:42:31 |
when everything |
| 00:42:37 |
When it initially hit |
| 00:42:41 |
I'm sure that was only a matter |
| 00:42:47 |
And just naturally |
| 00:42:49 |
in front of your face |
| 00:42:51 |
because you don't know |
| 00:42:54 |
But for the first few seconds, |
| 00:42:55 |
my whole life's flashing |
| 00:42:58 |
And I'm seeing things |
| 00:43:02 |
I'm actually seeing things |
| 00:43:06 |
and you know I was sure |
| 00:43:18 |
Although the snow was |
| 00:43:21 |
Lester Morlang's odyssey |
| 00:43:25 |
When I come to of course |
| 00:43:27 |
in front of my face |
| 00:43:29 |
One of the first things I could do |
| 00:43:33 |
because you go to inhale |
| 00:43:34 |
and you were |
| 00:43:38 |
And then of course, I was screaming |
| 00:43:44 |
screaming and crying |
| 00:43:48 |
I mean it's trying to |
| 00:43:52 |
Jack was already dead. |
| 00:43:55 |
And now... buried only |
| 00:43:58 |
the skip loader's diesel engine was |
| 00:44:00 |
spewing deadly exhaust |
| 00:44:05 |
I could feel the vibration |
| 00:44:07 |
definitely hear it and I knew |
| 00:44:10 |
because I knew it would have been |
| 00:44:13 |
For if I'd a dug into that loader |
| 00:44:19 |
Lester knew where not to dig. |
| 00:44:26 |
And when I had my face free I was |
| 00:44:29 |
I had moisture from my mouth |
| 00:44:30 |
and I could feel it running across |
| 00:44:32 |
So I knew I was laying kinda |
| 00:44:38 |
so I knew I wanted to start |
| 00:44:44 |
What Lester couldn't know |
| 00:44:45 |
was that he would have to dig |
| 00:44:49 |
fighting cold, claustrophobia |
| 00:44:52 |
and a fear so intense, |
| 00:44:56 |
Several times I would go |
| 00:45:00 |
It seemed like every half hour, |
| 00:45:02 |
why you'd have the dry heaves |
| 00:45:06 |
kind of like attacking you. |
| 00:45:11 |
I wasn't thirsty at first |
| 00:45:13 |
I knew not to |
| 00:45:16 |
but my mouth was drying out |
| 00:45:18 |
and everything and I'd take |
| 00:45:22 |
just to wet my lips, |
| 00:45:27 |
Every second. Every hour. |
| 00:45:29 |
Every minute there's something |
| 00:45:30 |
to lose control of your senses. |
| 00:45:34 |
And you know I'm thinking |
| 00:45:36 |
and the position |
| 00:45:40 |
and a couple of times |
| 00:45:42 |
my wife was right there with me |
| 00:45:45 |
it was just as distinct as... |
| 00:45:48 |
I could smell her and it |
| 00:45:51 |
because that kind of |
| 00:45:53 |
to know that I was, |
| 00:45:56 |
Many people were thinking about him. |
| 00:45:59 |
Word of the missing miners reached |
| 00:46:02 |
As soon as I heard |
| 00:46:06 |
I can't describe the feeling. |
| 00:46:08 |
It... My heart sunk. |
| 00:46:11 |
My stomach turned and |
| 00:46:15 |
because I knew |
| 00:46:18 |
This was a significant winter storm. |
| 00:46:21 |
We had snow of at |
| 00:46:24 |
We knew that we had winds of |
| 00:46:28 |
And we knew that the site |
| 00:46:31 |
That the only way to the site |
| 00:46:34 |
or through a canyon that |
| 00:46:41 |
Avalanche safety expert Chris George |
| 00:46:46 |
clearing it of potential avalanches, |
| 00:46:51 |
The road into the Bessie G up |
| 00:46:56 |
a serious hazard |
| 00:46:59 |
Just because one avalanche runs |
| 00:47:00 |
doesn't mean to say |
| 00:47:03 |
You know you'll have one or |
| 00:47:07 |
You send another 40 people in there. |
| 00:47:09 |
It's not secure. |
| 00:47:15 |
After almost 22 hours of digging, |
| 00:47:18 |
Lester finally inched closer |
| 00:47:22 |
I could tell I was seeing |
| 00:47:25 |
and so I was about, |
| 00:47:29 |
and of course |
| 00:47:32 |
and I just started digging |
| 00:47:34 |
and I can remember just breaking out |
| 00:47:39 |
Thank God, you know, I just, |
| 00:47:42 |
I can't believe, I made it... |
| 00:47:48 |
and then, to get out |
| 00:47:53 |
blowing, that's when I got cold. |
| 00:47:57 |
Bitterly disappointed |
| 00:48:00 |
Lester was forced to return |
| 00:48:04 |
He attempted to settle |
| 00:48:07 |
I tried to go to sleep |
| 00:48:09 |
and think I was in bed |
| 00:48:12 |
But a very sad thing when |
| 00:48:15 |
I was still in the cave. |
| 00:48:18 |
Then another avalanche hit, |
| 00:48:24 |
To hear that crack and |
| 00:48:27 |
and I just assumed it |
| 00:48:31 |
in my little hole there. |
| 00:48:33 |
Luckily it just slid over the top. |
| 00:48:39 |
Morning came I knew I'm gonna get |
| 00:48:44 |
I'm gonna dig my out again. |
| 00:48:48 |
So it was about six. |
| 00:48:51 |
Course I only had a couple |
| 00:48:56 |
and I got out. I just started... |
| 00:48:59 |
the only direction |
| 00:49:06 |
Finally in mid morning |
| 00:49:10 |
We sent in Chris George to do |
| 00:49:14 |
of the accident site. |
| 00:49:16 |
And we flew by the east portal |
| 00:49:21 |
There was no indication |
| 00:49:23 |
it was just |
| 00:49:28 |
I had absolutely no idea |
| 00:49:33 |
and was at the foot of |
| 00:49:37 |
a desperate descent under |
| 00:49:43 |
I'll never forget that |
| 00:49:46 |
approximately the same elevation |
| 00:49:49 |
I could look in and see them |
| 00:49:51 |
and they were looking up |
| 00:49:54 |
of course, they didn't expect me, |
| 00:49:58 |
yeah it made me mad, |
| 00:50:03 |
They just flew past me. |
| 00:50:04 |
I could almost I thought |
| 00:50:11 |
This must have been |
| 00:50:13 |
I heard the thunder or |
| 00:50:16 |
and then I realized |
| 00:50:19 |
on the slope to secure the slope |
| 00:50:24 |
So I knew I had to get out of there. |
| 00:50:27 |
I finally got up |
| 00:50:30 |
and it wasn't 15 minutes, |
| 00:50:34 |
It was louder than any |
| 00:50:58 |
If the first two didn't get him, |
| 00:51:00 |
the third avalanche certainly |
| 00:51:03 |
Lester was almost to Junction Creek |
| 00:51:05 |
when he heard the sound |
| 00:51:09 |
This time they saw him. |
| 00:51:11 |
He was flown 10 minutes away |
| 00:51:15 |
where he was treated |
| 00:51:18 |
They wanted to cut off several |
| 00:51:22 |
With physical therapy and |
| 00:51:25 |
his fingers remain. |
| 00:51:27 |
I can't express the mixture |
| 00:51:34 |
that someone survived this. |
| 00:51:36 |
I mean veteran mountaineers |
| 00:51:39 |
were looking at each other. |
| 00:51:41 |
People were hugging each other. |
| 00:51:43 |
And we were going |
| 00:51:46 |
I have read hundreds of reports |
| 00:51:51 |
I've been teaching snow safety |
| 00:51:56 |
I've been in mountains, you know |
| 00:52:00 |
To me it's one of the greatest |
| 00:52:06 |
It's good for me because it gave me |
| 00:52:10 |
I'm a lot tougher than I was |
| 00:52:11 |
and I appreciate things |
| 00:52:15 |
Like a nice warm house |
| 00:52:21 |
I'm rich, I didn't need to extract |
| 00:52:24 |
of this mine to get rich. |
| 00:52:25 |
I know now what rich is |
| 00:52:34 |
Experience teaches |
| 00:52:37 |
Wisdom arrives after we learn. |
| 00:52:41 |
Winter will always come. |
| 00:52:44 |
Snow will always fall. |
| 00:52:46 |
All things obey the law of gravity. |
| 00:52:50 |
In the mountains, |
| 00:52:51 |
ignorance and arrogance can place us |
| 00:52:57 |
We have a choice. |
| 00:52:59 |
But if we remain unaware |
| 00:53:01 |
and the mountains continue |
| 00:53:04 |
the white death will strike again... |
