Video shows skier fall down glacier crevasse in La Grave, France
Video posted on April 18 by a group of skiers called Les Powtos shows the moment one of their members plunged into a glacier crevasse in the French Alps. (Video: The Powtows ia Storyful)
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A video that shows a skier plunging into the deep crevasse of a glacier has gone viral, causing shock and horror and highlighting the potential dangers of the sport. The video, which was filmed last year but posted on social media only last week, shows the skier fall feet-first into the crevasse. The screen goes black for a moment as he is knocked off his feet — then he is hit by large chunks of falling snow. He proceeds to slide down for several terrifying seconds before his skis catch on the side of the crevasse, saving him from a deeper and more dangerous fall.
The skier, who appeared to be filming himself from a camera strapped to his helmet, can be heard panting as he catches his breath, before he speaks for the first time, muttering in French: “What an idiot.”
A French mountaineering group called Les Powtos posted the video on April 18, and the reactions immediately began to pour in. “Terrifying,” wrote one Twitter user of the video. “Scary … this looks endless,” said another.
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The group said its aim was not to create a “buzz” but to raise awareness about the dangers of being distracted on skis, even for people with experience navigating mountains. They said the skier survived his fall and was not injured.
The incident occurred in April 2022 on the mountain of Meije near La Grave in France’s southern Alps, members of Les Powtos told The Washington Post in a statement, adding that they eventually decided to share the video to educate others.
Their friend, whom they said wishes to remain anonymous, got caught up “in the euphoria of a descent” and did not manage to avoid the crevasse ahead as he careened down the mountain, they added.
They estimated that their friend slid about 15 meters down into the glacier before he was able to stop.
The skier’s friends said they were watching this unfold from a lower vantage point on the mountain. It took them 15 to 20 minutes to reach the crevasse he had fallen into — “the longest [minutes] of our lives,” they said, because they feared that their friend had fallen head first or too deep to be rescued. “Lots of emotions go through our heads but we have to react quickly,” they said, recalling that moment.
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The skier was able to begin hoisting himself out of the crevasse with crampons and his skis on his back. When his friends reached him, they handed him a rope and were able to pull him out.
He even got back on his skis after taking a quick break, they added, describing their friend as having a lot of “calm and composure” in a difficult situation. “We don’t know how any of us others would have reacted.”
Naomi Schanen contributed to this report.
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Source: The Washington Post
