I've had the closest brushes with death (multiple times) from rock fall and avalanches. Big TV sized blocks bouncing down a narrow couloir, pulling a block the size of a refrigerator off with me underneath, a serac collapsing directly above us, being hit by 'the biggest avalanche I've ever seen' (that coming from Mark Westman!), several smaller avalanches that by sheer luck I was not killed in.

Message for new climbers, especially anyone under 25. This thread suffers from a survivorship bias.

It's always fun to romanticize around the camp fire, don't forget climbing is dangerous. While that shouldn't discourage anyone, many elements of risk are within our control or influence.

It's a good lesson to internalize before your friend dies in your arms or your friend makes a call to your family.

We were on acclimatization hike on Elbrus in June 2014 and just below Pustkhov Rocks, we were caught in a lightening storm. Weather changed in a matter of 15 minutes and being on a gentle slope glacier, we were completely exposed. with static all around us, and white out all around us due to cloud as well snow, I and the other climber were hit by strand of a lightning.

We both Miraculously survived probably due to charge could not ground itself. My heart beat stayed jumbled up a bit for around 15 minutes. (Probably more from panic than charge or probably both).

we descended subsequently and sun was shining again after 15 minutes.

Most of the dangers I have seen on here were from other people.

A friend of a friend, who we'll call "Chuck," was ice climbing with another guy one time. The way I understand it, Chuck took a fall and ripped out damn near every piece of pro he had just led, and came to a stop hanging upside down about five feet off the ground. He broke his pelvis when he slammed against the wall, as well as some ribs in his back. For some godforsaken reason, the person he was climbing with thought he was going to die there and had no option of getting out, and saw euthanasia as the only option. The guy tied off his belay leaving Chuck hanging, came up to him and attempted to execute him with his ice tool. Still hanging upside down, Chuck managed to grab his tool and kill his attacker first. Choose to believe it or not, I don't blame you. I would have my own doubts about a forum post such as this one, but I've seen the scars on his thighs where the dude got him with his tool.

jesu, joy of man's desiring wrote:^^^^^^^^^^without a doubt, that's the second-most bizarre climbing related tale that I've ever heard of.


I'm surprised the police bought into his side of the story...

So am I. I believe it happened in Ecuador. Thought the story was a bad joke, until I saw some cell phone pictures of where his thighs got impaled.