A Colorado-based ice climber cheated death after finding himself clinging on to a ledge while he was being hit by an avalanche in a terrifying video.
On the morning of February 8, Leland Nisky was ice climbing the top of The Ribbon in Ouray, Colorado, alone and unroped, when he was hit by an avalanche while he was 400 feet off the ground.
Hanging on to his tools, the alpinist started axing at the mountainside as soon as the avalanche started so that he could have a fixed position. He then took ‘absolutely every ounce of strength he could muster’ to keep holding onto his tools before shuffling his feet to the left, seemingly getting himself out of the snowslide.
In total, the avalanche lasted for two minutes, before Nisky shook the weight of the snow off of him and realized that he had accidentally climbed about ten feet above his anchor.
The alpinist had to climb down the mountainside while some weak spindrift rained down, before eventually finding his anchor and attaching himself to it. In total, he did two full-length 60-meter raps to get back to ground level.
Ice climber Leland Nisky had to hang onto to his two tools while going through the motions of a two-minute avalanche at 400 feet tall on The Ribbon in Ouray, Colorado
Nisky said he had to remain calm and use some breathing techniques he knew about to stay alive during the terrifying moment. Pictured: Nisky holding onto one of his two tools while a massive snowfall gathers on top of him
Hanging on to his tools, Nisky started axing at the mountainside as soon as the two-minute avalanche started so that he could have a fixed position while clinging on to a ledge
Nisky (pictured), who is a professional alpinist, was ice climbing the Ribbon for the first time when he found himself hanging on to his life earlier this month
Recounting the terrifying moment, Nisky said: ‘It was loose snow sloughing off the surface and building until it became an avalanche. Probably caused by a gust of wind. In the video it’s hard to tell, but I was slightly under a bulge of ice, meaning that I did not see it coming.’
‘I was actually switching my hands to place my tool when it hit. It was terrifying. I’ve been partially buried in an avalanche years ago in Washington, and the same terror overtook me.’
‘I knew if I stayed terrified I probably would die, so I concentrated on controlling my breathing, hugging in tight to the wall to prevent snow buildup on my body, and tucked my head down to breathe a little air bubble,’ Nisky added.
After calming himself down, Ninsky recalled a ten-second wave hitting him with a ton of weight after he had throw his second tool into the mountainside.
‘It was immense pressure, and I felt chunks of snow bouncing off my backpack and body. I thought I was going to die. If a wave of any more force hit me, I don’t think I could’ve held on,’ he said.
It was the alpinist’s first time climbing The Ribbon.
And despite having a rough start to his adventure due to mixed conditions, he managed to quickly find his way up the route.
The Ribbon (pictured), in Ouray, Colorado is known for being dangerous when close to its overhead as it has a reputation for gorging out severe avalanches on occasion
After climbing down the mountainside in 20 minutes, Nisky drove back to town, grabbed a hot chocolate and a cookie before sitting in the sun soaking up life for a couple of hours, thinking about what had happened
However, the Ribbon’s substantial overhead has been known to be a hazard and it also holds a reputation for releasing large, catastrophic avalanches on occasion.
‘I had known of several people climbing this route and finding success over the last few weeks, which significantly aided in my decision to go up there,’ he said.
‘After the fact, the head guide at the company I work for called me to talk about it, and told me that the bowl above this climb is actually quite unique—it’s basically just filled with loose facets.’
‘This was absolutely unknown to me prior to making the decision to go up there. I usually talk to everyone I can about conditions beforehand, but had blanked on asking him.’
After climbing down the mountainside in 20 minutes, Nisky went back into town, grabbed a hot chocolate and a cookie before sitting in the sun soaking up life for a couple of hours.
‘I’m still mentally unpacking this situation and coming to terms with its effects on my head game and mental psyche,’ he said.
‘I’m sure my list of learnings from this experience will never cease.’
