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*
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NARRATOR: A giant storm of snow,
ice, and freezing cold
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strikes the US without warning,
causing chaos.
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The blizzard brings cities
to a standstill
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and traps people in cars.
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If I'd drifted off to sleep,
I would have frozen to death.
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It rips across mountain ranges
with hurricane-force winds.
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The blizzard is so horrendous
and powerful.
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It's just so violent!
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This is the power of the blizzard.
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Icy mountain peaks
are beautiful to look at...
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...but this harsh environment
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is at the mercy of some of the most
powerful blizzards on Earth.
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Wind and snow can be
a lethal combination.
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Without warning, a blizzard can trap
anyone who ventures up here.
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Basically, within 15 minutes,
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it went from blue sky
to holding on for dear life.
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I'd never seen weather
change that fast.
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It was hell, basically.
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In May, 2005,
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three mountaineers, Erik Bjarnson,
Alex Snigurowicz, and Don Jardine,
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were attempting to climb Mount Logan,
Canada's highest peak.
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They were near the summit
when a powerful blizzard struck.
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MAN: We looked up and we could see
the black clouds coming,
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and they rolled in, like, quicker
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than anything I've ever seen
in my life.
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MAN: Ice pellets were hitting us,
and they were stinging.
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Visibility was dropped down
to almost nothing.
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Sleet and snow lashed the climbers.
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The wind was so powerful
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that we were walking
at about 45-degree angles into it.
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The weather was getting
worse and worse,
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and it got to the point where
you couldn't see anything any more.
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The climbers couldn't move
in the blinding white-out.
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They had no choice but to try and
pitch a tent in the howling wind.
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The wind was everything. It was
hitting all our senses at one time.
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Like somebody punching you
in the back of the neck
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as hard as they could constantly.
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The wind was blowing at over
100km/h - the force of a hurricane.
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Think about being
in the back of a jet engine.
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Unless you huddled down on all
fours, you would get blown away.
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At last, the tent was up.
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They crawled inside, but it was
no match for the fury of the storm.
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Then we got in,
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and from there, it was just like
riding a rollercoaster.
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The back of the tent was trying
to lift up all the time,
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trying to get airborne.
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Then everything's shaking like this.
(MIMICS WHIRRING)
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It was picking the three of us up
inside the tent,
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which is about, you know,
over 600lb.
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So, that's a terrifying feeling,
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to have that much energy
surrounding you.
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For eight hours,
the tent stood up to the storm.
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But, finally, it began to come apart.
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Knowing they were losing
their only shelter,
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Don and Alex decided to get out
and dig a snow cave.
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But with only Erik's weight
to hold it down,
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the tent began to tear away.
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I was yelling at him. I said,
'Erik, you got to get out now.
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This thing is going to fly off
the ridge with you in it.'
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I can still remember the sound
of the fabric ripping,
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and knowing that this is not good.
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All their survival gear
was in the tent,
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so Erik held on as long as he could.
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But the blizzard was too strong.
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In less than two seconds,
it was gone.
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You couldn't see anything.
It was gone after that.
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All our stuff was disappearing
with it.
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It was just such a moment
of helplessness.
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Without that, the chances of
survival are very, very small.
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In seconds, the storm had taken
everything they owned,
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leaving them stranded, exposed,
and as good as dead.
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High on the mountain,
it was now a numbing -40 degrees.
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With no survival gear,
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it was only a matter of time
before hypothermia took hold.
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Once we lost our shelter,
we were in for it.
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It was like a ticking time bomb.
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ALEX: All we had left was two
sleeping bags, one insulating pad,
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one ice-axe and one pot lid.
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To make matters worse,
in the chaos of the blizzard,
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Erik's thermal gloves had blown away.
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Without them, his hands
became paralysed with frostbite,
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leaving him helpless.
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I was basically the weakest link,
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and they were unable to help me
at that point.
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So, there was only about
a two-second discussion
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where Don said, 'Erik, stay here.
We'll build a shelter.
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We'll come back for you if we can,'
and then they were gone.
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All alone and without his gloves,
Erik was in deep trouble.
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He was also in agony.
The cold was freezing his hands.
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ERIK: The pain of freezing...
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Basically, a blood vessel
is a round object,
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and when water freezes, it gets
really sharp, like a snowflake,
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and it does little pinpricks
through each vessel.
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So, basically every vessel
is being frozen one at a time,
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and it feels like you can feel
every blood vessel freezing.
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While Erik was suffering,
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Don and Alex were desperately digging
a shelter somewhere in the blizzard.
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But in the white-out conditions,
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Erik had no idea
if they were alive or dead.
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They were probably
less than 40ft, 50ft away,
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but unfortunately, I couldn't
see them, couldn't hear them.
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I just assumed
the wind was so powerful,
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it blew them off the mountain.
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Alone in the blizzard
and unable to fend for himself,
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Erik resigned himself to death.
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That was probably
the loneliest time of my life.
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To be up there all alone
was terrifying.
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I accepted the fact
that I would probably die,
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and during that time, God,
everything went through my mind.
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They talk about the phases of death.
Like, I went through them all.
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Like, I was angry at first,
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and then I started to bargain
with God for my life,
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then finally accepted it.
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But out in the blizzard,
Don and Alex had not given up.
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After about five to six hours,
we got this snow cave built,
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which was more like a sardine can.
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With the cave built,
they found Erik,
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and, together, the three men climbed
into their freezing shelter.
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The snow cave was so uncomfortable.
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It was just incredibly painful
to be in it,
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but it was so much better
than what we had outside.
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Picture this - three guys
spooning in a sardine can.
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That's literally what it was.
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DON: It was fairly claustrophobic,
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and it seemed like all you could do
now was just to sit and wait to die
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because the storm seemed
like it wasn't going to peter out.
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The storm raged on around
the trapped climbers for two days.
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But finally the snow began to ease,
and the winds died down.
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The blizzard was blowing itself out.
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At last, a rescue helicopter
was sent up into the now clear sky.
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And the men were brought down
the mountain.
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Against the odds,
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the climbers had survived one of the
most ferocious blizzards on record.
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The men spent months in the hospital
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before they recovered
from their ordeal.
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Erik, who had suffered three days in
freezing temperatures with no gloves,
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lost nine fingers to frostbite.
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ERIK: In all my 20 years
of climbing,
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I have never been
in a blizzard like this.
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Having that feeling of helplessness
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just gave me a new respect
for Mother Nature -
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how powerful she is,
how insignificant we are,
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and you know, we're only allowed
to be there because she lets us.
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ALEX: I've never been in a blizzard
that bad, period,
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and I don't ever want to go back and
be in a situation like that ever.
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Nobody should.
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The men had survived
the full power of a blizzard,
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partly because they were experienced
climbers who knew what to do
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and partly because they were lucky.
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But sometimes luck alone
just isn't enough.
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*
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*
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NARRATOR: A blizzard is defined
as a severe snowstorm
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with sustained winds
of over 56km/h.
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Blizzards form when freezing cold air
in the atmosphere
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collides with warm, moist air,
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creating a weather phenomenon
called a front.
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This collision of warm and cold air
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produces heavy snow
and howling winds.
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But wind and snow aren't the
most dangerous part of a blizzard.
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The biggest killer is the cold.
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A drop of just
four degrees in core temperature,
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and the human body
becomes hypothermic.
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It's a condition that Dr Colin
Grissom is an expert at treating.
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A person experiencing mild
hypothermia typically feels cold,
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and they start shivering.
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The shivering progresses
to an uncontrollable shivering.
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Shivering is the body's way
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of generating critical heat
to keep you alive.
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But if body temperature continues
to fall, hypothermia deepens.
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Then the shivering stops,
and that's the beginning of the end.
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When you stop shivering, the body is
losing its ability to rewarm itself.
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So, it is failing.
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Everything slows down -
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metabolism slows down,
so, the heartbeat slows down,
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the breathing slows down,
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and all the cells slow down,
including the brain.
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Left unchecked, severe hypothermia
like this will lead to death.
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A fact one hiker discovered
all too tragically.
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In March, 2004,
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Russell Cox set off on a day trip
with his wife, Brenda.
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They went hiking in
the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
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It's a region famous
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for its unpredictable
and sometimes extreme weather.
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The day that we started out,
the weather was sort of mixed.
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There was blue sky,
there were some clouds,
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but we just intended to do
a day hike and return to the car.
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To document their day, Russell took
photos of Brenda as they climbed.
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We got about three quarters
of the way up,
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and the weather began to change.
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We were hiking up
into the clouds now,
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and the snow was sort of
lightly falling.
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But as they got higher,
the snow began to fall harder.
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The wind picked up, and the snow
especially picked up,
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which meant that
the visibility was poor.
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00:14:50,040 --> 00:14:53,720
They reached the summit,
but when they headed back down,
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they walked into a full blizzard.
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00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,720
The sky and the ground
sort of took on this greyness.
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00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:03,720
It was becoming hard to tell
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where the ground ended
and where the sky began.
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00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,360
Russell and Brenda were soon lost
in the white-out.
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In the freezing cold,
they quickly became hypothermic.
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00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:21,920
We would go into these
uncontrollable shivers.
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It was so cold that I remember
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I didn't want to lift my arms
out of just hugging my body.
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00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:32,120
Trapped in the blizzard,
they got colder and colder.
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00:15:35,800 --> 00:15:41,120
At one point, I realised that Brenda
had not shivered in a while,
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00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,920
and, um,
I began to become concerned.
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With no shivering to generate heat,
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the -40-degree temperatures
did their worst.
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I reached over and I just
put my hand on her thigh,
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and I just felt her,
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00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:03,720
and I immediately
pulled my hand back,
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because at that point,
I realised that she was gone.
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00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,080
Brenda had frozen to death
in the blizzard.
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00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:20,800
The next morning,
Russell was rescued off the mountain.
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00:16:24,160 --> 00:16:27,560
He was airlifted to Massachusetts
General Hospital in Boston.
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00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,160
Russell recovered
from his hypothermia,
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00:16:33,160 --> 00:16:35,000
but suffered terrible frostbite,
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00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:39,360
losing 70% of his right foot
and 30% of his left.
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00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:44,280
But, of course,
the real tragedy was Brenda.
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36 hours in the freezing cold
was too much,
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and it cost her her life.
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00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:03,200
It was clear that these forces that
we were feeling had overcome us,
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00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,200
and we felt extremely insignificant
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00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,440
in this enormous force
that was happening around us.
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00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:19,800
The freezing conditions on the
White Mountains proved to be fatal.
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00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:30,560
You don't need to venture
into the mountains
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00:17:30,560 --> 00:17:32,280
to get caught in a blizzard.
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00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,320
For one unlucky man,
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00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:41,320
a weekend road trip would become
a 15-day fight for survival.
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00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,000
*
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00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:51,000
*
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00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,680
NARRATOR: The remote wilderness
of the Pacific North-West
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00:18:01,680 --> 00:18:05,360
gets an average snowfall
of up to 15m a year...
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00:18:07,240 --> 00:18:10,040
...making it the snowiest place
in the US.
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00:18:14,960 --> 00:18:19,280
This soft powder might look harmless,
but it's deceptive.
239
00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:27,520
It can bond together,
forming an impenetrable layer,
240
00:18:27,520 --> 00:18:30,160
trapping anyone caught in the open.
241
00:18:34,520 --> 00:18:37,320
That's a fact that
turned a two-day road trip
242
00:18:37,320 --> 00:18:39,920
into a two-week fight for survival.
243
00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:48,160
In November, 2006,
244
00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:50,920
a single car drove toward
the remote mountains
245
00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:53,200
along the Washington-Oregon border.
246
00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:58,440
Its driver, Daryl Jane,
247
00:18:58,440 --> 00:19:01,640
was looking forward to
a weekend break in the country.
248
00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:05,880
MAN: Beautiful day,
middle of November.
249
00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,000
Blue sky,
not a cloud anywhere to be seen.
250
00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:10,600
I was in pants and a T-shirt,
251
00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:14,240
and got about halfway up
the mountain, over the pass,
252
00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:16,800
and started noticing
a little bit of snow.
253
00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,880
As Daryl continued
into the wilderness,
254
00:19:19,880 --> 00:19:22,320
the snow on the ground became deeper.
255
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:27,000
Now 80km from the nearest town,
256
00:19:27,000 --> 00:19:29,600
he became worried about
getting trapped in the snow,
257
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:31,480
and decided to turn back.
258
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,120
I came to a stop,
put my jeep into reverse,
259
00:19:35,120 --> 00:19:37,760
tried to go back,
and my tyres started spinning.
260
00:19:42,720 --> 00:19:45,800
Daryl's car soon became
completely stuck in the snow.
261
00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:51,760
There was no phone coverage.
Daryl was now in deep trouble.
262
00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,760
And things were about to get
a lot worse.
263
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:02,800
(WIND ROARS)
264
00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:09,680
160km away,
a powerful blizzard was building
265
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:12,320
and moving directly towards Daryl.
266
00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,120
The heavy snow and ice had already
blanketed cities and closed roads.
267
00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:31,520
The full force of the blizzard
268
00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:34,120
hadn't yet reached Daryl
stuck out in the hills.
269
00:20:35,360 --> 00:20:37,360
But it wouldn't be long.
270
00:20:44,520 --> 00:20:46,520
Unaware of the approaching storm,
271
00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,120
he decided to try
and get help on foot.
272
00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:58,480
But slogging through deep snow
was heavy going.
273
00:20:58,480 --> 00:21:01,120
(COUGHS)
274
00:21:01,120 --> 00:21:04,400
DARYL: But I'd say I got probably
about 500 or 600 yards away.
275
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:06,040
Then I stopped and I thought,
276
00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,160
'You know, I'm getting
kind of cold right now.
277
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:09,880
It's probably about four o'clock.
278
00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:13,840
I have maybe two hours
of sunlight left.'
279
00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:15,640
And I started feeling
a little fearful
280
00:21:15,640 --> 00:21:18,400
because I'm in the middle
of the wilderness, nobody around.
281
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:23,200
With nowhere to turn, Daryl decided
to go back to his car.
282
00:21:25,560 --> 00:21:27,160
A wise decision.
283
00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:32,800
The leading edge of the storm
was almost upon him,
284
00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:34,480
and in a blizzard,
285
00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:37,080
your chances of survival in the open
are next to nothing.
286
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,840
Especially with a storm this size.
287
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:48,840
The cloud sweeping towards Daryl
288
00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,000
had crossed the Pacific Ocean
for thousands of kilometres,
289
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,600
picking up enormous amounts
of moisture.
290
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:03,560
As these heavy clouds plough into the
mountains running along the coast,
291
00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:07,000
they're forced high
into the icy upper atmosphere.
292
00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,040
Up here, the water vapour
in the clouds begins to freeze,
293
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:13,680
forming snowflakes.
294
00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:20,160
As the flakes
become too heavy to float,
295
00:22:20,160 --> 00:22:24,440
they fall thick and fast,
creating a giant blizzard.
296
00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:33,280
The snowflakes seemed fairly large -
bigger than a normal snowflake.
297
00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:34,960
So, it started piling up very fast.
298
00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:36,840
That's when I really thought...
299
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,320
I thought, 'Uh-oh. I could be
in trouble here.'
300
00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,320
Daryl was now trapped
with no chance of escape.
301
00:22:58,920 --> 00:23:02,160
Daylight began to fade,
and the temperature dropped.
302
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,760
In the car, it was a freezing
30 degrees Fahrenheit.
303
00:23:08,760 --> 00:23:12,040
Daryl tried to dry his wet clothes,
304
00:23:12,040 --> 00:23:15,120
but they immediately iced up
in the numbing cold.
305
00:23:16,560 --> 00:23:18,360
My pants were... They were frozen.
306
00:23:18,360 --> 00:23:22,440
So, I would pick them up,
unfreeze them, kind of...
307
00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:24,320
You know how they get
kind of crunchy?
308
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:31,640
Put them on as best I could,
309
00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:34,800
and they were still kind of just...
putting on like frozen cardboard.
310
00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:36,960
Unable to fend off the cold,
311
00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:39,800
Daryl drifted off
into a fitful sleep.
312
00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:48,280
In the morning,
313
00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:50,920
the blizzard was still raging
with no sign of stopping.
314
00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,760
Day after day, it continued nonstop,
315
00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:59,800
dumping nearly 60cm of powder
over the region.
316
00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:05,080
For almost a week, Daryl
was at the mercy of the snowstorm,
317
00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:08,320
trapped in freezing,
solitary confinement.
318
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,840
As that blizzard kept
getting heavier and heavier,
319
00:24:12,840 --> 00:24:14,640
I thought, 'There's a good chance
320
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:16,840
I'm going to just
get buried alive out here.'
321
00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:22,160
The blizzard just kept
coming and coming,
322
00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:24,280
and so I felt it was kind of cruel,
you know?
323
00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:26,360
Nature was really
just handing it to me,
324
00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:29,200
and I remember shouting out
to the sky a few times,
325
00:24:29,200 --> 00:24:31,960
'Just give me a chance,'
because this storm was ridiculous!
326
00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:39,840
Fortunately,
Daryl had a few basic supplies,
327
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:41,720
including a few litres of water.
328
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:47,240
But he had very little with which to
fight off the freezing temperatures.
329
00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:53,080
The only relief from the intense cold
was the car's heater.
330
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:56,200
(FAN WHIRRS)
331
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:59,200
But with no idea
how long he'd be trapped,
332
00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,800
Daryl rationed the heat
to just 15 minutes twice a day.
333
00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,360
I knew I needed that heat,
that defrost,
334
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:09,800
even that few minutes in the morning
and the evening.
335
00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,680
I really felt it was saving me.
336
00:25:17,640 --> 00:25:21,520
Now, after over a week
trapped in freezing temperatures,
337
00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,000
the cold began
to affect Daryl's mind.
338
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,080
I just started hallucinating.
339
00:25:28,080 --> 00:25:30,120
I kept thinking
I was hearing a helicopter.
340
00:25:30,120 --> 00:25:32,840
I'd go, look out, and there wouldn't
be anything there,
341
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:38,080
and this sound sort of just started
playing in my mind all the time.
342
00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,240
(HELICOPTER WHIRRS)
343
00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,120
It didn't stop. I just kept
hearing it, hearing it, hearing it.
344
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:58,440
Convinced that rescue helicopters
were flying over head,
345
00:25:58,440 --> 00:26:01,000
Daryl started clearing the roof
of his car
346
00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:04,120
so he'd be easier
to see from the air.
347
00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:12,560
After over a week in the blizzard,
the cold was slowly killing Daryl.
348
00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:18,520
Just being outside
for 10, 15 minutes -
349
00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:21,120
freezing, uncontrollable shaking.
350
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:24,560
My mind would start to go.
351
00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:27,000
I could tell when my brain
was getting too cold.
352
00:26:38,080 --> 00:26:41,520
The constant snow forced Daryl
to stay in his car.
353
00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:45,800
His situation
was about to become even worse.
354
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:52,760
The snow that had been falling
for ten days
355
00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,800
was now beginning to fall
in supersized flakes -
356
00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,080
the most dangerous type of snow.
357
00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,680
In a blizzard, the bigger the flakes,
the more moisture they contain.
358
00:27:06,000 --> 00:27:09,560
The big wet flakes bond together
and set like concrete.
359
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,200
This type of snow can bury anyone
caught out in the open.
360
00:27:16,960 --> 00:27:18,640
This is bad news for Daryl.
361
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,000
After days trapped in the blizzard,
362
00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,240
the heavy layers of snow and ice
settling on his car
363
00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:30,000
finally reached a critical mass,
and sealed him inside.
364
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:36,480
It was completely sealed shut.
365
00:27:39,240 --> 00:27:42,360
I couldn't get out the passenger
side, I couldn't get out the back.
366
00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,200
So, that was my only exit
and my only way to get oxygen in.
367
00:27:46,200 --> 00:27:49,080
Claustrophobic and desperate for air,
368
00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,400
Daryl attempted
to force the door open.
369
00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:57,800
Ah!
370
00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:05,560
He was free, but the fear
of being buried alive haunted him
371
00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,120
for his final few days in the storm.
372
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:14,920
Nightfall on day 14,
373
00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,960
and the blizzard
is finally starting to clear.
374
00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:25,200
After two weeks of constant snow,
375
00:28:25,200 --> 00:28:28,520
the clouds suddenly thin
and the stars come out.
376
00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,640
But when the clouds break up,
377
00:28:33,640 --> 00:28:37,240
the insulation they'd been providing
also disappears,
378
00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,880
and the temperature plummets
to a freezing seven degrees.
379
00:28:40,880 --> 00:28:44,000
DARYL: The temperature dropped
drastically.
380
00:28:45,720 --> 00:28:48,120
The inside of the jeep
was like a meat freezer.
381
00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:52,160
Believing he might not survive,
382
00:28:52,160 --> 00:28:54,680
Daryl decided
to write a goodbye note.
383
00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:00,400
It felt like my body was freezing,
and I could feel it freezing.
384
00:29:00,400 --> 00:29:03,120
So, the only thing I could do
to sort of ward off that cold
385
00:29:03,120 --> 00:29:04,960
was just to constantly keep
in motion.
386
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:08,880
I really felt that
if I'd drifted off to sleep,
387
00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:11,240
that would've been it,
I would've frozen to death.
388
00:29:12,720 --> 00:29:17,120
In the deadly cold, Daryl desperately
tried to stay awake and alive.
389
00:29:23,440 --> 00:29:26,440
Day 15, and the blizzard
was finally over.
390
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:31,960
But after two weeks
in the freezing cold,
391
00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,280
Daryl had almost given up hope.
392
00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:39,240
He drifted off into a state
of deep unconsciousness.
393
00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:41,680
Only a miracle could save him.
394
00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,920
(MOTOR WHINES)
395
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:50,200
DARYL: And next thing I knew,
I heard this high-pitched sound,
396
00:29:50,200 --> 00:29:53,640
and I sat up, and I thought,
'That's not a hallucination.'
397
00:29:55,440 --> 00:29:57,960
And I look up, and there was a guy
on a snowmobile.
398
00:30:00,680 --> 00:30:04,120
The search and rescue operation
that had been scouring the region
399
00:30:04,120 --> 00:30:06,160
had finally found Daryl.
400
00:30:08,200 --> 00:30:09,880
MAN: I'll get you out, OK?
401
00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:11,680
Just such a feeling of elation.
402
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,080
The pinnacle moment of my life,
I think, knowing that I'd made it.
403
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:20,520
I couldn't really believe it.
It was hard to believe.
404
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:27,520
Daryl had lost 5kg, but, incredibly,
he suffered no long-term effects.
405
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:32,440
He survived the snowstorm
because he stayed in his car.
406
00:30:35,880 --> 00:30:39,080
But there's one place on Earth
where the blizzards are so fierce
407
00:30:39,080 --> 00:30:43,520
that even experienced explorers
are lucky to get out alive.
408
00:30:52,800 --> 00:30:56,840
Patagonia - a remote land of rock,
snow, and ice.
409
00:31:02,840 --> 00:31:04,840
On the southern tip of South America,
410
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:09,280
Patagonia is located in one of
the most windswept regions on Earth.
411
00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:15,440
At this southern latitude,
the ocean storms that form here
412
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,200
can sweep right around the globe
unchecked,
413
00:31:18,200 --> 00:31:20,640
gaining in strength as they go.
414
00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:27,200
When these winds hit the icy world
of Patagonia,
415
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,240
they race over the surface,
416
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,080
whipping up huge amounts of snow
into the air.
417
00:31:36,080 --> 00:31:38,520
This creates a violent type
of snowstorm
418
00:31:38,520 --> 00:31:40,640
known as a ground blizzard.
419
00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:55,560
Steve Ogle and Chad Sayers
are two explorers
420
00:31:55,560 --> 00:32:00,000
with first-hand experience
of these ferocious ground blizzards.
421
00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:03,320
MAN: I think Patagonia
is defined by the wind.
422
00:32:03,320 --> 00:32:06,720
You'll never really know
what it feels like
423
00:32:06,720 --> 00:32:10,360
to encounter a real storm
in Patagonia
424
00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:13,000
until you go out there
and experience it yourself.
425
00:32:14,000 --> 00:32:19,440
The way the wind moves in Patagonia,
it comes sometimes in fierce gusts.
426
00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,400
You know, you just can't predict it.
427
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:26,960
In 2004, Steve and Chad shot
this expedition video.
428
00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,760
They were attempting to ski across
a never-before-visited part
429
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,040
of the Southern Patagonian Ice Cap.
430
00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:42,960
We trekked all over this Patagonian
place, so we're very thirsty.
431
00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,360
At first, everything seemed fine.
432
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:49,560
STEVE: The weather was incredible.
433
00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:53,440
It was calm, clear, warm.
It was like paradise.
434
00:32:53,440 --> 00:32:55,280
CHAD: They were postcard days.
435
00:32:55,280 --> 00:32:58,280
Initially, we were thinking,
'This is too good to be true.'
436
00:32:59,800 --> 00:33:03,840
But, in Patagonia, weather like this
can change in a heartbeat.
437
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:13,120
30km away, a powerful Pacific storm
was rolling in off the ocean,
438
00:33:13,120 --> 00:33:15,280
moving directly towards them.
439
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:18,240
And just like that, it got black.
440
00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,160
And it started coming in.
The wind picked up.
441
00:33:27,920 --> 00:33:30,200
They pitched a tent
to get out of the wind.
442
00:33:31,680 --> 00:33:35,640
We had 100mph winds
hammering our tent.
443
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:37,800
It sounds like a freight train.
Really loud.
444
00:33:37,800 --> 00:33:39,560
You can barely talk to each other.
445
00:33:39,560 --> 00:33:41,880
You literally
couldn't hear yourself think.
446
00:33:41,880 --> 00:33:45,280
You know, it was just so violent.
447
00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,120
As the wind tore across the ice cap,
448
00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:51,160
it hurled any loose surface snow
into the air.
449
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,440
The explorers were caught in
one of Patagonia's ground blizzards.
450
00:33:57,280 --> 00:33:59,840
For three days,
they remained in their tent
451
00:33:59,840 --> 00:34:04,280
as it slowly began to get buried
under the wind-driven snow.
452
00:34:06,400 --> 00:34:09,120
STEVE: Every particle of snow
that blew across that ice cap
453
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:13,440
would cover the tent,
and we got buried pretty bad.
454
00:34:15,400 --> 00:34:18,800
With their tent now about to collapse
under the growing weight of snow,
455
00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:21,040
they were forced
to face the blizzard,
456
00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,720
and begin the endless job
of digging themselves out.
457
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,160
You had your goggles on
and you were right rigged up,
458
00:34:32,160 --> 00:34:34,520
and you weren't going five feet
away from that tent
459
00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:36,160
because you'd never find it again.
460
00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:41,840
If you left part of your pocket open
when you went outside,
461
00:34:41,840 --> 00:34:44,280
within ten minutes,
it would be packed full of snow.
462
00:34:44,280 --> 00:34:46,960
It was just so powerful,
463
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:49,000
and it was, like,
sticking to you like glue.
464
00:34:52,840 --> 00:34:56,760
They remained trapped in their tent
for ten more days.
465
00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,680
The build-up of snow
threatened to bury them completely.
466
00:35:04,280 --> 00:35:06,120
There was a lot of fear.
467
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,760
I think basically
one of the primeval fears
468
00:35:08,760 --> 00:35:10,960
of being buried alive.
469
00:35:12,400 --> 00:35:15,240
When we were in that tent and that
storm was hitting us so hard,
470
00:35:15,240 --> 00:35:19,200
we really felt like we could just
disappear out there.
471
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:23,840
The storm raged nonstop
for two weeks.
472
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:39,120
Their food was running low
and they were completely exhausted
473
00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:41,240
when the storm finally eased up.
474
00:35:42,640 --> 00:35:45,440
There was now
2.5m of snow.
475
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:54,200
Incredibly, this level of blizzard
is not that unusual.
476
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:00,320
The explorers learned that
the hard way.
477
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:07,880
It's a real experience, being out
there in a Patagonian blizzard.
478
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,160
You know, the snow
flying all around you,
479
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:11,800
getting knocked over by the wind.
480
00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:15,320
It was just beyond anything
that we had ever imagined.
481
00:36:16,320 --> 00:36:18,560
To date, no-one has returned
482
00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,680
to this windswept part
of the Patagonian ice cap.
483
00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:32,080
A blizzard is bad
in more ways than one.
484
00:36:34,120 --> 00:36:37,200
On the ground,
too much snow can be dangerous,
485
00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:40,280
but in the air,
a white-out can be fatal.
486
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,000
*
487
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,000
*
488
00:36:57,880 --> 00:36:59,680
NARRATOR: A blinding winter storm.
489
00:37:01,880 --> 00:37:05,920
This disorientating mix
of snow, clouds and fog
490
00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:07,800
is called a white-out.
491
00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:13,120
In these conditions,
it's easy to get lost in seconds.
492
00:37:17,080 --> 00:37:20,720
Driving blind in a white-out
is a real danger on the ground...
493
00:37:23,520 --> 00:37:25,840
...but in the air, it can be fatal.
494
00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:35,120
January, 2001.
495
00:37:35,120 --> 00:37:39,640
The sun's set on a crisp winter's day
in the high mountains of Utah.
496
00:37:39,640 --> 00:37:42,080
(RADIO CHATTER)
497
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,000
A lightweight plane took off
from a small airstrip.
498
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:49,640
There were two men aboard.
499
00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:51,760
The copilot, Michael Rampton,
500
00:37:51,760 --> 00:37:54,240
was expecting an uneventful flight.
501
00:37:58,040 --> 00:37:59,760
MAN: All we were going
to plan on doing
502
00:37:59,760 --> 00:38:02,000
was circling the airport once
and then landing,
503
00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,200
you know, to check out how it flew.
504
00:38:06,280 --> 00:38:08,280
The weather was pretty good.
505
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,560
I did see a few isolated areas
of some fog.
506
00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:16,320
But after a routine take-off,
the men were in for a nasty surprise.
507
00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:19,880
(RADIO CHATTER)
508
00:38:21,360 --> 00:38:22,960
In the freezing temperatures,
509
00:38:22,960 --> 00:38:26,640
moisture in the air was condensing
into a thick icy fog.
510
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:31,120
MICHAEL: One minute, I'm enjoying
the nice scenery out the window,
511
00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:33,480
and the next minute,
everything just went white.
512
00:38:34,880 --> 00:38:37,680
And I just got a terrible feeling
come over me.
513
00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:40,600
I don't see anything out there.
514
00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:44,680
In white-out conditions, visibility
can drop to just a few feet.
515
00:38:44,680 --> 00:38:46,720
MAN: Tell me if you see lights
or anything.
516
00:38:46,720 --> 00:38:48,440
Jeez, it is just so thick.
517
00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:53,080
We began losing altitude
without actually knowing it.
518
00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:55,520
Can't see anything.
Can't find anything behind us.
519
00:38:55,520 --> 00:38:57,760
They were flying dangerously low
520
00:38:57,760 --> 00:39:01,000
when their flight came
to an abrupt and violent end.
521
00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:03,240
Can't see a thing.
522
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:05,840
One minute we're flying along
and all we see is white,
523
00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:09,320
and then the next minute,
it's just a violent impact.
524
00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,080
(CRASH!)
525
00:39:16,040 --> 00:39:18,240
The plane had crashed
on a frozen lake
526
00:39:18,240 --> 00:39:20,360
and was now balanced on thin ice.
527
00:39:23,520 --> 00:39:26,200
The two men were stranded
on top of the aircraft.
528
00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,920
They were surrounded by ice that
stretched away in every direction.
529
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,840
And worse, they were already soaked
and getting cold.
530
00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,520
MICHAEL: I was shivering
really hard,
531
00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:45,360
and it was a combination
of chattering
532
00:39:45,360 --> 00:39:48,280
and almost involuntary
muscle spasms.
533
00:39:48,280 --> 00:39:53,280
The human body loses heat
25 times faster when wet.
534
00:39:53,280 --> 00:39:55,600
In the frigid night air,
535
00:39:55,600 --> 00:39:59,760
the men had very little time before
they became critically hypothermic.
536
00:40:00,760 --> 00:40:03,920
In my mind, there was a very real
sense of urgency
537
00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,000
because we were cold,
getting colder,
538
00:40:06,000 --> 00:40:08,480
and it was almost like
there was just a clock ticking.
539
00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:12,640
Knowing he had to act fast,
540
00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:16,480
Michael decided to attempt to walk
off the frozen lake to shore.
541
00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:21,080
But he had to walk on ice
just a few centimetres thick.
542
00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:26,040
As soon as I put my weight
on the ice,
543
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:28,680
it was making cracking noises.
544
00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:32,880
And that was very...
That was extremely unnerving.
545
00:40:32,880 --> 00:40:38,120
Every step I took, it would crack
and then it would stop,
546
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,760
and if I held my position,
I wouldn't hear anything,
547
00:40:40,760 --> 00:40:42,520
and as soon
as I started moving again,
548
00:40:42,520 --> 00:40:44,160
the cracking noises would resume.
549
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:51,160
Michael made painfully slow progress
walking in his sandals.
550
00:40:51,160 --> 00:40:54,200
Then the ice began to get
dramatically thinner.
551
00:40:57,400 --> 00:41:00,960
As I got closer in,
it started getting worse.
552
00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:05,640
To spread his weight,
Michael lay flat on the ice
553
00:41:05,640 --> 00:41:07,880
and pulled himself along.
554
00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:12,400
MICHAEL: There was an area
that was just completely dark.
555
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,480
It was open water, and I started
getting a real uneasy feeling.
556
00:41:16,480 --> 00:41:21,080
But then, through the white-out,
Michael spotted the shoreline.
557
00:41:22,240 --> 00:41:25,720
He stood up, and the fragile ice
beneath him broke.
558
00:41:31,880 --> 00:41:33,560
Oh! Oh!
559
00:41:33,560 --> 00:41:36,960
As I was trying to climb back up on
top of the ice, it would break,
560
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,080
and then I would try
to struggle forward,
561
00:41:39,080 --> 00:41:40,920
and it would keep breaking.
562
00:41:44,360 --> 00:41:47,280
Michael finally got out
of the icy water,
563
00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:50,320
but the shock of the intense cold
had taken its toll.
564
00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,520
MICHAEL: It just chilled me
to the bone,
565
00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:56,480
and I just thought, 'This is crazy.'
566
00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:58,600
I could just feel it sucking
the life out of me.
567
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:06,120
Frozen and on the verge of collapse,
Michael finally made it to shore.
568
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:13,800
He was wet, and had been completely
exposed to the freezing night air
569
00:42:13,800 --> 00:42:16,040
for over two hours.
570
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,520
Once on shore, he was just
a few metres away from an airstrip.
571
00:42:23,360 --> 00:42:27,160
Desperate for help, he tried to run
to the airport perimeter,
572
00:42:27,160 --> 00:42:30,680
but his legs were so cold,
they'd lost all feeling.
573
00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:35,200
I just realised how cold
I was at that point,
574
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:37,560
because my brain was trying
to tell my legs,
575
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:39,560
'Run,' you know,
'as fast as you can,'
576
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:42,160
but my legs just
didn't want to move.
577
00:42:44,480 --> 00:42:47,280
It took him minutes
to stumble to the airport.
578
00:42:50,120 --> 00:42:52,360
Hypothermic and lucky to be alive,
579
00:42:52,360 --> 00:42:54,960
his ordeal had pushed him
to the limit.
580
00:42:56,840 --> 00:42:58,440
But he got help,
581
00:42:58,440 --> 00:43:01,120
and his injured companion was rescued
from the wreckage,
582
00:43:01,120 --> 00:43:02,680
freezing, but still alive.
583
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:17,080
Blizzards are a deadly mix
of heavy snow, violent winds,
584
00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:21,680
freezing temperatures,
and white-out conditions.
585
00:43:28,280 --> 00:43:30,600
Anyone caught in the open
586
00:43:30,600 --> 00:43:34,920
stands little chance of surviving
this raging force of nature.
587
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:39,680
itfc subtitles
588
00:44:02,000 --> 00:44:04,000
...**
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