This video is not for those who are squeamish about seeing others in danger. So think before you click play.
The good news is that 47-year-old Mark Roberts is OK after a terrifying slide last month down an icy cliff in Snowdonia, a region in north Wales. He's "annoyingly immobile and bruised, but mentally fine," Roberts tells the British Mountaineering Council, which has put his helmet-cam video online and posted an interview with the mountain climber "to help others understand just how accidents can happen."
In this case, a climber above Roberts dislodged some ice. Chunks fell toward Roberts, who lost his grip and slid at least 100 feet over rocks, ice and snow.
(Note at 9:15 p.m. ET: As some commenters have suggested, it seems like Roberts slid further than 100 feet — as initial stories stated. That's why we added the qualifier "at least." Now, we see a report from WalesOnline that he traveled 100 meters. That may make more sense. That report is here.)
Asked what he was thinking as he slid, Roberts uses a familiar expletive and then goes on to tell the mountaineering council that:
"There was no feeling of panic, more a concerted effort to protect my head and neck and be aware of what was below me, where I was heading and what I could do to slow and stop myself before I got to the more serious rocky outcrops."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDIxMDkyNjUxMDE0NDY1Njg1NzRiOTRiYQ000))
