TRAPPED INSIDE A GLACIER
44 | May• 2019
OHN ALL unzipped
his tent, poked his
shaggy blond head
out into the thin
alpine air, and took
in the view. The sun
sparkled off the
freshly fallen snow
on the jagged peaks and crags of
Mount Himlung. It was just before
10am on May 19, 2014 – a perfect
morning in the Himalayas.
All, a 44-year-old scientist, had
come to Nepal on a research expedi-
tion to collect snow samples for his
study of pollution. His two climbing
partners had retreated down to base
camp until one of them could recov-
er from a stomach ailment. They were
expected back in a d , but for
now, All was alone metres.
Climbing solo in the Himalayas is
never advisable, but All’s plan was to
remain cautious, stay close to camp,
and begin collecting samples. But
first, he was dying for a cup of coffee.
He grabbed his snow axes and
walked towards a flat area a short dis-
tance away that looked like an ideal
spot to gather fresh snow to melt for
water. The temperature was around
-1°C. After weeks at high elevation,
that felt positively balmy, so All was
dressed lightly in wind pants, a thin
jacket over a T-shirt, and hiking boots
with crampons – metal spikes that
help climbers traverse icy terrain.
He took a step and then another. Sud-
denly the ground gave way beneath
him, and he plunged into darkness.
All’s face smashed into something
hard as he plummeted downwards.
He instinctively reached out with his
right hand, trying to jab an axe into
the ice to slow his progress, but the
weight of his falling body wrenched
his arm out of its shoulder socket,
ng behind a mess of shattered
and torn soft tissue.
he careened against the icy walls
with growing speed, his mind seemed
to slow down. He realised with horror
what had happened: he had stepped
into a crevasse, a crack that had
opened in the glacier and extended
down who knew how deep?How did
I make this mistake?he thought. Then
he had another thought:there’s no
way you can survive a crevasse fall.
All’s right side slammed into
something hard, his fall stopping
with a crunch of bones.I’m dead, he
thought. Then he felt his lungs heav-
ing, straining to suck wind back into
his body, each gasp bringing a jolt of
excruciating pain.
He looked down and saw his legsINDIANEPALMount
HimlunKathmanduMount
EverestPHOTOS: COURTESY JOHN ALL