Reader's Digest - USA (2019-08)

betweentwocliffs–thetypethat
wouldnicelylenditselftofilming.
Fitzpatrickreckonedtheycouldaccess
it if theyventured 50 metresacrossthe
mountaintop.Camposagreedand
remindedbothofthemtolookout
forcornices– overhangingmassesof
snowthatclungtotheridgeline,look-
ingdeceptivelyfirmfromabovebut
pronetobreakoffatanymoment.
CamposwatchedasFitzpatrickand
Crouchdisappearedbehindthejag-
gedrocksandbouldersthatmadeup
theridge.Hecouldnolongerseethe
menbutcouldstillhearthemcheck-
inginperiodicallywiththeteamon
theirradios.
Fitzpatrickledtheway,conscious
ofnotveeringfromthezonethey’d
establishedassafe.Ittooka whilefor
himtorealisethatthey’dgonetoofar,
andevenlongertonoticethatCrouch
wasstandingrightona massivecor-
nicethathadbeenheatingupinthe
afternoonsun.
FearcrashedoverFitzpatrick.He
couldn’trushtograbCrouch,ashis
ownbodyweightmightaggravatethe
situation.Itwasbestforthembothto
remaincalm,butheneededtoshout
outa warning.“Becareful!”heyelled.
“Thisisa hangingcornice!”Itwastoo
late.Thesnowandicehadalreadybe-
guntogiveway.
Inasplitsecond,everythingbe-
neathCrouch’sfeetdisappearedwith
theloudestcrackFitzpatrickhad
everheard,followedbya vacuumous
“WOMPF!”Fitzpatrick looked on in

horrorasCrouch,too,disappeared.

Fora time,hecouldhearhiscolleague

screamingasheplummetedalong

with 140 squaremetresofsnowthat

hadbrokenofffromtheridge.Then

heheardthesoundofCrouch’sbody

scrapingagainsttherocksbelow.After

that,nothing.

Fromhisperchonaneighbour-

ingpeak,helicopterpilotJoshPoole

couldseea cloudofsnowrisingup

near where he’d dropped off the

twosnowboarders.The 40 yearold

hadjustlandedhischopper,cutthe

engineandwassittingoutinthesun.

Heknewwhathadhappenedeven

beforeheheardFitzpatrickscream-

ing“Avalanche!Avalanche!”intothe

radio.Heboltedbackintothecockpit

andstartedtheblades.

Liftingintotheair,Poolepushedthe

chopper’snosedownandbeganslic-

ingthroughthekilometreanda half

ofclearblueskythatlaybetweenhim

andthecloudofsnowdissipatingin

thedistance.Meanwhile,Camposand

twootherboarders,MarkTremblay

andJohnJackson,bothalsofeatured

inthefilm,madetheirwayasfastas

they could towards Fitzpatrick, who

INASPLITSECOND,

EVERYTHING

BENEATHCROUCH’S

FEETDISAPPEARED

WITH A LOUD CRACK

56 Augus t 2019

READER’S DIGEST