TRAPPED INSIDE A GLACIER
46 | May• 2019
crushedvertebrae.Hisrightarmwas
useless,andtheribsonhisrightside
wereshattered.Hisabdomenfeltsore
andstiff,a signofinternalbleeding,
andhehadacopperytasteinhis
mouth,anindicationofpossiblekid-
neyorliverdamage.Hetouchedhis
face:bloodfromgougesinhiseye
socketandforeheadhadcongealed
inthecold,stoppingthebleeding.
It tookAll almosttenminutes
justtowrenchhimselfuprightand
squirmovertoasecureperchon
hisblockofice.Theeffortlefthim
panting.Alreadyhecouldfeelhis
bodyshiveringandhisfingersbe-
comingnumb.By4pm,theshadows
castby thehighmountainpeaks
would leave him in the dark and
unabletoclimb.Hispartnersweren’t
scheduledtocomebacktocampuntil
thenextdayorthedayafter.Bythen,
hewouldbefrozentodeath.
Hehadroughlysixhourstomake
it tothesurfaceandtohistent,orhe
woulddie.
All,a researcherusedtomaking
a recordofeverythinghedoes,now
reachedinhispocket,broughtouthis
camera,andpressedrecord.“Thank
GodI stoppedonthisledge,”hesaid
to the camera, his breath ragged,
spattersofbloodvisibleinthesnow.
“HowdoI getbackupthere,though?”
Abovehim,thesnowwassoft;the
airfromthecrevassecondensedon
thewallsandlefta surfacethecon-
sistencyofwhippedcream.Wherehe
hadlanded,thewidthofthecrevasse
wasabouttwometres,buttohisright,
100 metresaway,thefissureappeared
tonarrow.If hewaslucky,it justmight
benarrowenoughforhimto‘chim-
ney’hiswayup,orclimbbybracing
hisbodyagainstbothsidesofthe
crevasseuntilhereachedthesurface,
allwhileusingonlyonearm.First
though,hewouldneedtogetthere,
usinghiscramponsandsnowaxesto
moveacrossthewallofsheerice.
All kicked the points of his cram-ponsintotheiceuntiltheyheld.
Withhislefthand,heplantedone
axeateyelevel,thenhereachedthe
samehandacrosshisbodytoplant
theotheraxeasfartotherightas
possible.Clutchingthefirstaxe,he
shuffledhisfeettotheright,kicked
hiscramponsintotheice,shiftedhis
weight,andthengrabbedthesecond
axe,againwithhislefthand.His
bodyscreamedwithpain,buthehad
moved.Nowhejusthadtodo this a
few thousand more times.BENEATHHIM,THE CAVERNDISAPPEARED
INTO A BLACK INFINITYPHOTOS: COURTESY JOHN ALL