Him: *hits ice 5 times* Ice: so I took that personally

The mark of a good climber is a thorough assessment of the climb. warm day - check thin icicle - check feels a bit wobbly - check Assessment complete, let's go.

"So I poured gas all over the wood shed, lit it on fire and walked inside. And that's when I realized; my god, I could burn to death here."

Here is how he survived, for real: In the footage you can see the bottom of his "climb" had a decent slope. as he fell still holding onto the ice that broke off, the sections of ice under him broke some of his fall. As they fractured into sections under him, into the ground. Not only this, the slope at the bottom where the ice hit was at about a 45 degree angle. As he hit the ground still on a large piece of ice, the ice broke under him further reducing the force of impact upon impact. Also, when you fall at and hit at an angle it's like a skateboard ramp, so his inertia shifted from down to sideways at the moment the ice broke under him upon impact. reducing the impact from that fall SIGNIFICANTLY.

I survived a similar thing once, by not doing it.

"He's one of the most sensible guys out there." Yeah,... in the realm of climbing free hanging ice, i guess.

2:39 he is basically hammering away at the very hinge point. several tons of ice are hanging from that wrap-around. its like cutting your abseiling rope right where it runs over the rock.

When he said "it was a warm day", I would think that that fact would discourage climbing on ice.

"Here's how he survived" "The ice was moving and there was nothing I could do about it" So pure luck...

Here's How He Survived - this part is missing.

Definitely super safe to climb a fragile ice structure that is literally dripping on a warm day. If this dude is one of the “safe” ice climbers it’s a miracle these people are still alive

dude brought coffee!!!! what a bro

I saw a picture of a man climbing a frozen waterfall in a magazine about 30 years ago and thought it was the craziest thing ever and had no interest in doing it. But as our climbing experience grew my buddies and I started doing steeper lines on glaciers until we found ourselves doing technical ice. Since then I've done a fair bit of water ice and some mixed climbs. You can certainly misread conditions and get into sketchy conditions. But the majority of ice climbing is done in a methodical and reasonably safe manner on good ice. It's the exceptional stuff that gets the views.

In further news; Guy uses chainsaw to cut the tree branch he was standing on. Says he couldn't believe it when he fell

I live in the area of this video, and was lucky enough to have a few friends take me ice climbing a few times...a lot less extreme as we tied off at the top, lowered down and did multiple climbs from the base...he’s right about the attitude and mentality, every adversity is laughed off... including me on the second road trip up on a very thin road with so much snow you couldn’t see the ditches...We got bumped off the tire tracks of the truck we followed and flew into the ditch... the heaps of snow felt like we hit a pillow. we did pop the bead on a tire and it was flat. We all packed ourselves into the lead truck and knocked on the nearest house asking for directions to a local garage... the local offered to use his tractor and pull it out and fix the bead for NOTHING... without hesitation we handed him the keys and continued on our way,. After a day of climbing we went to the house, car was fixed and the guy wouldn’t let us pay...was one of the best days of my life and this video brings it all back...

GOPRO cameras: helping people get hurt in style since they were put on the market

imagine my shock when the massive, precarious, fragile icicle I trusted my life to...

What saved him was the steep hill under the ice. It gave him a soft landing.

Same thing happend to me, I was hitting a large chunk when suddenly one large piece of ice broke free and launched right at my head and almost made me spill my drink! At time those frost free freezers make ice completely unpredictable.

He fractured the ice with his pick right where the most stress is on the ice column. The top edge where it goes over the rock.

The fact that he saw how thin it was, and was feeling it move early, the whole situation could have been avoided. Glad he's alive but, can't help but think "of course it broke, you idiot!"

I remove ice from buildings in Alaska and the one comment regarding the strike and placement of the strike in a critical spot is very correct. Also the numerous blows in the same spot. This is exactly what I do to remove ice and in that exact spot. If you could see the ice fracture at swing one then two then three and so on you would see he had 4 warnings b4 he had a complete fracture. Then like a bone fracture, the next climber is at risk. Now the punchline... These are my friends (ice climbers in Alaska) So, I suggest when climbing on a skinnier, smaller mass, adjust your swing to achieve bite while minimizing cracking/ penitration. Try to avoid hard (penitrating) blows in the exact same spot. An ice pick or...we use awes create an incredible mechanical 360° wedge to fracture ice, so the tip profile is also important, but create an anchor point to climb not a fracture point to crack, think about this. It's hard to explain but I want my friends to be safe climbing. Tribute to my friend John Greene, Ice Climber, stay safe. You climb, let me do the awe fracturing. Please think through the awe cracking the ice physics here and climb safe and have a blast. . (Another analogy is splitting cedar with a nail, it cracks the wood, as a woodworker we pilot drill holes to avoid cracking the wood. An ice anchor must drill in and be strong (threadwise) but not fracture like the cedar analogy. Ice climbing physics , you see is very very important.. pilot drilling is good. Screw , do not wedge split.. increased knowledge and understanding = increased safety.. Glad this fella is ok. I could bring that ice down with the right frequency. Brittle, harmonic diffraction.

"He's not some yahoo that's like, 'lets ride the icicle'..." lol

Talks up how cautious and sensible he is then proceeds to climb a thin icicle on a warm day and hammers away five times at the very top of the whole thing. Ok.

John: so I went with rock-paper-scissors. Johns friend: Johns the most sensible guy I know.

I'm not even a climber but I still would have imagined that potential outcome and concluded it was reasonably likely enough to occur that I should not climb the ice. That would be my particular survival technique.

This video just randomly popped up in my recommended list. Oh, my! This is John who just rode the Great Divide over the summer of 2020 with Ryan and Kev...and of course Mira! What a surprise!

Mommy! Why daddy had to die? Well, he REALLY wanted to climb that icicle.

Can't imagine that fall. I haven't climbed for years. And never extreme. But my scariest ice adventure was breaking through pack ice on a moving river. A miracle to get back out, even with help. I still don't trust ice with any kind of structural integrity trust..lol. So glad you were good after this.

If you are using “Nice warm day” and “ice climbing” in the same sentence you should probably make sure your life insurance is paid up to date.

Glad he’s okay but honestly surprised this (ice fracturing) doesn’t happen a lot more. It seems patently unsafe.

Basically: So I was hanging on this rope and cut it, then I fell. Man I was lucky survived.

My man doesn’t have just one guardian angel on his side, he has a whole team of them. 💪

I haven’t seen the long distance video where he falls but it’s clear enough that the reason why he didn’t die here is because he was on top of that big ice chunk and not at the beginning of it. So that once it collapsed, being on top reduced the impact with the ground. It’s not luck, it’s physics.

Came for the intriguing title, stayed for the comment section. Y'all are killing it.

for anyone who doesnt know yet this guy has an amazing bikepacking channel with his dog. cant stress enough how good it is and so funny i knew he looked familiar!! you legend

Wow that's amazing. Imma stay at home tho.

“I can make mistakes, and learn from them.” ... so, did you climb the next day. “Oh yeah, ski out, went home, climbed the next day.”

When he said it was “super thin, at the beginning” but he started anyway,if he keeps using that logic on his climbs he will be a newspaper clipping one day.

Guy: He's a reasonable, genius climber! Climber: It's warm out. Let's wack at ice and climb on it.

there is no information one can learn from ice climbing, except that it's unpredictable.... period!

4:35 medic!! he needs coffee, stat!

The upper chunk of ice stayed intact for at least a moment - when it hit the ground below him at an angle it formed a ramp that slid him to the ground already moving sideways instead of just Wiley Coyote-ing a big ass hole into the top of the rubble. Because he was moving sideways he was able to slide down the slope with relatively little additional force from the ground. Basically, the chunk of ice and the existing slope formed a progressively shallower ramp for him to slide down. He got lucky doing something fantastically stupid.

That had to hurt, though- he should probably put ice on it.

I thought about doing that but realized I’m not an idiot

Everybody's who comments on this doesn't get the fundamental idea behind climbing. We climb 'because it's there'. If you have to do the first pitch without rope, that's pretty common for ice climbing. He's a grown man, let him do what he wants

As a climber I can say that all climbers are quite mad. Great people!

His friends- ‘whoa dude! Gnarley! We got that all on video!”

You can only learn from your mistakes if you LIVE through it, then recall, run it over in your mind, and think what you could have done to prevent what happened. Many people don't get that chance. We're glad he did! On the 3rd and 4th pick (of his 5) I think I saw the ice crack a bit. What I want to know is HOW FAR did he fall? Did he fall a ways and slide with the ice down farther, or just plunk and stop? Whatever, he was very lucky. I would have liked to see the footage taken from a distance away instead of his head cam. It's a bit hard to tell how far he was from the bottom below that ice pillar.

This sounds like drug addiction.

what a fall, glad you are alive. That face was definatley sun exposed as its a southeast facing aspect and id say that warmer temperatures were the cause of the ice's britleness. be safe out there guys.

Indeed, I really admire ppl who push the boundaries. Thumbs up from the safety and comfort of my 🏠.

I applaud anyones right to do such things but question his "'Impeccable judgement'" as presented here. I rode a crotch rocket daily for 15 yr.s, but eventually figured I had sort of spent my luck and quit while still fully intact.

The information I learned from this, as the failed climber put it, is that it would be best to not climb ice walls.

I'm glad you are here to share the story ;^)

Got that amazing thing in extreme sports that many do not get. The second chance.

Everyone commenting hate on this mans passion, he's a mountain guide and rope access supervisor. That means he's hanging on a rope in much worse conditions than this every day of the year. He makes more money in half a year than 90% of the ppl commenting and enjoys his job. Yes it's dangerous, but that's his choice. I'm a climber myself and take all precautions but eventually something must go wrong. It's part of life

Ice climber playing Russian roulette _ loads 5 bullets

Live to conquer another day on the ICE !!! No surrender..

Amazing how it always is the “safe” “ cautious” guys who end up in these situations. It just makes you wander.

I took an ice tray out of the freezer and two cubes fell on my toes. I know how he feels.

Meanwhile, I fall 6 feet onto dirt and can not walk for month. Some people have all the luck.

Live another day...‼️Blessings🙏

Fate doesn't offer many of these passes. When you tempt fate, you lose.

I can only imagine that footage from a distance would have been freakishly scary.

Where's the other footage (from the side)?

Y'all kind of left out the whole "how he survived" part of the film! ffs!!

Apparently he survived by falling from a height where his wounds were nonlethal. Incredible story!

that was amazing. I'm so glad you are ok. good job.

And at that moment, John knew, he fucked up... He's pretty luck to survive

I've learned from living in NY State And CT that icicles are precarious. They are formed slowly and eventually reach a breaking point, where the foothold isn't strong enough to support the weight. If you add your weight plus breaking the surface tension with your picks, it's like standing on top of a ridge only to realize you're on top of a giant snowbank, and your weight is the straw that causes the avalanche.

Things like this should make a person more appreciative of life and the value of life. Not that he isn't or wasn't, but usually times like this make a person question their own existence and usually ignites a drive to live with more intentional purpose.

Wow man, ice climbing is so dangerous! This could EASILY have turned out much worse. He sure was lucky!

Wonderful! what a great story! This gentleman owes his life to Sheer randomness, he's so damn lucky not to have been dismembered with those tens-of-tons ice rocks falling and rolling. Glad that he's alive.

Fabulous story. Glad you were not hurt or killed...

This guy is a true man. Putting it all on the line to follow his passion.

Wow!!! Amazing!!! When it's not your day, it's not your day

great video and great passion!

Climber: You get that? Buddy: Yeah, hot cocoa. Climber: No, VIDEO! Buddy: Oops forgot, do it again.

'' At that point there was no down climbing.'' ? Had the ice below you fallen off? Video starts off with the immortal quote '' It was a warm day......''

"heres how he survived" he fell and slid down the hill, the ice didnt hit him and he was okay

Glad to see he's ok! Some people live a life of adventure and fulfillment. Climbing, Hiking, Racing Formula Ford, Formula Atlantic, Sport fishing, Diving, Sky Diving, Snow Skiing, Free climbing, Or just a morning ride on a ZX-10r at 200 MPH. If you're not living you dreams, you're already DEAD!!! LMFAO! Keep on keepin on brother...

ICE PILLAR climbing has got to be on the list of the Last Things on Earth I Would Rather Do before I Die.

1:00 Will Gadd: "...John Freeman, in my view, is one of the safer, more technically sound, well educated, knowledgeable and sensible people out there. He's not some 'Yahoo' that's like, 'let's ride the icicle!' (proceeds to ride an icicle)

The actual SNAP is at 2:43. Rest is dude speaking..

"So I did this dumb thing that most people don't do because it has no benefit or use and is highly deadly, and weirdly, I almost died."

Great video. Thanks for sharing. I think the fact you were at the top of the ice formation when it broke was key. All the tons of ice were below you.

That made me shiver ( and not from the cold!)

Here's how he survived: His freefall time is very hard to determine based on the video but from what I can measure it's somewhere between 1.60 and 1.99 seconds. Theoretically, this means the height of the fall is somewhere between 41.2 and 63.7 feet. This can absolutely be a fatal distance (the median lethal distance for falls is 48 feet). However, the falling icicle dissipated a lot of his momentum when it hit the ground. If the distance from his feet to the bottom of the icicle was 20 feet, for example, then you can think of this as two or more falls. One fall was from 50 to 20 feet, then from 20 to 0 feet. Realistically, his shoes probably cut through the ice which dissipated momentum, the icicle crumbled on impact which dissipated more momentum, and the icicle hit an inclining slope which probably dissipated the most momentum. The bottom line is that his speed, and therefore impact force, was slowed by quite a few factors. The clear takeaway from this is to stay on top of a breakaway object for, you know, all you icicle climbers out there.

good lord, lucky you John, ii hope you slow down with these extremes sport buddy

Everyone saying climbing is stupid... It’s simply exhilarating. Those who are saying “that rock/ice doesn’t need to be climbed” well, you don’t have to play a game of football/soccer either, but you do because it’s fun.

omg i’m from calgary, i didn’t expect to see a guy that also lives in alberta in this.

typical albertain cowboy.. i liked your dismount after riding that 100 ft ice dragon!

Damn, Owen Wilson got mad old

"One of the safer climbers out there" cut to him run out like 50 feet

Thanks for sharing this, hope you stay safe in the future!

My only question is... Why the fuck are you climbing an ice mountain in the middle of nowhere in -50 degree weather? How is that fun?

It's odd what motivates people for their fun. I can't imagine climbing anything, especially ice.

We've all heard the expression; "Crazy Cannuck"?? There's your definition. I too am another Cannuck, just not that crazy!! lmao! Hey John....break a leg eh!! HA!!

"I thought of other scenarios that could have occurred", yeah, like not trying to climb a huge frigging icicle when there is a nice cold beer back at the sports bar.