Climber navigates narrow snow bridge above 3000m crevasse in the French Alps

  • 2 years ago
This vertigo-inducing footage shows a man navigating a narrow snow bridge above 3000-meter high crevasse in the French Alps. Ex-Royal Marine, Tim Howell, 31, had just completed a climb of the north face of the Grandes Jorasses, a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. Due to the recent heatwave, many of the routes in the Alps were closed which meant Tim had to brave this terrifying narrow snow bridge. Tim, from Martock, Somerset, knew that as access was so limited it was the only route through the crevasses and off the mountain. He said: “We were so tired. We had completed a climb of the Grandes Jorasses so we just wanted to get back down off the mountain.” He spent his time in the Alps finishing his seven-year-long project of climbing the six "great north faces of the Alps", which he completed a few days later when he climbed the Matterhorn to wingsuit from the summit. In 2021, Tim base-jumped in a wingsuit from the Grandes Jorasses summit that he reached using the route he was now using to descend. He described that the glacier had changed so much in a year that he had no idea the scarily-thin snow bridge would be there. Tim said: “We knew we just had to pass it but, especially after this very dry and hot summer, it has become very dangerous.” The thrill-seeker emphasised how important it is for him to know what skills and techniques are needed to rescue someone if they fall in the crevasses and to remain prepared if a situation like this happens. This video was filmed on August 4.