Le parachutisme est déjà extrême, mais le faire au-dessus de l'Antarctique le porte à un tout autre niveau ! Avec des températures glaciales, des vents violents et presque aucune marge d'erreur, c'est l'un des sauts les plus dangereux sur Terre. L'air est si mince que les parachutistes ont besoin d'oxygène simplement pour respirer alors qu'ils chutent librement au-dessus d'une glace sans fin. De plus, atterrir au mauvais endroit pourrait vous laisser bloqué dans l'un des endroits les plus impitoyables de la planète. Seuls les plus courageux (ou les plus fous) osent faire le saut ! Vous y tenteriez-vous un jour, ou cette folie est-elle mieux laissée aux professionnels ? Animation créée par Sympa.
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Musique par Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com
Pour ne rien perdre de Sympa, abonnez-vous!: https://goo.gl/6E4Xna
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Nos réseaux sociaux :
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sympasympacom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sympa.officiel/
Stock de fichiers (photos, vidéos et autres):
https://www.depositphotos.com
https://www.shutterstock.com
https://www.eastnews.ru
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Si tu en veux encore plus, fais un tour ici:
http://sympa-sympa.com
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FunTranscript
00:00During the summers of 2022 to 2023, more than 100,000 people have explored the Antarctic.
00:11However, it is the highest, most arid, most windy and undoubtedly one of the most dangerous continents on the planet.
00:21Yet, it seems that the idea of staying there amuses some, and the tourist flow continues to grow.
00:27Most visitors access it by cruise ships, making a stop on the Antarctic peninsula, a more peaceful region, easily accessible and rich in wildlife.
00:38They usually land in Field Bay, from where they take on tire canoes to observe icebergs, humpback whales, manatees and orcs up close.
00:49Others choose kayaking or even a helicopter overflight of this immaculate landscape.
00:58For lovers of more intense sensations, a much more extreme activity is gaining popularity. Parachuting.
01:07However, you would do better to think about it twice before taking the risk.
01:11Only the bravest can afford the unique experience of a free fall above the 6th continent.
01:17But few are those who will one day have the opportunity to try such a jump.
01:21Even the specialized companies warn that this activity is strictly reserved for chevron parachutists.
01:28Because, even for the most experienced, this exciting adventure can, in an instant, turn into a nightmare.
01:41This is exactly what happened to a group of 6 men in December 1997.
01:47In just 30 seconds, their long-awaited jump turned into a desperate struggle for their survival.
01:53This group consisted of 3 Americans, 2 Norwegians and 1 Austrian, all confirmed parachutists.
02:00One of them, a former captain of the Air Force, had some 750 jumps on his record.
02:06For these men, throwing themselves into the void above the Antarctic seemed to be nothing more than a new exciting adventure, or perhaps even the quintessence of freedom.
02:16The beginning of their journey went smoothly.
02:19Arriving in Chile, they had to wait 4 days for the weather conditions to improve at Patriot Hills, the base camp in Antarctica.
02:28In the meantime, they killed time at the hotel, wasting the moment of departure.
02:32The American and Austrian parachutists aspired to set a record.
02:37Since they were not the first to jump above the South Pole, they decided to innovate.
02:42One of them proposed that instead of jumping individually, they would perform a 4-man flight.
02:48A practice known as relative flight, where the parachutists clung to each other in the sky.
02:56The idea seduced everyone.
02:58If everything went smoothly, they would make history.
03:03Alas, nothing went as planned.
03:12On December 3, they finally took their flight to Antarctica and settled in the Patriot Hills camps.
03:18Where tents in brilliant colors were detached from the massif of the Ellsworth Mountains.
03:23Although it was summer, the temperatures were still close to minus 10 degrees, a less extreme cold than one might imagine.
03:31Although little connected them at first, they quickly became friends.
03:36It must be said that they lived an extraordinary adventure, united by their common passion for parachuting.
03:42While waiting for their flight, they equipped themselves and inspected their equipment at least 4 times.
03:48Then came the decisive moment.
03:50On board the plane, while they reached 2,400 meters above the pole, some managed to use oxygen bottles.
03:59At this altitude, it is unusual for parachutists, but Antarctica imposes its own rules.
04:05The Antarctic soil was already more than 2,800 meters above sea level.
04:11This meant that they were actually evolving at more than 5,200 meters.
04:16An altitude where the air is dangerously rarefied.
04:19A lack of oxygen could alter their lucidity, their perception and their reactivity.
04:25The rarefied air represented another danger.
04:28With less resistance, the fall accelerated, leaving little time to correct a trajectory or stabilize a position.
04:35But at this moment, carried by excitement, they were probably not aware of the risks of a jump above Antarctica.
04:42It was too late to retreat.
04:44At the exit point, they all plunged into the icy air, spinning at about 320 km per hour.
04:52During the free fall, they had to face temperatures that could go down to minus 73 degrees.
05:02They were close to setting a record by making a flying figure, their hands and feet firmly hooked.
05:08But a problem appeared.
05:10Michael Cairns, one of the Americans, suddenly felt disoriented.
05:15Without any landmark, he no longer knew where the top or bottom was.
05:19Unlike a jump above a city, where buildings and trees offer clear visual references,
05:25Antarctica was only a uniform desert at a loss of view.
05:29Sun, snow and ice were confused in a blinding white.
05:33A total void.
05:34Cairns took a look at his altimeter and realized that he was already far too low.
05:39Probably barely 300 meters high.
05:42At this height, keeping the parachute closed was a sign of unconsciousness.
05:46The record being compromised, it was now simply a matter of staying alive.
05:55He detached himself from the formation and tried to grab the cord of his lifebuoy.
06:00But the automatic opening had already triggered.
06:03Probably around 180 meters.
06:06At this height, it was impossible to properly cushion the fall.
06:09He bent his legs and knees, tilted backwards and crashed brutally face against the snow.
06:16Silence.
06:17Cairns, stunned, looked for his companions.
06:20The two Norwegians had successfully landed without a hitch.
06:24But the other three had not had that chance.
06:27Two of them had never even had time to open their parachute.
06:31To this day, no one knows for sure what caused the tragedy.
06:35However, the oxygen bottle on board the plane could provide a clue.
06:40The three paratroopers who breathed oxygen during the flight survived.
06:45While those who did not use it did not have that chance.
06:49As mentioned earlier, lack of oxygen affects the brain.
06:53You can feel a deceitful euphoria.
06:56But hypoxia is insidious, because it often goes unnoticed until it is too late.
07:02During his free fall, Cairns tried to warn his companions that something was wrong.
07:07He gave them a sign, but they were content to smile at him before continuing their descent.
07:12It was like dancing on the Titanic's deck, instead of rushing to a lifeboat.
07:18They probably thought they still had time ahead of them.
07:21Have they been submerged by the rise of adrenaline?
07:24Or were they already victims of the effects of hypoxia?
07:27These questions will never remain unanswered.
07:30What seems likely is that lack of oxygen has clouded their perception of altitude.
07:35Preventing them from reacting in time.
07:37Extreme cold will only aggravate the situation.
07:41Temperatures so low can alter the decision-making.
07:45And at the height of the jump, it was about minus 50 degrees Celsius.
07:49With the speed of the fall, the wind cooling could have given the impression of a cold reaching minus 130 degrees.
08:01The Ice Age
08:06Despite the tragedy, all extreme expeditions in Antarctica do not end in disaster.
08:12In 2018, Heather Swan became the first woman to fly over the icy mountains of the continent in a wingsuit.
08:19Accompanied by her husband, she braved the polar cold and gathered all her courage before taking off from 3,700 meters above sea level.
08:27They flew over Glacier Union, a camp nested in the land of Ellsworth, reaching a dizzying speed of 180 km per hour.
08:36But, once again, it should be noted that only experienced experts can accomplish such a feat.
08:43In the case of Swan, it took her no less than 18 years of training to be ready to take off in a wingsuit in Antarctica.
08:51If you have followed so far, you are undoubtedly convinced that jumping in a parachute in Antarctica may not be the most judicious idea.
08:58But what about a simple visit as a tourist?
09:01The question divides.
09:03Those who had the chance to go there, evoke an indescribable experience.
09:08Some even claim that there is something profoundly soothing to be in such a remote place.
09:14As if you were exploring space while staying on Earth.
09:17But paradoxically, those who went there are also the first to want to limit access to it.
09:22Some suggest admiring Antarctica from a distance, because an influx of visitors would risk damaging its fragile ecosystem.
09:29In 2023, the ice cover decreased uninterruptedly for six months.
09:35Faced with this, experts believe that Antarctica should probably not appear on your list of destinations to see before you die.
09:44In reality, it should not appear on anyone's list.