Leap of Faith | National Geographic

only a few hundred yards behind them
Willi Prittie and the Seavey brothers
are also preparing for the final push
little slick out here net I think we
need to put something on our feet to
give us better coverage this trio is not
roping up to traverse the glacier
they’re only relying on one specific
tool to handle the conditions where
these things call crampons and though
these sharp spikes that you have fixed
at the bottom of shoes or boots that you
have you’re not gonna have to worry
about slipping and sliding and falling
into classes and doing this other stuff
you stomp your foot down those points
stick in and they stick okay let’s do it
strapped in on the move they’ve got
under two hours to reach the LZ covering
the last three miles will be a harrowing
test of their focus navigating on
glaciers is factually very difficult you
can’t go in a straight line you’re
constantly jumping crevices and
zigzagging back and forth one misplaced
eft and you’re sliding right down on
these crevasses kind of the first deep
for rasp we’ve run into
looks like it goes on a long ways here
too I don’t see where the practice one
that goes plenty far down there sure
dies extraction is now only two miles
away but it’s on the other side of this
wide crevasse that runs as far as the
eye can see Wow I say we jump it Wow
look at that land in there though I
think it’s kind of sketchy but it’s a
calculated risk and yeah what can walk
another mile and still have the same
problem it’s gonna be a long ways to
maybe get around it the jump will save
them miles of dangerous travel but it
comes with serious risks if you miss it
it’s a long ways down and it’s not a
pretty ending that’s for sure if the
fault isn’t breaking you’re gonna be
wedged between two giant slabs of ice
and freeze the deaths so not a real
appetizing thought with time running out
they decide to take the risk I’m going
for it before I change my mind
you