John All's Himalayan Crevasse Climbout

In May 2014, American scientist John All was doing climate research in the Himalayas of Nepal when a snow bridge collapsed beneath him and he plunged about 70 feet into a crevasse. The fall shattered 15 bones, left him with a broken arm, broken ribs, and internal bleeding, and trapped him on an ice ledge with sheer walls above and below.

Knowing no one had seen him fall, he filmed short video messages and then spent hours hauling himself upward with one good arm, crampons, and an ice axe, inching up the jagged, unstable ice. After finally reaching the surface, he crawled and staggered back toward camp so he could call for help, surviving long enough for a helicopter evacuation and emergency treatment.

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