Chapter 5 Chapter 3 The Snowstorm on the Peak

Getting up early in the morning to pack up, this time is much easier than before. The advantage here is that there is enough space to stand and roll up the sleeping pad, pack the sleeping bag, and organize the mountaineering equipment that was thrown away last night. This time it's my turn to play forward.Simon stayed in the snow cave, secured with pitons.I walked cautiously out of the small entrance of the snow cave and stepped onto the sloping ice, the same trough I climbed in the dark last night.I am not familiar with this ground.The solid ice beneath my feet narrowed as I descended, forming a curved funnel, and finally disappeared into the tubular passage I had fought so hard to climb last night.The huge ice sheet climbed yesterday was no longer visible from here.I looked up and to the right, and at a short distance, the top of the trough was covered with a vertical icefall, towering high, but at a gentler angle on the far side, with a passage going up over the icefall to another, higher the erosion ditch.

I tiptoed to the right, then stopped, chipped in an ice pick, and started climbing the side of the icefall.The texture of the water ice here is perfect and I'm enjoying my warm up right now and I'm motivated.I looked back and Simon was sticking his head out from the entrance of the snow cave, helping me to release the rope.The structure of this natural snow cave looked even more perfect than last night, and I couldn't help but marvel at how lucky we were.You know, sleeping out on the top of an eclipse for a night is definitely not comfortable. I climbed along the snow-covered gullies, and by the time I reached the top of the icefall, the rope had run out.Simon caught up with me in no time.

As we thought, the next pitch should reach the overhanging ramp.I said. I stood resting in the ditch as he moved to the right, onto the key slope we had seen long ago on the north summit of Selia, and was quickly out of sight.I reckon we're past the hardest part, just climb that ramp and you'll be able to climb the slope to the summit. I caught up with Simon on the slope, and that's when I realized the puzzle wasn't over.At the top of the slope was a row of toothed seracs, and there seemed to be no passage between the seracs, forming an insurmountable obstacle.The vertical stone walls on both sides of the slope are difficult to climb, and the seracs in the middle are densely packed without a single gap.

Damn it! Well, things are not going well.I didn't expect this to happen. There might be an exit, if not we're stuck.I said. Hope not!It's a long way back. I looked at the neighboring peaks and tried to visually gauge our altitude. Last night we camped at an altitude of about 5,800 meters.So yes, that means we still have 500 meters to climb.I said. I think it should be 600 meters. Well, let’s say it’s 600 meters.But we advanced seven to eight hundred meters on the ice yesterday, and we should be able to reach the summit today. I'm not sure.It depends on how difficult the exit is to climb, and, you know, the last part of the road is full of ice troughs.

I started climbing rapidly up the fifty-five-degree slope.We took turns being the vanguard, talking very little, and concentrating on moving forward.Yesterday we used ice picks to secure every pitch, and the steep ice slowed us down.Today, we felt the constraints of thin air, but the terrain was relatively simple, and we could climb two pitches almost in one go, advancing 45 meters to catch up with the pioneer, and then climbing another 45 meters. Breathing heavily, I dug through the soft surface snow, found a solid layer of ice, screwed in two ice picks, inserted two ice axes above the foothold, tied the rope into the harness, and called Simon to come up.We climbed up the slope for about 300 meters, and now we are close to the serac barrier.I checked my watch, it was one o'clock in the afternoon.We overslept in the morning and started late, but we made it up with ten pitches in four and a half hours.I feel confident and relaxed.We have overcome this route and are sure we can finish it.I couldn't contain my excitement at the thought of my first successful summit on such a tricky face.

As Simon came up, panting, the sun had passed over the serac at the top of the slope, casting a brilliant white light on the rolling snow below us.Simon grinned.I can understand his good mood.Now is the best time, no more struggle, no doubt, nothing to do, just enjoy the feeling. It's better to turn over these ice towers and rest. good!Simon studied the obstacles above and accepted my proposal. See those icicles?We'll go from there. Looking at the large icefall, my first reaction was that it was too difficult to cross. The bottom was obviously overhanging, and the only solid surface was a sloping, smooth ice wall, with a large circle of icicles hanging from the top. , the other parts are powdered ice towers.However, this icefall was the only breach we could find.If you want to try to climb over from here, you have to climb seven or eight meters up from the ice wall, then open a passage through the icicles, and climb up along the ice waterfall with a relatively gentle angle above.

It looks hard! Yeah, I'd rather try the rock first. This rock is too loose. I know, but it might work.I'll have to try it anyway. He moved the pitons, cables, and a pair of live wedges in front of the harness, and moved slowly to the left to the start of the wall.I anchored myself firmly below and to the right of the icefall.The structure of this yellow rock is very loose, and the gap between it and the icefall is covered with vertical powder snow. I watched Simon carefully, because I knew that once he fell, it must be because of the collapse of his feet or hands, and he would fall very violently, instead of slowly sliding down after exhausting his strength.Stretching his arms as far as he could, he lowered the movable wedge high into the crack in the rock wall.The rock wedge is evenly spread in the crack, and the four cams are tightly pressed against the rock wall.If Simon fell, I think it must be due to rock breakage, not a problem with the mobile rock wedge.

He steps carefully, kicking lightly first to check the firmness of the footholds, and to test for looseness by tapping on the holds above his head.He hesitated for a while, stretched his limbs against the wall, grabbed the highest rock as much as possible, and slowly pulled himself up.I was so nervous that I held the rope that was buckled into the surety so that if he fell, I could grab it immediately. Suddenly, the rock point was loosened from the mountain wall. At that moment, Simon maintained the original posture, his hands were still stretched out, but he was grasping two loose rocks.Then he fell, falling backwards into the ditch.I braced myself, thinking the rock wedge would come off too, but it held on and I pulled Simon with ease.

marvelous!I made fun of the unexpected look on Simon's face. Oh shit!Those two stones should be very strong! He came back to me and looked at the icefall again. I don't fantasize about going over the icefall head-on, but if I can get over the right side, it should be over. The ice looks a little fluffy there. Let's try. He climbed along the right side of the icefall, trying to traverse slightly to the right, around the steep ice wall, over the icicles and back to the left.Unfortunately, there the ice turns into honeycombed snowdrifts and sugar-like ice crystals.He struggled to get to a position parallel to the top of the icicle, but couldn't go any further.He was just over six meters above me, and seemed to be trapped. If he climbed back along the route just now, he would probably fall.Finally, he found a thick ring of icicles on the icefall, fastened the rope to it, and rappelled down to me.

I can not make it.Change you. All right!If I were you, though, I'd go a little further to the side.Now I have to knock most of the icicles off. Most of the icicles were thicker than an adult's arm, almost a meter and a half long, and some were even larger.I climbed up the ice, lost my balance by leaning backwards, and immediately felt my arms tense as the pack pulled me down off the ice.I used my crampons to quickly push up along the ice wall, and the ice ax in my hand struck hard into the fragile ice above, pulled myself up, and then pushed again, not daring to slow down at all in order to save energy.As I got closer to the icicles, I realized I couldn't hold out much longer. I was too tired to hold onto the wall with the ice ax with one hand and smash the icicles with the other.I swung the ax furiously until it was deep enough to bear my weight, then clipped the sling to the ax's wrist strap and hung wearily from it.I paid careful attention to the tip of the ice ax embedded in the ice. After making sure that the ice ax could bear all my weight, I pulled out the hammer head and hammered an ice pick into the wall above.

I hung the rope on the ice pick and breathed a sigh of relief, at least there would be no danger of falling more than three meters.The icicles are close at hand.Without thinking about it, I swung the hammer towards the circle of icicles. Even more stupidly, I looked up to see the result. As a result, most of the icicles, which were close to 50 kilograms, hit my head and shoulders, and then smashed Zhong Saimen.We both cursed at the same time.I cursed myself, cursed the pain of cracked lips and broken teeth, and Simon cursed me. Sorry, I didn't think of that. I know that too. I looked up again, and it hurt, but the Hammerhead had done its job, cutting a clear line to the gentler slope above.It didn't take me long to climb to the top of the ice wall, where the chasm was wide but not deep, and I secured the remainder of the rope in the chasm. Simon came up, his body covered with ice particles, and the snow powder blown from the ice waterfall covered his whole body like hoarfrost.He passed me and continued to a small ridge at the end of the slope, which was also the beginning of the slope to the summit.By the time I got to him, he had lit the gas stove and made room to sit comfortably. Your mouth is bleeding.He said flatly. It doesn't matter.It's all my fault anyway. It feels much colder now, because we have no eclipse to hide from, so we are exposed to the cold wind that keeps blowing.For the first time we saw the summit, a giant snow cornice that stretched out on a slope some 250 meters above our heads.We will descend along the ridge that runs down the left side of the summit, but we will not be able to see our way because cirrus clouds keep coming from the east and blocking the view.Bad weather seems to be coming. Simon handed me a cup of hot drink, then tucked into his coat, facing away from the biting wind.He was observing the slopes of the summit, looking for the best route to the summit.What worries us most now is not the grade or technical difficulties, but the nature of the snow on the final stretch.The entire surface of the slope is corrugated with icy troughs, which are etched by the wind and gradually deepen as new snow falls off the mountain wall.We've heard too many stories about glaciated troughs in the high mountains of Peru to like one bit.These glacial troughs are best kept at arm's length.European weather patterns would never have produced such terrifying terrain.The mountains of South America are famous for these ice and snow wonders. Here, the snow powder seems to be able to resist gravity, forming steep slopes of 70 or even 80 degrees, and the mountain edges become twisted and unstable giant snow cornices.In other areas, the snow powder on the mountain will be blown off and can only accumulate on the less steep slopes. Above us there is a band of rock that runs the length of the slope.The rock formations are not steep, but are covered with menacing powder snow, which then re-merges into the snow slope at a height of more than thirty meters, and the higher it is, the higher it becomes steeper.Several glacial troughs run from very close above the rock formation, all the way to the summit.Once we stepped into the trough between the two troughs, we had to find a way to attack the top, because it was impossible to cross the trough and turn into the adjacent trough.Choosing the right trench is crucial.We have seen many erosion trenches eventually become dead ends due to the intersection of two ice erosion troughs.If we look carefully, we should be able to find a few unsealed erosion trenches.However, when I observed the entire slope, I found that the mountain wall was covered with criss-crossed icy troughs and troughs, which made people dizzy like a maze, and no suitable troughs could be found. God!It seems that there is no hope at all!I can't find a way.cried Simon. It seems that we will not be able to reach the summit today. If those clouds brought snow, it would definitely not be possible to reach the summit.what time is it? Four o'clock.There were only two hours left before dark.Better act fast. I wasted precious time trying to cross the rock formation.The slope of this rock formation is like a steep roof. The black rock on the surface is hard. There are only a few small places to step on and grab, and most of them are buried in the snow. It is not at all like the slope we just passed. .I knew that climbing this rock formation was not difficult, but it was located on a completely exposed mountain wall, with a 1,200-meter abyss below, and such an unobstructed environment made me extremely nervous.Simon helped me secure the place where we had just rested. The long rope between us was unprotected, and his only fixed point was an ice ax buried in the snow. I knew very well that if I made a mistake, This assurance point is useless. My left foot slipped and the tips of the crampons slid over the rock.I hate this way of climbing, I have to be careful to maintain my balance, but I can't turn back, I have to stick to it.I struggled to balance between two narrow ledges on the rock, my front paws wobbling, almost slipping.My legs began to shake, and I shouted a warning to Simon.I could hear the tremor in my voice, and cursed myself for letting Simon know my fear.I tried moving up again but was too nervous to finish.I knew it would be easy just to go up a few more steps, and I tried to comfort myself that if the situation wasn't too dangerous, I could go up this route with my hands in my trouser pockets, but I still couldn't shake off my fear.Fear took hold of me. I gradually calmed down and carefully considered the steps I was about to take.When I tried it again, I was surprised how easy it looked.Without knowing it, I leaped over, swiftly ascending the easy-climbing surface.Here the race gate is a little bit in place for securing, I reminded Simon of this and he started climbing along my route.I was so shocked that I couldn't breathe for a while. Seeing Simon crossing the difficult area with ease, I knew that I was actually frightened. I couldn't overcome my fear, which made me very depressed. God!I was just completely stunned!I said. I noticed. Which ditch are we going to take?I wanted to find a more promising one, but found that once I approached it, it was really hard to see which one was not a dead end. I have no idea.That strip looks the widest.I'll go and have a look. Simon walked into the ditch, struggling in the thick powder snow.The walls on both sides were seven or eight meters high, and it was impossible for him to change his route.As he pushed forward, the snow fell on him in waves like an avalanche, sometimes engulfing him completely.The sky soon darkened, and the snow began to fall, becoming more and more violent like the waves of the sea.I sat and waited for two hours directly under Simon, chilled to the bone.The mass of snow he had dug up fell on me, and I couldn't dodge it. I turned on the headlights and realized it was eight o'clock.It took four hours to climb less than a hundred meters, and I seriously doubt we'll ever be able to get over these icy troughs.Finally, a distant, indistinct cry came from among the snow-filled clouds, and I knew I could follow.Despite wearing an arctic jacket and a windbreaker, I was freezing to death.We can no longer sit like this for a long time just to make sure: we have to find a place to sleep on these terrible snow slopes.I couldn't believe what Simon had done to climb a pitch along this gully.The ditch he dug was about an inch long from beginning to end.Two meters deep, one.Two meters wide.He dug as hard as he could to find a more solid layer of snow, only to find a flimsy shell of ice, barely able to bear his weight.Most of the ice shell had broken away during his ascent, so it was very difficult for me to follow his route.It took him three hours to climb, and I could tell he was exhausted by the time I caught up with him.I was also very tired and very cold.Must camp ASAP. The snow is unbelievable! It's fucking horrible.All the way I felt like I was going to fall. We must camp.I was freezing down there. Yeah, but not here.Glacial troughs have become too small. good.You should be the pioneer. I knew it was easier and would prevent the rope from tangling, but then I regretted it because I couldn't keep moving myself.After another long, cold two hours of waiting, I met Simon thirty meters up.He dug a large hole in the bottom of the ditch and set up a security station in the hole. I find some ice. Is it strong?Can it take an ice pick? Better than nothing.If you come in, we can widen it to the side. I squeezed beside him, very worried that the bottom of the snow cave would collapse along the erosion ditch at any moment.We started digging to the side of the ice trough, slowly expanding the snow cave into a cuboid space across the trough, and filling part of the entrance with the excavated snow. At eleven o'clock we slip into our sleeping bags, swallow the last bite of our frozen dinner, and sip the last hot drink of the day. There are nearly a hundred meters to climb.Hopefully it won't be any worse than it was just now. At least the blizzard stopped.But it's damn cold.I feel like my little finger is frostbitten and it's turning white from finger to palm. The temperature must have been close to minus twenty degrees Celsius when we encountered the blowing snow in the gorge, and now the cold wind has brought the temperature down to nearly minus forty degrees Celsius.We were lucky to find somewhere to dig a snow cave.I hope that what awaits us tomorrow is sunny and fine weather. There was a thick layer of ice on the bottom of the gas tank, and I picked it up and slammed it on my helmet, knocking off most of the ice, and stuffed it deep into my sleeping bag, feeling the coolness of the metal on my thighs.Five minutes later, I was curled up comfortably again, with only the nose up above the sleeping bag, staring at the stove with one sleepy eye.The fire was burning brightly, but it was dangerously close to my sleeping bag.Blue light shone through the walls of the snow cave.At an altitude of more than 6,000 meters, we spent a long, miserable and cold night. Water boils on the stove.I sat up, hastily put on my winter and wind jacket and gloves, and fumbled on the wall of the snow cave for bags of juice and chocolate. Drinks are ready. God!I'm freezing to death! Simon stretched out of his baby-like curled up position, reached for the steaming cup of tea, and ducked back into his sleeping bag.I drank slowly, holding the hot cup to my chest, watching the second snow slowly melt in the pot.The gas flames are less intense. How much gas do we have?I asked. One can.Is that canister empty? not yet.We'd better use this one to boil as much drinking water as we can, and save the other for going downhill. right.We don't have much juice left.Only one pack. Our previous judgment was correct.Enough for us to camp out for another night, that's all we need. The set-up took a long time and it was freezing cold, but I was worried about more than that.Those icy troughs lie ahead, and this time it's my turn to be the vanguard.To make it even more difficult, I had to get out of the snow cave and climb up to the roof, which was as wide as the ditch.I did, but also destroyed most of the snow caves, burying Simon who stayed in the caves to make sure.As we ascended the slope of the gully, I looked back over the place we had climbed the night before.The ditch dug by Simon has disappeared without a trace. Last night's blizzard poured countless snow into the ditch, filling the ditch.I was a bit disappointed to see the ditch closed thirty meters above my head.The troughs on either side meet to form a sharp-edged belt of snow powder.I still have to figure out a way to get over to another ice trough. The sky was very clear with no wind at all.This time it was Simon's turn to sit there and bear the torrent of snow I had to kick down.It's daytime now, the advantage of sufficient light is that it is good for climbing, and it can also see whether it will slip, but on the other hand, the vision becomes better, and I can glimpse the depth of nearly 1,500 meters below from between my legs. There was a void, and I couldn't help but tremble with fear.I knew that our guarantees were not secure at all, and that any mistake would be an irreparable disaster, so I concentrated on the road ahead.The slope gets steeper the closer you get to the end of the trench.Obviously, I'll have to climb over the glacial chute soon.But which side to go out from?I couldn't see beyond the icy troughs on both sides, so I didn't know which side to climb over.I looked down and saw Simon's head and chest poking out of the ceiling of the cave, looking intently at me.Behind him is the abyss, highlighting our dangerous situation.The sides of the trough were not so high near the snow cave, and I thought maybe Simon could see the way ahead better than I could. Where should I go?can you see something Don't go left. Why? It looks like the terrain is dropping steeply, and it seems very dangerous! What's on the right? Can't see it, but the icy trough is not that steep, and it's better than the left anyway. I hesitated.Once I take a step, maybe I can't go back.I didn't want to make my situation worse, but no matter how much I stretched out, I couldn't see the ditch on the right.I'm not even sure if there are any troughs there.I looked again at the snow in my upper field of vision, completely unable to see what I was about to face. All right!Pay attention to the rope.I started digging to the right of the ditch, yelling, but laughing right away, and it wouldn't help to keep an eye on the rope if the belay snapped off. To my surprise, digging an ice trough with two ice axes at the same time was no more difficult than climbing the trough.Later, I climbed to the other side of the ice trough panting, and in front of me was another equally steep trough. Above the trough, I could see the snow cornice of the peak, and it was only a certain distance from me.Simon scrambled towards me, cheering loudly as soon as he saw the peak behind me. Conquer it!He said. I thought so too, but the last stretch seemed particularly steep. no problem.He set off up the slope, churning up a lot of snow and landing on my unobstructed secure spot.I pulled the hood over my helmet and turned to stare down at the distant glacier.Suddenly, I was horrified by this completely open foothold.The loose slopes were so steep and my anchors were so precarious, I felt dizzy and couldn't believe what we were doing.A cry of excitement brought me back to my senses, and I turned to look at the rope disappearing at the top of the ditch. OK, no more ice troughs.come up. Weakly pulling myself out of the trough, I saw Simon sitting astride the trough, grinning.Less than fifteen meters behind him, a piece of snow and ice stretched out from the west wall shockingly, and above it was the towering snowy peak of the peak.I quickly passed Simon, clambered up the solid snow with my crampons, and turned to the left, where the cornice was the smallest.Ten minutes later, I was standing under the snow edge that divided the west and east walls. Take a photo. I waited for Simon to get my camera ready before I crossed the ridge, stuck my ice ax on the east side, and pulled myself to the col below the summit, which had a broad back.For the first time in four days, I was feasting my eyes on a whole new landscape.The snow, bathed in sunlight, stretches to the glaciers to the east.After long, cold and cloudy days on the west face, it felt extra luxurious to sit here in the warm sunshine.I forgot that we were climbing in the southern hemisphere, and everything was upside down: the south face was the equivalent of those icy north faces in the Alps, and the east face was the west face.No wonder mornings are always so cold, we have to start a little later to enjoy a few hours of sunshine. Simon also came to the col. We laughed happily, put down our backpacks and sat on it, threw the ice axes and gloves in the snow, looked around, and enjoyed a moment of peace contentedly. Leave your backpack here and go straight to the summit.Said Simon, interrupting my intoxicated daydreams.Peak!I forgot we were just climbing up the ledge!He thought that if he escaped from the west wall, everything would be over.I looked up at the towering peak behind Simon, shaped like an ice cream cone, only about thirty meters away from us. You go first, and I will take pictures for you when you reach the top.I said to Simon. He grabbed some chocolate and candy, stood up, and walked slowly up the soft snow.The effects of being at a high altitude gradually emerge.The figure of Simon appeared under the sky, and the moment I inserted the ice ax into the snow cornice of the spectacular peak, I frantically pressed the shutter.I left my backpack on the col and walked up, but I felt that it was hard to breathe, and my legs were as heavy as lead. We took some photos of the summit as usual and ate some chocolates.As always, I'm feeling a bit out of sorts.What next?It's a wicked circle.After you've fulfilled one dream, you're back at square one and soon fantasize about another.The next one has to be more difficult, more challenging and more dangerous.I don't like the idea of ​​letting it lead me where it's supposed to lead me, as if the very nature of the game somehow controls me and leads me to reasonable but horrible decisions, which always makes me uneasy.The summit moment and the sudden stillness and peace that followed the storm gave me time to think about what I was doing, to feel some deep-seated doubt that I was losing control and being obsessed.Am I here purely for pleasure, or out of ego?Is the constant pursuit of this moment really what I want?But even so, these moments make me happy, and I know that these doubts will eventually pass, and then I will explain them as morbid pessimism and fear for no reason. The blizzard seems to be coming again.Said Simon. He has been silently observing the mountain ridge on the north side, which is our downhill route.A large group of clouds attacked the east wall and continued to surge towards the west, soon covering the mountain ridge.Even now, I can only see a tiny portion of the ridge, and the glacier we walked up would be completely obscured within an hour.The north ridge starts right where we dropped our backpacks, goes up to a side peak, then twists back and down into the clouds.Through a gap in the clouds, I saw a short, dauntingly steep ridge, and some dangerous cornices.The east wall descends steeply to the right, and the mountainside is covered with continuous twisted ice troughs. It is impossible for us to keep a safe distance from the snow cornice and ridge when we cut across.Those icy troughs looked impenetrable. God!It looks terrible! yes.Best to strap on crampons.If we were fast enough, we could traverse under the side peak and return to the ridge at a lower position.Honestly, I think we only have less than an hour left. Simon held out his hand, and the first flakes of snow fell lazily on his glove. We returned to the position with the backpack and started to circle towards the auxiliary peak.Simon is the vanguard.We tied each other with ropes and held the bundled ropes in our hands in case we fell.This is the fastest route, and the thick snow powder will slow down our speed. If we don't want to cross the side peak in the white, this is the only chance.If Simon falls, I hope I'll be able to chisel the ice ax into the wall in time, although I doubt the loose snow will catch the ice ax. Half an hour later, we reached the east side of the vice peak, and the clouds were already close to the top of our heads.Ten minutes later, the snow engulfed us.There was no wind, and large and thick snowflakes fell quietly.It was 2:30 and we knew the snow would keep falling into the night.We stood silently, looking around, hoping to recognize where we were. I think it should be down. I don't know no, not down.We cannot stay away from the ridge.Don't you see the icy trough over here?If it goes down, we can never go up again. Have we passed the sub-peak yet? I think it's over. I can't see anything on it. Snow and clouds blend together to form a vast white curtain.As long as it is a meter and a half away, I can't tell whether it is snow or sky. Wish we had a compass. As I spoke I noticed a light in the clouds above my head.It was the sun, shining faintly through the overcast clouds, casting a very faint shadow on the ridge thirty meters above us.But before I could tell Simon, the light was gone. I just saw that ridge. Where? right above us.Completely invisible now, but I'm sure I did. OK, I'll climb up and find it.You stay here, if I don't find the edge of the ridge in time, it's better for you to hold me here. He started to climb up.After a while I could tell only by the moving rope in my hand that he was still climbing.The snow fell more and more, and I began to worry. We only paid attention to the route to the summit from the west wall, but we did not expect that the north side of the mountain was much more difficult than we expected.I was about to call Simon and ask him if he could see anything, but I froze when the rope kept slipping from my glove, and there was a heavy bang in the clouds.The rope lost control, moved more than a meter from my slippery gloves, then tugged at my harness so hard that my chest hit the slope.The boom disappeared. I knew right away what had happened. Simon must have fallen off the ridge, but the bang sounded more like an avalanche on the serac.I waited, the rope taut from his weight. Simon!How are you?I shouted loudly. no answer.I decided to wait a little longer.If he is hanging on the west side, it may take some time to adjust his posture before returning to the ridge.After about fifteen minutes, I heard Simon shout, but couldn't make out what he said.His weight was off the rope and I climbed towards him to understand what he was saying. I found the ridge. I laughed nervously.He had indeed found the North Ridge, and quite unexpectedly.However, I stopped smiling as soon as I got to him.He stood just below the peak, trembling all over. I thought I was done.He suddenly fell heavily into the snow, as if his legs could no longer support him.Muttering to himself: Damn it!The whole person fell off, damn it.God! He shook his head, as if trying to get what he had just seen out of his mind.After a while, when his fear subsided and the adrenaline was no longer crazily secreted, he looked back at the edge of the mountain and began to tell me slowly what happened: I didn't see the ridge at all.Just look far to the edge of the mountain ridge from the left.Suddenly, without warning, one minute I was climbing and the next I was falling.I think it broke from more than ten meters behind me, or from under my feet.Anyway, I was taken down immediately.too suddenly!I don't have time to think at all.I have no idea what the hell is going on except that I'm falling. I believe!I looked at the drop in the mountain wall behind him.He lowered his head, gasping for breath, his legs were shaking in fear, and he pressed his hand on it, trying to stop it. I kept falling over there, and it was like it was happening in slow motion.I forgot that I was tied to a rope.The noise and the fall prevented me from thinking.I only saw many huge snow blocks falling with me, at the same speed as me at first, and I thought it was over.Those snow blocks are very large, with a diameter of more than one meter. Simon was calmer now.I started shaking when I thought about what would have happened if I had climbed up with him.If that's the case, we're screwed. Then I felt the rope around my waist, but I thought the rope was going to fall with me.I didn't stop, and there were a lot of snow blocks hitting me, making me spin non-stop. He paused again, then continued: The light below me is much brighter.The snow clumps rolled past me down the ravine, swirled and crumbled.The snow kept hitting me and spinning me and maybe I wasn't falling anymore by then, but the pounding and spinning made me feel like I was still falling.I seemed to keep falling and falling. I didn't feel scared at the time, just confused and numb.Time seemed to have stopped, there was no time to be afraid anymore. When he did stop, he was hanging in the air, and to the left he could see the ridge still peeling off.Clouds to the east somewhat obscured his view, and huge chunks of snow continued to fall from the clouds, crashing hard against the mountain wall below, as if the ridge had been severed from him. At first I was really overwhelmed, not sure if I was safe.I thought for a long time before I realized that it was you who held me back.The drop below me was horrific.I can see the entire west wall, and I can still see the glacier clearly. Nothing in the middle blocks the view. The drop of this distance is nearly 1,500 meters!For a while I panicked.A huge drop suddenly appeared below, and I was hanging ten meters below the ridge, unable to touch the slope.The back wall of the west wall is directly below me.I can see our route up the ice sheet! If that cornice falls, we'll all disappear without a trace.I venture to guess, how did you get back to the ridge? I tried to get back to the ridge, and it was as difficult as climbing the sky.The section left by the cornice is a vertical snow layer, almost ten meters high.I don't know if the part left after the collapse is strong or not.When I finally climbed up, I heard your cry from the east wall below, but I was too tired to speak.I still can't see where the section ends, it seems to be over sixty meters long.The funny thing is, when I fell, the visibility got better.Give me five more minutes and I'll spot the danger. The ridge we are facing now is very dangerous.Although it collapsed once, it did not become safe in the slightest.We saw a second section in the snow just behind the edge of the ridge, and there was another break parallel to the summit, only a meter or so away from the summit as far as we could see.