Near Death Experience - My Mont Blanc Story

What started as a dream became a brush with death.

Ten years ago, I attempted to climb Mont Blanc alone via its normal route, the Gouter Route.

I had my fears about soloing Mont Blanc, especially since I didn't have any Alpine experience.
At the time, I didn't know how to get into mountaineering, and I decided to climb Mont Blanc unguided. It wasn't the right thing to do, but the events that happened during that trip changed my life forever.

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[jamesmccann]

Hi all. It's James here (the guy who fell). All terribly true. The wind pushed me backwards, I lost my balance, and found myself falling on my back. It was very difficult to get the ice axe in. If Madeline hadn't have been there we would have died. When he pulled on the rope it flipped me onto my back so I could get the crampon tips in and the ice axe. Never again have I revisited the high mountains. My mind has pushed this into the far recesses of my mind and the video has brought it back. There but for the grace of God go Matt and I.

[Matthew-mo]

Matt here. This is a superb factual account of events from Cris from start to finish. I can say beyond any reasonable doubt that we would have been pulled over the cliff together, as we were roped together, had it not been for Cris' quick thinking. ***I am forever grateful.*** Even for the experienced climber, bad conditions on the final ascent to Mt Blanc can be lethal, as seen from the wind shear 14:02; there is no safety net, rope, net, or bailout to save you. Nowadays, an average of 20, 000 mountaineers summit Mont Blanc each year, making it one of the most popular mountains in Europe. This also makes it the most fatal mountain in the world, claiming around 100 lives per year. People don't realise this. We would have had two more statistics on this without Cris being there. A sobering experience.

I was ahead of my father at the time (and with the wailing winds - never heard his slip), the only thing I saw was dad sliding *fast*(and roped to him)- on the edge of left peripheral vision in slow motion (but rapidly)- now 2-3m away from sheer drop, you see in the video, and Cris clinging onto the rope) If the snow or footing gives way beneath you, or your crampon slips(....), you have a mere few seconds before a sheer drop, sliding fast.

We still have the old crampons hung up here as a reminder. Without Cris, god knows if I would have been able to get my axe and crampons dug deep, before he went over the edge; but I can say with certainty Cris saved both of us that day, and without him, the outcome could well have been very different.

And yes, Cris bumped into Dad's twin brother in a hospital in London! May your god go with you, Cris. You are an amazing, remarkable, kind, and conscientious young man; I will see you in the summer! It has been far far too long.

Almost ten years now....life goes too quick .... My thoughts and prayers, Matt.

[The_Reality_Filter]

"You're the Romanian guy that saved my twin brother's life!"
SHIVERS!!! Pure shivers!! 🙏

[kettumetsässä]

This video is so important. For someone who had also thought about doing Mont Blanc solo, it made me really think.

[lachlanbrown]

What a story... and I have to say I still remember sitting with you and David in that hut, completely dead, thinking "I'm not going to be the first person to suggest turning back"...! And I'm very glad we pushed it, still one of the highlights of my life and an experience I won't quickly forget. Well done on another great vid ma man, so enjoyable to watch!

[johngardener]

Crucial and brutally honest advice about climbing Mont Blanc alongside a story of incredible serendipity/ destiny saving a man’s life and then by chance coming into contact with his twin brother!

[thedomesticsurvivalist]

What a beautifully told story! As a former climber and "mountaineer", you captured the experience so well and brought it all back for me - I had goosebumps!

[Phil-qd]

Dude you're a true hero 💪 you most probably saved 2 peoples lives that day with your quick thinking! And well done for going back and finally conquering it 👍 and great film as well, definitely worth the wait 😊

[Summitclym]

Such an incredible story! Very happy it turned out well for all.

[WLL]

You have a talent for storytelling and the editing is on point as always. I’m exited for the next as I was for this one.

[andresgpaul]

The way you tell the story is amazing! I got hooked more and more each minute!
Congrats Cris, you're the man!

[musiqueetmontagne]

Great video and great stories. As a lifetime mountaineer who's now pretty ancient, it's lovely to listen and ponder many personal memories and experiences. The memories of challenges in the mountains are the treasure of my memories as it is for many people. Thanks for making this and letting us into your deep and special experiences too. Wishing you exciting and safe adventures in the high places... Cheers, Robert.

[Neardeathexperiencestories]

Thank you for sharing such a profound journey! It moves the heart and spirit🙏

[sandralutz-rodriguez]

What an adventure. Seeing how far you’ve come is incredible. Your stories, climbing achievements and videos are super rad.

[andreimihailescu]

I can relate so much with the part where you said you felt miserable and then just one thought made you feel so much better. I hate my job, have a family I need to provide for, but each year I do three hikes. Nothing gives me more strength than fantasizing about those hikes when they are still months away.

[maritagardener]

Brilliant storytelling! So much to say about it. Glad you hold onto your dreams. We are witnessing your dreams come true in this channel. Hope more people see this story and the rest of your fascinating stories 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[loretalaus]

Hats down, Cris! So proud of you! ♥I hope they gave you a discount.😉

[sandralutz-rodriguez]

What an adventure. Seeing how far you’ve come is incredible. Your stories, climbing achievements and videos are super rad. Getting to follow your and Vivian’s journey is super rad. Thank you for sharing

[Chiller]

Great video. Quite impressive to have saved 2 lives on your first mountaineering attempt. A good decision to turn around the first time. A very difficult decision to make sometimes even for experienced climbers. I grew up in the Colorado Rockies and was fortunate that I was able to climb and ski from a young age. I was also fortunate enough to learn the basics of rock climbing from a much older WW2 veteran of the 10th mountain division. I shake my head at some of the times I overestimated myself and the mistakes I made since then.

[miguelferreira]

Super inspirational, as always. I will attempt Mont Blanc this season after dreaming about it for so long.