Some trips provide beautiful photos, some just stories. But they hand over some responsibilities for which you are never ready. This is what London resident climber Mandaline ‘Chris’ Cristea has to say. Chris says, that snowy and highest peak of Mo Blanc (Alps) – was just an unfulfilled dream for me in the beginning. I did not know that one day that same dream would make me stand as a shield between the lives of two strangers and my own destiny. When I look back, I realize that it was not just a mountain climb; It was also a test of my character. How an incident gave purpose to life, know… I jokingly took a challenge from my fiance. I was a lifeguard in a gym in London. Life was looking boring. While roaming in Barcelona in 2016, I came across a Mo Blanc watch shop. The watches were very beautiful, but out of reach. I jokingly said to my fiancée Viv, ‘If I climb Mo Blanc Mountain, will I get a discount?’ Just then I decided to conquer Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc. The inspiration from Bear Grylls was not the experience of mountaineering, just the passion from Bear Grylls’ book. Viv was scared, but seeing my insistence she agreed. A few months later I reached Chamonix, France. Started climbing. It must be three o’clock in the morning… The peak was only 180 meters away, but at 15 thousand feet the weather suddenly deteriorated. The icy winds were so strong that I had to sit down to maintain my balance. That’s where I met James and his son Matt. They were British climbers and were descending. Everything changed in a second. James said, ‘Going up is crazy, things are getting worse.’ I decided to go down together. There were three of us, everything seemed to be under control… and then… everything changed in a second. Suddenly a terrible scene appeared. The wind speed must have been 80 km. James’s foot slipped and he started sliding down on his stomach. He was tied to his son Matt with a rope. If James had fallen into the ditch, he would have dragged his son along with him. I became inert. The Most Dangerous Moment At heights fear doesn’t scream, it just freezes you. And that was the most dangerous moment. I didn’t move for a few seconds. The wind was swallowing the voices. There was no guide, no help. There was only one thing in my mind – this man is going to die… and perhaps at that moment something inside me broke… or woke up. I remained numb. A wave of fear ran down my spine. It seemed that both of them would die. I felt as if my right arm would be torn off, but the next moment, I don’t know where the courage came from. I jumped into the air and grabbed the rope that was pulling James down. I fell on my stomach on the ice, drove the ice ax into the ice with all my might, and drove the spikes of my boots into the ground. Then a strong shock was felt. It seemed as if my right arm had been dislocated, but I did not loosen my grip. When I opened my eyes, James was standing 10 meters below me on the slope. A chasm thousands of feet deep below. Directly below was a chasm thousands of feet deep. The fear of death was clearly visible on Matt’s face. Then some more climbers reached there. Together we pulled James up. James was safe, but completely broken. The whole night he remained sitting with his back towards the mountain, as if he did not even want to see it. He held my hand and said, ‘Thank you for saving my life.’ This incident changed my life. I realized that mountaineering is my real passion. Mo Blanc returned again in 2018. Fully prepared…sunscreen, electrolytes, training and two fellow climbers. I fulfilled my dream by reaching the peak. I successfully fulfilled my dream by reaching the peak. Together, my wife Viv and I have climbed peaks around the world. Still connected with James and Matt. James never took up mountaineering again. He says, ‘After that day, every day is a bonus for him.’ However, when I remember that day, I feel as if I saved his life, not his. I am now a changed man. Mo Blanc is still there – equally magical, equally cruel. But I have changed. He returned again after two years, reached the top, but as a changed person. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had not jumped that day? Then I answer myself… Perhaps destiny had sent me there that day, not to save them, but to rediscover myself. The most dangerous mountain in Europe, Mo Blanc is the highest peak of the Alps located on the border of France and Italy. The altitude is approximately 4,808 meters (15,777 ft). Extreme cold and snow storms make it nearly impossible. It is risky to go without experience and a guide. Lack of oxygen, falling of stones and avalanches are major problems at high altitude. About 100 deaths are recorded every year in climbing this mountain. Due to this, it is considered the most dangerous mountain in Europe.
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ब्रिटिश पर्वतारोही क्रिस क्रिस्टेया का हैरान करने वाला अनुभव: 15 हजार फीट ऊंचाई पर पिता-बेटे को मौत से बचाया, बदल गई जिंदगी
