Glissading Gone Wrong: Into the Abyss

Get your tickets now for The Dog Stars. It's no surprise how fast civilization can disappear. Go! A therapist. Kill or be killed. Jacob Elordi. There are people out there. They need our help. Josh Brolin. Shoot first and inquire afterwards. Margaret Qualley. Okay, tough guy. And Guy Pearce. Arm up! The Dog Stars. Directed by Ridley Scott. In theaters August 28th. Get tickets now. Rated R. Under 17. Not admitted without parents. This episode is brought to you by Disney. What does it take to build a world people never want to leave? In Disney World Builders, Academy Award and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Leslie Iwerks takes audiences inside the creative journeys of some of Disney's most influential storytellers. Featuring exclusive interviews with James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, and more. This new documentary reveals the imagination, innovation, and storytelling that continue to inspire generations and shape entertainment. Now streaming on Disney+. It's late morning on the 30th of June 2022. On the lower slopes of the Grand Teton, the tallest peak in the Teton mountain range in Wyoming, the sun reflects brilliantly off bright white snow. This rugged landscape that sits just 10 miles south of Yellowstone Park is famous for its breathtaking climbs. Today, it's living up to the hype. The air is clear and crisp, and the peaks tower imperiously into an impressive blue sky. A blustery wind whips across the glacial Corrie, the only sound in an otherwise vast and silent expanse. Up here, in the summer months, the craggy rock formations cradle pockets of snow, like water cupped in a giant's hand. In one gully sits an immaculate snowfield, its smooth surface glistening invitingly. On to this pristine white powder crunch two pairs of boots as a duo of hikers pick their way down the mountain. Suddenly, they stop. Rosy-cheeked and breathing hard, the two men gaze down the slope, a look of anticipation growing across their faces. They glance at each other and exchange small, excited smiles. The conditions are perfect. For the next section of their descent, these two climbers aren't going to walk. They're going to slide. Glissading is something that mountaineers do, and you glissade on snow so you can descend very quickly, and it involves just sitting on your butt, your legs are out. You take an ice axe off to your side, you press it down to control your speed, and it's a whole lot more fun than hiking. And you just slide down, and you can slide down sometimes 1,000 feet or so. The two men sit, positioning their walking poles across their torsos like miniature paddles, ready to dig into the ice and anchor them should they lose control. They turn to each other. Someone needs to go first. Slowly, with an awkward shuffle, the taller of the two men begins the descent. He's in full toboggan mode, sledding down the hill on his backside, grinning from ear to ear. After a fair distance, he stops and gestures to his friend that it's safe. The second climber follows with equally childlike glee. They repeat this pattern until the taller man glissades down to a rocky outcrop and stops. As before, his friend watches from above and sees his partner give the high sign to say it's safe. Or at least, he thinks he does. Immediately, the second hiker is picking up speed. It's steeper here. His walking poles aren't slowing him down. He is hurtling towards his friend, losing control with every meter. Snow kicks up around him in white, dusty bursts. Just as it looks like he's going to slam into the rock and come to a painful stop, he runs clean through a small gap in the outcrop and disappears. The taller man, a Washingtonian in his 60s by the name of Jim Zingerman, watches in horror as his friend, 62-year-old Dan Wenker, slides right past him and plunges off the edge of a cliff. From Jim's point of view, I disappeared. From my point of view, went over there, screamed something out, and started falling. It's like when you fall when you're in a dream, or you're falling and you really don't know where you're going to land. I'm in pretty big trouble here. Ever wondered what you would do when disaster strikes? If your life depended on your next decision, could you make the right choice? Welcome to Real Survival Stories. These are the astonishing tales of ordinary people thrown into extraordinary situations. People suddenly forced to fight for their lives. In this episode, we meet 62-year-old amateur mountaineer Dan Wenker. In June 2022, a small group of friends are taking on the Grand Teton in Wyoming, when adverse weather conditions force Dan and his buddy Jim to abandon plans for the summit and head back down the mountain. Having hiked a fair way, the pair decide to slide down a snowy stretch of slope. As Dan skids towards his friend, he loses control and plunges into a deep, glacial ravine carved by a waterfall and known as an ice moat. I got the wind knocked out of me when I hit that wall on the ice. And when I was starting to dropping, I started banging around a little bit and got knocked unconscious. Plummeting into icy darkness, survival from here will be miraculous. And when Dan comes to and takes in his surroundings, it's clear the fall was just the start. It's pitch black. There's a raging waterfall on the right of me. I can feel an ice wall behind me. This sheer rock wall is in front of me. And as I looked up, I could see a small dot, which is the sunlight. There is no way I'm making it out of here. I'm John Hopkins. From the Noisa Podcast Network, this is Real Survival Stories. It's June the 28th, 2022. Beneath the white underbellies of passenger planes taking off into the expansive Utah skies, a car sidles into the short-stay drop-off at Salt Lake City Airport. Sixty-two-year-old Dan Wenker parks the car, climbs out, and heads to the back to fetch his wife's luggage. It's just a quick goodbye this morning. They'll see each other soon. They've been in town for a wedding, their daughter Caroline's no less, and now Dan's wife is heading home. But not Dan. He's staying on just for a few days to partake in one of his favorite pastimes. Dan hands his wife her suitcase, and as he does, his expression changes. I don't usually have this conversation with her, but looked at her and said, "You know, if anything happens to me on this climb, don't call Caroline and Anthony on their honeymoon." A committed family man, Dan doesn't want to bother or concern his daughter during such a special time, even if he runs into trouble on his upcoming climb. Despite this slightly nervy comment to his wife, there is no particular reason to think things will go wrong. Dan is careful, skilled, and won't be tackling the climb alone. Plus, it promises to be a doozy. The Grand Teton, if you've ever been to Wyoming, I equate it to the Mona Lisa. When you're out there, you feel as though the mountain is looking at you from every angle. You know, it's an epic peak, and it's something that's on most climbers' to-do list. Dan is an ardent, amateur mountaineer. And as luck would have it, his daughter arranged her wedding within striking distance of a peak that he's always wanted to climb. The Grand Teton, in Wyoming, stands at nearly 14,000 feet tall, soaring above the Teton mountain range just near the town of Jackson. It's a formidable ascent. It's difficult. It involves, contrary to what our other mountaineering experiences were where you could just hike up your own safety ropes, this involved a lot of technical climbing, too, for a thousand feet up. And so it was a whole new experience. Having kissed his wife goodbye, Dan drives straight from the airport up through Jackson to the base of the Grand Teton to meet the team. The buccaneering adventurers heading into the mountain this morning are Dan, his two friends Jim Zingerman and Mark McGuire, and Mark's son, Nicholas. Today, Dan will have to rely on the experience of his fellow climbers, Mark and Nicholas in particular. Because it was a technical climb at the top, like the last thousand feet, is a peak that goes straight up and so mark mcguire and his son were very good technical climbers he had been climbing since he was in his teens jim and i were not and so it was a good team of people not only do mark and nicholas have the expertise they've also got the gear including something that will have great significance later on mark and his son had two climbing ropes because there were four of us they prefer to when you do technical climbing to only have three people maximum on the rope and so because there were four of us mark and his son brought two ropes instead of one dan greets his fellow climbers in the shadow of the mountains giant fang-like peaks surround them angular white and gray labyrinths that grow endlessly upwards to the clouds the men check over the top of the mountain and they see a group of people their packs once more steal a quick glance up at these snowy behemoths above and share an excited grin nearly 14 000 foot up there's their target the top of the grand titan there's four of us and off the trail we went get your tickets now for the dog stars it's no surprise how fast civilization can disappear out there just kill or be killed jacob alorty there are people out there they need our help josh brolin shoot first and inquire afterwards margaret qualley okay tough guy and guy piers arm up the dog stars directed by ridley scott in theaters august 28th get tickets now rated r under 17 not admitted without parents this episode is brought to you by disney what does it take to build a world people never want to leave in disney world builders academy award and emu nominated filmmaker leslie eyeworks takes audiences inside the creative journeys of some of disney's most influential storytellers featuring exclusive interviews with james cameron john favreau kevin feige and more this new documentary reveals the imagination innovation and storytelling that continue to inspire generations and shape entertainment now streaming on disney plus the day begins with a hike up through the verdant lower section of the mountain the four men are surrounded by summer greenery and vibrant wildflowers glacial streams trickle happily past a steady tramp and up ahead a streak of spiky brown and green pine trees resembles a layer of earth from which the majestic snow-capped summits seem to grow their destination towers above them drawing them on and though the four walkers chat amiably they keep their wits about them checking the path for signs of bison elk and moose as well as more pertinently bears and wolves they're entering the wild a place where it pays to keep your wits about you especially given this is where they're going to sleep for the night it's about a six mile six thousand vertical foot gain to get up to this area called the lower saddle we were going to camp there overnight weather looked great we had bought a permit and built in an extra day just in case something happened it's what most people will do they'll sleep at the lower saddle wake up early in the morning go up the mountain come back down then hey back and that was the plan the group makes it to the lower saddle in good time it's a curved rock strewn mountain pass they pitch their tents eat dinner and prepare to hunker down for the night just as they're settling in however jim makes an admission he is exhausted he has recently been unwell and has lost ground on his training the six mile hike coupled with the altitude has taken it out of him he doesn't think he'll make it any further we said okay we'll just make the decision when we wake up so we woke up the next day and although the day was partly cloudy you know it was doable but nicholas looked on the the weather app on his phone and there were threatening thunderstorms in the area that day what you don't want to do is be on the top of a 13 700 foot peak with lightning going off because then you're just a human lightning rod so we decided that because we had the extra day built in that we would just kind of hang around camp that day and then we would wake up the following day by this point that was the 29th on the 30th we would wake up at about four in the morning and we would climb so the four men potter about for a day in the lower saddle before settling down once more for a short sleep before the big hike but jim has now totally ruled himself out of tomorrow's climb he still doesn't feel right the others agree it's no good continuing if something is off this is a treacherous and grueling climb they've trained for it yes but they have varied levels of experience and none of the three friends is getting any younger not that dan would have done anything like this as a young man but i think it's a good thing that he's a young man he's got a passion for mountaineering he's got a passion for mountaineering and mountaineering has been a relatively late discovery dan grew up in philadelphia the second largest city on the eastern seaboard he was born into a hard-working protestant family his father a carpenter his mother a nurse in the 60s and 70s philly was a city marred by urban decay and criminality but shot through with blue-collar pride and strong communal and artistic spirit smoke and bustle it was a far cry from the mountains of the american northwest i grew up in the city and so i was a city guy pretty much my whole life really was a boy scout dropout quite frankly i only lasted two weeks in the boy scouts in his adult life a series of job opportunities took dan up north and he and his family settled in the town of yakima in washington state despite an active sporty childhood dan's work in food sales and marketing had resulted in a sedentary adulthood in 2010 as a big birthday loomed on the horizon he resolved to make a change when i was turning 50 decided that i needed to do something to stay in decent condition when you live in the northwest you know all the mountains are there mount rainier mount hood mount adams and they're all 12 to 14 and a half thousand foot mountain peaks that are snow covered all year round one day when i was driving from our town in yakima over to the city of seattle which is about a two and a half three hour drive looked over at mount rainier on a clear day and thought you know what if i could climb that mountain it was a question that dan was not qualified to answer so we took it to a colleague who was went and talked to a guy in our office said you know here's what i'm thinking of doing i don't even know if this is possible or not but what do i need to do and what's involved and he said you know first of all he said it's doable you know for a guy like you he said it's going to be the toughest thing you've ever done a climber himself dan's colleague pete didn't mince his words but seeing that dan was serious he agreed to help him train the next six months consisted of grueling hikes in the hills around yakima the next six months consisted of grueling hikes in the hills around yakima by the end dan was 30 pounds lighter and in the best shape he'd been in years he was ready to climb mount rainier the problem was when he eventually got to the top he wanted to do it again you know the deal with mount rainier was supposed to be one and done that was going to be the thing that would shock my system to get into good shape from there i'd figure out something else but but what happened instead when i got to the top of the mountain had the the largest impact up until that point in my life you know other than the birth of my children and the the marriage to my wife you know climbing mount rainier dramatically changed my life after a chance encounter with a neighbor dan joined a church climbing group and soon he was spending his weekends traversing ridges and scrambling up his scalpments it wasn't just the exercise that appealed to him he had found a community and was making new friends even when he and his family relocated to atlanta he stayed in touch with his fellow enthusiasts it was on one of their regular skiing holidays that dan was chatting to two of his climber friends jim zingerman and mark mcguire and an idea formed when we were skiing in montana they're talking at our ski trip and started to say you know we ought to climb the grand teton in wyoming and so i thought well this will be awesome dan told his buddies that he was in it worked out well he said his daughter was getting married in salt lake city in june a short drive from the teton mountain range everything was lining up nicely right now though in his tent pitched in the lower saddle for the second night in a row dan is struggling to sleep there was a little increase in wind as they were all going to bed no more than expected but this this is something else during the night the wind started to increase the first time i heard it i heard i was like there must be a plane or a jet you know that's coming overhead i heard this noise and then the noise started to get louder and louder and louder. It gradually increased and increased and increased to the point where it was the strongest winds I had ever experienced. At this point on the mountain, there is almost no foliage to speak of. The four men are hopelessly exposed to the howling gale. Gusts reach 50 miles an hour. Dan has pegged his tent firmly into the ground and piled rocks on the canvas to anchor it. But even so, he lies tense, listening. Suddenly something tears. His tent stays have snapped in two. If he doesn't fix them, the canvas itself might rip. Dan fumbles around for his headlamp. I couldn't stand up because the winds were so strong, so on my hands and my knees with my headlight, I started re-tying the tent stays. And so gradually, throughout the night, I had to go out and re-tie every one. The wind got so strong at one point, I was concerned my tent was going to explode and blow down the hill. And so I sat up on the side of the tent and would lean against the side and it would actually blow me over. And so at about three o'clock, the wind died down a little bit. At four o'clock in the morning when Mark and Nicholas came by my tent, you know, after getting zero sleep, and said, "Come on, Dan, we're going." Yeah, I said, "I'm not. I'm done." It was due to be the most technical climb Dan had ever done. It was always going to be a challenge, even well rested. Dan tells Mark and Nicholas he doesn't want to be a liability. Like Jim, he is going to sit it out. So the two remaining climbers set off in the 4 a.m. gloom headed for the summit. Almost as an afterthought, they drop something they've been carrying. They won't need it now. Now it's the two of them. You know, we had talked about the extra climbing rope. And so they were going to take one rope. They were going to leave the other rope in the base camp. When Jim wakes, he's surprised to find Dan still in camp. But he agrees last night's weather was brutal. He understands Dan's decision to back out. The two men make some breakfast and wait to hear from the climbers. A text comes through. Mark and Nicholas have reached the summit, but the winds are making it going tough. It'll be a while before they're back. Dan and Jim should head down on their own. The two men pack up, but just as they're preparing to leave, they notice an extra item of kit lying forlorn in the middle of the camp. We need to realize that our packs are probably loaded with tent and and all our gear and everything are probably about 40 pounds. And we're going to be hiking down to six miles, 6000 vertical feet. So at some points it's kind of steep. So I'm looking at that rope, say a 70 meter rope that weighs about 10 pounds. So imagine you're going to put 10 more pounds in your pack and I'm looking at the rope. Jim's kind of looking at the rope and I'm thinking to myself, I really don't want to carry that rope. So Jim, you know, Jim Zingerman is probably he's one of those guys. Everybody has a buddy that's the nicest guy in the world. And Jim is that guy. And so at that point he goes, I'll carry the rope. Jim packs the rope and they're ready to go. But just before they set off, they spot someone nearing them on the rocky slopes. It's a park ranger passing on patrol. The ranger stops and asks Dan and Jim if they're planning on glissading during their descent on sliding down segments of the slopes. They look at one another. We said we might be and he said, well, if you're going to glissade, make sure you can see where you're going and make sure you control your speed. And they're polite to him. But Jim and I have been, you know, we've been climbing for about 16 years now. We're like, you know, we know what we're doing. There are two ways down from the lower saddle on Grand Teton. You can either scale a steep wall known as a head wall or clamber down a narrow chute about 150 feet long and 50 feet wide with rocks on both sides. Dan and Jim opt for the chute as there's a bit of snow for their crampons to bite into underfoot. The chute is fairly steep, however, and the danger of slipping carries particular jeopardy. If you trip coming down there and slide with crampons on, you could very easily break your leg just because the crampons, the way the grip could get cut. As it turns out, the chute presents no problems. And as they descend further, the going gets easier. The two men pack away their ice axes and crampons. The weather is so nice they even take off their coats. They're making good time, the beauty of the downhill hike in the glorious summer season is more than making up for the disappointment of not reaching the summit. Suddenly, Dan stops and points off to their right. A little below them is a pristine snowfield. I said, you know, we really should be glissading down there instead of hiking down this rocky trail. Made our way out to the snow field with snow is soft and everything. It was a beautiful day, so we didn't unpack our ice axes and we thought, well, we've seen people just glissade with hiking poles. And so we retracted the poles and we figured we'll use those. Stretching out beneath them is a gorgeous, glittering slide of perfect snow, an ideal surface to speedily skid their way down the slope. Jim goes first, sitting and shimmying down the powder with ease. His hiking pole provides a rudimentary braking system should he need it. Jim slides a short way down the slope before stopping and signaling back to his friend that it's safe. Dan follows, eventually stopping next to Jim and allowing him to go ahead again. And like this, the two men descend the Grand Teton on their backsides. It was a phenomenal day. We were laughing or high fiving. We're out in the in the wilderness doing what we love with your buddy. At that time, two 62 year old guys that were acting young, you know, in the crystal clear blue skies, it was awesome. The day continues in this enjoyable fashion and the men make good progress. They're steadily making their way down the mountain. They reach another downward incline of pure white. About 150 feet away, the pair spot a rocky outcrop, a collection of large boulders and decide to head that way. Dan watches as Jim glissades down the slope. He reaches the rocks, stops and takes his pack off, perhaps taking a little break. Dan peers down at his friend in the distance and waits patiently for the all clear. Jim turns and signals. And I thought he gave me the high sign that it was all good. So off I went. In fact, Jim is not signaling that everything is fine. There has been a serious misunderstanding. And now it's too late. Dan is already on his way. He rapidly picks up speed. He's going faster here than on his previous slides. He digs his walking pole into the ice, frozen particles flurrying around him. It doesn't slow him down. And about halfway to three quarters of the way to where Jim was between these boulders, realized that I wasn't going to stop, but I'm going to hit one of these boulders, this is really going to hurt. Dan grits his teeth, braces for impact, and then he spots something. I noticed that there's a little pathway halfway between the rocks. And so I'm thinking, OK, I'm going to bounce off one of those rocks and this gravel will at least stop my fall as well. Well, when I got to the rocks, that didn't happen. And what happened instead is, is I actually accelerated through the rocks. When I passed by Jim, I realized at that point that he was standing on the edge of a cliff. Starting or growing your own business can be intimidating and lonely at times. Your to do list may feel endless with new tasks and lists can easily begin to overrun your life. 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Shopify is the best business partner that can help you reach your customers wherever they're scrolling or strolling. and start hearing Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at shopify.com slash realm Go to shopify.com slash realm That's shopify.com slash realm It's the 30th of June, 2022 At the base of a snowfield on the side of the Grand Teton Mountain in Wyoming, there is a moment of suspense. A 62-year-old Dan Wenker's body begins to freefall The grounding of snow and ice gives way to thin air as Dan glissades over the lip of a cliff and plunges into the dark chasm below There is a cry of shock followed by a short, sharp thud Screamed something out banged into one side of the ice hole wall and started to drop. I got the wind knocked down to me when I hit that wall on the ice. Started banging around a little bit and got knocked unconscious Dan blacks out and for a moment he plunges into nothingness When he comes around, he blinks in the darkness, trying to make sense of the sights and sounds of this new underworld There is one striking, peculiar feature, the sound of raging water tumbling nearby This waterfall you know, it's so loud down there and anybody that's been, done any hiking or whatever, waterfalls are so loud, I couldn't hear anything but the waterfall Dan has fallen into a hole carved into the side of a glacier by the rushing waterfall It's known as an ice moat So the snow will cover an area but as the thaw comes in the springtime the waterfall will gradually eat away at the snow underneath the ice and so I had fallen through with that hole and later would find out that I dropped sixty feet As he tumbled, Dan hit the ice wall on one side of the hole, knocking him out before he plummeted further, slamming into rock and ice as he went Coming to, he finds himself perched perilously on a ledge three feet wide and ten feet long There is a wall of ice behind him, another to his left In front of him is a sheer rock wall, and to his right the waterfall Dan looks down at his body Aside from the pounding in his head and sharp pain in his hip and lower leg he seems relatively unscathed No blood, nothing visibly broken It's extraordinary Dan lifts his eyes to the small point of light above He begins to shout Jim's name listening for a response Hearing nothing but the roar of the waterfall Dan scours his surroundings He needs a plan Because already, time is running out He has survived the fall but something else is now a much more present and deadly threat I'm gradually getting wetter and wetter by this glacial-fed waterfall where the water tempest is probably about you know, thirty-three, thirty-four degrees It's dark, it's cold I'm starting to shiver and start to think, you know, I'm in. I'm in pretty big trouble here The water splashing over him is punishingly cold Half a degree Celsius It isn't long before he's wet through Dan touches the rock wall in front of him searching for finger holes It's slick with water Slippery to the touch Dan hugs himself His body shaking vigorously He breathes deeply trying to stay calm Shivering uncontrollably, I'm thinking, you know, I'm thinking that if there's any chance of getting out of here I'm going to need my hands So I'm putting my hands in my mouth left and right In the back of my mind, I start to hear, you know, "Remain calm, breathe easy" And the worst thing that can happen is for you to lose control, start freaking out And then, in the back of my mind I hear a voice that says, "Today is not your day to die" And while it was comforting at the time I'm thinking to myself, "Heh, there's no way I can get out of here" I'm looking at this wall, trying to feel for any kind of grip I can get to climb out of there And it's all slippery, it's straight up, there's nothing I can grab And started to think, this is kind of where it ends And right about that time, in the dark, next to this raging waterfall, I feel a tap on my right shoulder The last 20 minutes have not been easy on Jim Zingerman From his perspective, he just saw his friend die, plunging over an icy cliff right in front of him There's no way he could have survived But then, he heard a tiny voice below, calling out his name The first thing that went through his mind is, my life is going to dramatically change He said, I just watched my buddy die, before my very eyes But after a short period of time, after Jim had given up hope, then he hears my voice test while his life hangs in the balance he places his two feet on the rock wall loops the rope around his hands and begins to inch upwards pulling himself up on the rope and walking his feet up the wall dan grips the line tight he cannot afford to fall again i was so afraid that the rope might come off my waist the rope might come off my hands and then i'd fall back down and if i was afraid that if i landed on that ledge again it was going to break off with every hard one inch that dan climbs he has further to fall a stomach churning plunge lies below the roar of the waterfall intermingles with the pounding of his heart as he strains every sinew to slowly painfully haul himself towards the light his jaw is set in concentration shivering and soaked dan creeps higher and higher inch by inch towards salvation luckily he is not the only one working on his survival and what i noticed is while i'm climbing the slack is being pulled in a little bit so i'm scaling up this wall and when i got about halfway the ice wall behind me kind of leaned in a little bit to the rock wall in front of me so i could wedge my shoulders against the ice wall and i was able to get out of the rock wall and i was able to get out of the rock wall and i was able to get out of the rock wall and i was able to get out of the rock wall i could press my legs against the rock wall and could gradually kind of work my way up to that little hole that i could see work my way up to the hole pop my head out and there sits jim he's got his knees up up to his chest he's kind of crunched down he's got that rope wrapped around his waist and the first thing he says which i'll never forget my life is dan it's so good to see your face dan scales the fifth he asks his pal where he should go jim tells him just jump on top of him and so dan leaps onto his friend and the two men collapse in a heap of relieved laughter and hoots of adrenalized joy he asks his pal where he should go jim tells him just jump on top of him and so dan leaps onto his friend and the two men collapse in a heap of relieved laughter and hoots of adrenalized joy faces run with tears split through by the faces run with tears split through by the faces run with tears split through by the broadest of grins but as jim looks more closely at dan his but as jim looks more closely at dan his but as jim looks more closely at dan his smile fades smile fades smile fades dan's skin gleams grotesquely unnaturally dan's skin gleams grotesquely unnaturally dan's skin gleams grotesquely unnaturally pale in the sunlight pale in the sunlight pale in the sunlight you survived the fall survived the climb you survived the fall survived the climb you survived the fall survived the climb but it may all be too late but it may all be too late but it may all be too late from the time i went in to the time i from the time i went in to the time i from the time i went in to the time i got out was about 45 minutes to an hour got out was about 45 minutes to an hour got out was about 45 minutes to an hour your hypothermia sets in about an hour your hypothermia sets in about an hour your hypothermia sets in about an hour hour and 15 minutes hour and 15 minutes hour and 15 minutes my skin was as white as it goes to white my skin was as white as it goes to white my skin was as white as it goes to white as a sheet for what he said as a sheet for what he said as a sheet for what he said and my skin temperature was he said it and my skin temperature was he said it and my skin temperature was he said it was cold as ice get your tickets now for the dog stars it's no surprise how fast civilization it's no surprise how fast civilization it's no surprise how fast civilization can disappear can disappear can disappear out there just kill or be killed jacob out there just kill or be killed jacob out there just kill or be killed jacob elordi there are people out there they elordi there are people out there they elordi there are people out there they need our help josh brolin shoot first need our help josh brolin shoot first need our help josh brolin shoot first and inquire afterwards margaret qualley and inquire afterwards margaret qualley and inquire afterwards margaret qualley okay tough guy and guy pierce arm up okay tough guy and guy pierce arm up okay tough guy and guy pierce arm up the dog stars directed by ridley scott the dog stars directed by ridley scott the dog stars directed by ridley scott in theaters august 28th get tickets now in theaters august 28th get tickets now in theaters august 28th get tickets now rated r under 17 not admitted without rated r under 17 not admitted without rated r under 17 not admitted without parents parents parents this episode is brought to you by disney this episode is brought to you by disney this episode is brought to you by disney what does it take to build a world what does it take to build a world what does it take to build a world people never want to leave in disney people never want to leave in disney people never want to leave in disney world builders academy award and emmy world builders academy award and emmy world builders academy award and emmy nominated filmmaker leslie eyeworks takes nominated filmmaker leslie eyeworks takes nominated filmmaker leslie eyeworks takes audiences inside the creative journeys audiences inside the creative journeys audiences inside the creative journeys of some of disney's most influential of some of disney's most influential of some of disney's most influential storytellers featuring exclusive storytellers featuring exclusive storytellers featuring exclusive interviews with james cameron john interviews with james cameron john interviews with james cameron john favreau kevin feige and more this new favreau kevin feige and more this new favreau kevin feige and more this new documentary reveals the imagination documentary reveals the imagination documentary reveals the imagination innovation and storytelling that innovation and storytelling that innovation and storytelling that continue to inspire generations and continue to inspire generations and continue to inspire generations and shape entertainment now streaming on shape entertainment now streaming on shape entertainment now streaming on disney plus on the 30th of june 2022 two men lie at on the 30th of june 2022 two men lie at on the 30th of june 2022 two men lie at the edge of a snowfield seemingly the edge of a snowfield seemingly the edge of a snowfield seemingly basking in the bright summer sun basking in the bright summer sun basking in the bright summer sun but dan and jim are not relaxing but dan and jim are not relaxing but dan and jim are not relaxing they're exhausted their chests heave they're exhausted their chests heave they're exhausted their chests heave and tear tracks stain their cheeks and tear tracks stain their cheeks and tear tracks stain their cheeks dan is wet through with freezing glacial dan is wet through with freezing glacial dan is wet through with freezing glacial water his body is gripped by cold water his body is gripped by cold water his body is gripped by cold and there's more bad news and there's more bad news and there's more bad news jim tells dan that no one is coming jim tells dan that no one is coming jim tells dan that no one is coming he's tried 911 already but he doesn't he's tried 911 already but he doesn't he's tried 911 already but he doesn't have a signal have a signal have a signal dan's shoulders slump dan's shoulders slump dan's shoulders slump but jim isn't giving up but jim isn't giving up but jim isn't giving up he leaps to his feet acting fast he leaps to his feet acting fast he leaps to his feet acting fast he ties dan off to a nearby rock and he ties dan off to a nearby rock and he ties dan off to a nearby rock and drapes the heavier of his coats around drapes the heavier of his coats around drapes the heavier of his coats around his friends trembling shoulders his friends trembling shoulders then jim climbs higher to search for then jim climbs higher to search for then jim climbs higher to search for more signal and try to attract more signal and try to attract more signal and try to attract attention attention attention while he's climbing up he's screaming while he's climbing up he's screaming while he's climbing up he's screaming for help and blowing a rescue whistle for help and blowing a rescue whistle for help and blowing a rescue whistle which you know we had laughed about it which you know we had laughed about it which you know we had laughed about it before about carrying this whistle he before about carrying this whistle he before about carrying this whistle he said what are you going to do call a cab said what are you going to do call a cab said what are you going to do call a cab later later later and yet as the whistle echoes around and yet as the whistle echoes around and yet as the whistle echoes around the vast slopes of the teton range the vast slopes of the teton range the vast slopes of the teton range it does help to attract attention it does help to attract attention it does help to attract attention incredibly a mountain ranger passing on incredibly a mountain ranger passing on incredibly a mountain ranger passing on the trail above the trail above the trail above here's jim and swiftly makes his way here's jim and swiftly makes his way here's jim and swiftly makes his way down to see what's happening down to see what's happening down to see what's happening when he arrives jim points him towards when he arrives jim points him towards when he arrives jim points him towards his stricken friend the ranger hurries his stricken friend the ranger hurries his stricken friend the ranger hurries over and kneels down next to dan over and kneels down next to dan over and kneels down next to dan you know it gives me kind of a bit of an you know it gives me kind of a bit of an you know it gives me kind of a bit of an evaluation you know field evaluation to evaluation you know field evaluation to evaluation you know field evaluation to see what's going on see what's going on see what's going on told him i was knocked unconscious and told him i was knocked unconscious and told him i was knocked unconscious and he said well you know because you were he said well you know because you were he said well you know because you were knocked unconscious and i can't tell if knocked unconscious and i can't tell if knocked unconscious and i can't tell if there's any bleeding or anything he said there's any bleeding or anything he said there's any bleeding or anything he said i'm gonna call for a rescue helicopter i'm gonna call for a rescue helicopter i'm gonna call for a rescue helicopter so that sounds like a great idea so that sounds like a great idea so that sounds like a great idea dan's whole body seems to unstiffen dan's whole body seems to unstiffen dan's whole body seems to unstiffen help is on its way help is on its way help is on its way there is a caveat however the helicopter there is a caveat however the helicopter there is a caveat however the helicopter is currently busy fighting a fire in the is currently busy fighting a fire in the is currently busy fighting a fire in the valley it won't arrive for 45 minutes valley it won't arrive for 45 minutes valley it won't arrive for 45 minutes dan's jaw clenches again dan's jaw clenches again dan's jaw clenches again the shivering intensifies and he resumes the shivering intensifies and he resumes the shivering intensifies and he resumes his deep steadying breaths his deep steadying breaths his deep steadying breaths the ranger quizzes him about his life the ranger quizzes him about his life the ranger quizzes him about his life his family keeping him talking his family keeping him talking his family keeping him talking then dan does a double take then dan does a double take then dan does a double take i told him about you know my daughter i told him about you know my daughter i told him about you know my daughter and and i was up there for the wedding and and i was up there for the wedding and and i was up there for the wedding and he had two small children so we're and he had two small children so we're and he had two small children so we're kind of kind of talking that way and i'm looking at him talking that way and i'm looking at him talking that way and i'm looking at him and all of a sudden i realize and all of a sudden i realize and all of a sudden i realize this is the same ranger that we ran this is the same ranger that we ran this is the same ranger that we ran into into into earlier that day when we left the lower earlier that day when we left the lower earlier that day when we left the lower saddle it's the same man who only hours earlier it's the same man who only hours earlier it's the same man who only hours earlier had warned them about the dangers of had warned them about the dangers of had warned them about the dangers of glissading glissading glissading but there is no scolding no i told you but there is no scolding no i told you but there is no scolding no i told you speaking its way through his bones speaking its way through his bones speaking its way through his bones until finally dan turns his head until finally dan turns his head until finally dan turns his head skyward as the rhythmic sound of a skyward as the rhythmic sound of a skyward as the rhythmic sound of a helicopter buzzes into earshot helicopter buzzes into earshot helicopter buzzes into earshot i could hear it coming down the valley i could hear it coming down the valley i could hear it coming down the valley which is which is which is the most phenomenal sound in the world the most phenomenal sound in the world the most phenomenal sound in the world considering what all is happening and considering what all is happening and considering what all is happening and they did what's described as a short they did what's described as a short they did what's described as a short hall rescue what they have is this hall rescue what they have is this hall rescue what they have is this basket dangling underneath the helicopter basket dangling underneath the helicopter basket dangling underneath the helicopter so it never lands it's just there so it never lands it's just there so it never lands it's just there comes down a little ways by this point comes down a little ways by this point comes down a little ways by this point there are a bunch of other rangers there there are a bunch of other rangers there there are a bunch of other rangers there they wrap me up put me in this basket they wrap me up put me in this basket they wrap me up put me in this basket dan is carried dangling from the rescue dan is carried dangling from the rescue dan is carried dangling from the rescue helicopter back down to where they'd helicopter back down to where they'd helicopter back down to where they'd started on the trail and where an started on the trail and where an started on the trail and where an ambulance is now waiting ambulance is now waiting ambulance is now waiting as he rides in the emergency vehicle as he rides in the emergency vehicle as he rides in the emergency vehicle dan is told something he's already heard dan is told something he's already heard dan is told something he's already heard twice before twice before twice before the mountain ranger that found them the mountain ranger that found them the mountain ranger that found them said it and the ranger that traveled with said it and the ranger that traveled with said it and the ranger that traveled with him under the helicopter said it and him under the helicopter said it and him under the helicopter said it and now the emt and the ambulance is saying now the emt and the ambulance is saying now the emt and the ambulance is saying it too it too it too he said the same thing he goes i he said the same thing he goes i he said the same thing he goes i understand that you understand that you understand that you climbed your way out of there while your climbed your way out of there while your climbed your way out of there while your buddy pulled up the slack buddy pulled up the slack buddy pulled up the slack i said yeah i did he said man you're i said yeah i did he said man you're i said yeah i did he said man you're you're pretty lucky i said yeah i think you're pretty lucky i said yeah i think you're pretty lucky i said yeah i think i'm pretty lucky you know at this point i'm pretty lucky you know at this point i'm pretty lucky you know at this point three people had said and i was kind of sent it to him sent it to him sent it to him you know in a bit of a light way and he you know in a bit of a light way and he you know in a bit of a light way and he kind of scolded me and he said no you kind of scolded me and he said no you kind of scolded me and he said no you don't understand don't understand don't understand he said there have been three other he said there have been three other he said there have been three other climbers that have slid into ice modes climbers that have slid into ice modes climbers that have slid into ice modes about where you went in over the past about where you went in over the past about where you went in over the past three years three years three years you're the first rescue that we've had you're the first rescue that we've had he gazes thoughtfully out of the window he gazes thoughtfully out of the window he gazes thoughtfully out of the window of the speeding ambulance of the speeding ambulance of the speeding ambulance he really has been extraordinarily he really has been extraordinarily he really has been extraordinarily fortunate fortunate fortunate the fact that the fact that the fact that jim carried the rope that day you know i jim carried the rope that day you know i jim carried the rope that day you know i found out later when i got to the found out later when i got to the found out later when i got to the hospital i had actually broken my leg hospital i had actually broken my leg hospital i had actually broken my leg and so if i would have broken my hands and so if i would have broken my hands and so if i would have broken my hands or my shoulder or my shoulder or my shoulder wouldn't have been able to to climb out wouldn't have been able to to climb out wouldn't have been able to to climb out of there of there of there and then finally the fact that you know and then finally the fact that you know and then finally the fact that you know that that park ranger is walking by that that park ranger is walking by that that park ranger is walking by right at the right time so feel very right at the right time so feel very right at the right time so feel very fortunate to be alive at this point and fortunate to be alive at this point and fortunate to be alive at this point and that's that's kind of the story for a long time dan struggled to talk for a long time dan struggled to talk for a long time dan struggled to talk about his experience without crying about his experience without crying about his experience without crying he shed tears while he wrote and every he shed tears while he wrote and every he shed tears while he wrote and every night after he'd written he'd slept like night after he'd written he'd slept like night after he'd written he'd slept like he'd relieved a great burden he'd relieved a great burden he'd relieved a great burden now dan counts his ordeal as one of now dan counts his ordeal as one of now dan counts his ordeal as one of ultimately positive transformation ultimately positive transformation ultimately positive transformation he advises people to live a life of he advises people to live a life of he advises people to live a life of what if to still be open to trying new what if to still be open to trying new what if to still be open to trying new things even later in life exactly as he things even later in life exactly as he he did when he drove past Mount Rainier that day in 2013. 2010. He also urges those adventuring in the wild to pay attention, in more ways than one. You know, the old quote of nothing bad happens on a beautiful day. But, you know, for people that are out in the wilderness at all, to just stay on guard. Things can happen in an instant that can kill you. That's one piece of wisdom. The other is, you know, for people that hike and are outside, you know, when I started to climb, you get to the top, that's the goal. And we would do that. And on our way down, we just started thinking about our other climbs, planning our next trip. And so now I don't do that. I take it all in, enjoy the trail, don't just blow through the hike. As for Jim Zingerman, there is a special dedication at the start of Dan's book where, in lieu of the right words to thank his friend, Dan turns to the Bible, John 15, 13. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one's life, for one's friends. Thanks, Jim, Dan writes. But not giving up. This was a kind of a bad event that could have had a really horrible ending. It's the best thing that's happened to me. Because, you know, I wake up now, I wiggle my toes, I'm alive, and then I pray and thank God that I survived. Next time on Real Survival Stories, we adventure deep into South Australia's desolate and dangerous outback. In 2014, 30-year-old Brendan Cook takes a trip with his partner and their two friends along the legendary Birdsville Track, one of Australia's most isolated and untraveled roads. But an unusual series of events results in their car becoming stuck fast in silt and mud, resisting all efforts to be freed, and sinking into the ocean. Sinking further with every attempt to extract it. Stranded in the fierce heat and surrounded by sinister wildlife, Brendan and his companions must find a way of freeing their car before their dwindling food and water supplies run out entirely. But as the hours and days pass without success, their only remaining options appear drastic and filled with danger. That's next time on Real Survival Stories. Listen right now without waiting and with and without ads by joining Noisa Plus. A therapist. Kill or be killed. Jacob Elordi. They need our help. Josh Brolin. Margaret Qualley. Okay, tough guy. And Guy Pearce. Arm up! The Dog Stars, directed by Ridley Scott and theaters. August 28th. Get tickets now. Rated R. Under 17, not admitted without parents. Featuring exclusive interviews with James Cameron, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, and more, this new documentary reveals the imagination, innovation, and storytelling that continue to inspire generations and shape entertainment. Now streaming. on Disney Plus.