A 28-year-old Australian skier is reported to have fallen 1000 feet through cliffs after trying to take a selfie in the Grand Targhee ski area, in Wyoming last week.
Somehow the man in question, James Garner did manage to survive, which is both brilliant for James and for the rest of us too – because we don’t have to feel bad about finding it funny.
Garner, had snuck through a boundary rope to take a photo of himself with the Tetons when the ground beneath him began to break up.
Next thing he knew, he was sliding down a 45-degree slope accompanied by a small avalanche, going over multiple cliff drops – one of which was fittingly named the Aussie Drop – and finally plummeting on a huge 250 foot feefall to the ground below.
Somehow, James lives on to tell the tale of his stupidity, and he even got out of the profile pic-disaster unharmed. The skier insisted he didn’t need a helicopter when picked up by the ski patrol and was brought to Teton Valley Hospital, where there were no visible injuries reported.
Bridger-Teton Avalanche centre reported: “A skier removed his skis and walked into closed area and onto an unsupported cornice which failed.
“He fell 800 to 1,000 feet through cliffs including a 250 foot free fall and sustained injury. The cornice debris triggered some small slab avalanches along the way in the cliffs.”
Garner – who may well have been born on Krypton rather than in Australia based on the above information – was issued with a hundred dollar fine for his trespassing efforts, but as far as we know, he didn’t manage to get the selfie he was after.
So, all in all, he didn’t get his picture and he’s down $100 bucks, but he’s possibly got one of the best anecdotes we’ve ever heard – and no injuries to go along with it. Worth it then? It certainly seems so.
The only way this could have worked out better is if the guy was wearing a GoPro.
You May Also Like
Switzerland’s Best Kept Secret: Skiing in the Shadow of the Murder Wall
This Skier’s Line Has Been Hailed As The ‘Greatest of All Time’… Do You Agree?