Former SAS sniper caught in terrifying Everest avalanche after hearing ‘huge crack’

4 days ago 5

He's a merchandise of 1 of the astir elite subject units successful the world, who has been trained to 'operate and thrive' successful immoderate of the astir hostile conditions connected the planet.

So, erstwhile Anthony 'Staz' Stazicker watched connected arsenic a terrifying avalanche came crashing down towards him portion navigating Mount Everest's deadly Khumbu Icefall, helium was strangely calm.

The 41-year-old was portion of a squad of vets tasked with making the acme successful accelerated time, and helium was not going to instrumentality to the UK without success.

"We're not your mean benignant of climber oregon punter," the erstwhile crisp shooter said of his 'Mission Everest' crew, which consisted of hardened high-altitude mountaineer and aviator Major Garth Miller, 51, Veterans Minister and erstwhile Royal Marines serviceman Colonel Alistair Carns, 45, and erstwhile SAS operative Kevin Godlington, 49.

Although helium emerged from it looking a spot similar a 'yeti', the erstwhile SAS sniper handled the avalanche similar a pro (Supplied)

The lads couldn't precisely spend to instrumentality a bushed anyway, arsenic they were connected a ngo to acceptable a caller world grounds by getting from London to Nepal, reaching the acme of Everest, and heading backmost location again successful conscionable 7 days.

Scaling Everest astatine breakneck velocity isn't for the fainthearted, though, arsenic Staz told LADbible that the mentally and physically exhausting expedition could easy outgo you your life.

This sunk successful for the erstwhile SAS: Who Dares Wins prima arsenic helium traversed the fearsome Khumbu Icefall, a tricky agelong situated conscionable supra Base Camp that has been the tract of dozens of fatalities.

Staz, 41, has a decennary of decorated work with the British Special Forces nether his loop (Social media)

In Staz's words, the shifting glacier is 'very, precise dangerous' - which is astir apt saying a lot, coming from a erstwhile main sniper teacher and demolitions expert, who served successful the SAS for a decade.

The father-of-three told LADbible: "Just shy of Camp One, possibly a mates of hours retired from there, we got deed by a f***ing avalanche. Not ideal."

And acknowledgment to the group's cameraman, Sandro, this heart-stopping infinitesimal was captured connected film.

Take a look astatine the bonzer footage here:

The military men were attached to a fixed enactment erstwhile they archetypal began to consciousness the snowfall slipping, meaning that adjacent if they wanted to tally for their lives, they couldn't spell anyplace successful a rush.

"We conscionable perceive a immense ace to our near - and we tin perceive them happening astir the upland - but we heard this huge crack," Staz said. "And we're like, 'F**k'. We looked up, and determination it was.

"Right successful our path, this immense avalanche conscionable sliding down the upland towards us.

"And astatine that point, you bash the evident - look the different way. Where tin I run? I can't run. There's a large crevasse, I'm attached to the enactment and it's going to deed america successful astir 20 seconds.

"So we person to instrumentality a genu and effort and brace onto the rope."

The Khumbu Icefall is simply a notoriously tricky thoroughfare situated 5,000ft up Mount Everest (Getty)

Staz recalled however helium and his unit each instinctively 'hit the deck', earlier adding successful jest: "It was astir apt our subject inheritance coming in. I was trying to excavation a spread with my chin to get into the snow."

"It lasted astir 30 to 40 seconds," the ThruDark brag said of being swallowed by the unstoppable partition of snowfall and ice. "It feels similar you're successful a wave, similar the water coming implicit you.

"We tin inactive breathe. It's conscionable astir trying to stay calm. Generally, what happens is radical get buried - and astatine that constituent it’s very, precise hard to find your mode retired of that.

"But thankfully, it conscionable passed consecutive done and implicit us. We each benignant of stood up aft you perceive america each benignant of laughing and we each conscionable look similar yetis. So yeah, it was benignant of cool…"

The Mission Everest unit completed the fastest ascent of the mammoth upland successful past (Supplied)

In footage changeable moments aft the avalanche hit, successful existent SAS-style, Staz told the camera: "We managed to get caught up successful a tiny avalanche.

"Thankfully, it conscionable passed consecutive done america and implicit america - covered america - but yeah, we're rather lucky. Live to combat different day. Fortune favours the brave."

Staz and his elite SAS squad summited Mount Everest connected the greeting of 21 May earlier landing backmost successful London connected 23 May.

They reached the highest of the astir 30,000ft upland successful conscionable 4 days and 18 hours, astir 7 weeks faster than the mean climber.

The unthinkable feat was down to months of relentless training, endless nights of kipping successful a hypoxic tent, and a speedy travel to Germany to inhale immoderate Xenon gas, which meant they were tailored to the altitude earlier they adjacent arrived.

Open Full Post