Two climbers were forced to reckon with the indifferent strength of nature after an avalanche engulfed them at Franconia State Park's Cannon Cliffs in New Hampshire. The pair, initially striving to enjoy the epic ice climb along the infamous Black Dike route, found themselves instead in a desperate struggle for survival. According to NBC Boston, the incident occurred yesterday when the climbers, a man and a woman, started their excursion from the Lafayette Campground parking lot at around 8 a.m.
Tragedy was to quickly strike as the snow beneath the adventurers gave way, triggering an avalanche that sent the male climber, Vincent Lapointe, slipping approximately 300 feet downhill. Per the same report by NBC Boston, the man was found "partially buried" by his climbing partner, Zephi Friel, who was thankfully unharmed and able to summon help. In a commendable display of self-reliance, the climbers managed to partially self-evacuate towards the trail.
Intervention came from the Pemi Search and Rescue Team, whose members reached the scene by 1:45 p.m. despite harrowing conditions. As reported by WHDH, the two adventurers were then transported back to civilization via snowmobile, rendezvousing with a Littleton Ambulance.
Despite suffering injuries, Lapointe astonishingly chose to refuse medical assistance provided on the site. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department provided no further details on the incident or the extent of Lapointe's injuries.
