Dramatic new video shows shivering climbers stuck on icy ledge at 21,000 feet – here’s how they survived

Two mountaineers stranded in the Himalayas have released dramatic new images showing them stuck on a ledge at 21,000 feet, visibly cold and fearing for their lives.

American mountaineer Michelle Dvorak, 31, and her British partner Fay Manners, 37, were found starving but alive three days after becoming stranded on a mountain after losing their equipment.

The shocking new footage shows them on a ledge, wondering if they will ever see their loved ones again after encountering difficulties while hiking India’s Chaukhamba Mountain.

“No signs of rescue, and we’re really cold,” Manners said in the Instagram post.

“A bag fell, and now it’s snowing.”

American climber Michelle Dvorak, 31, left, and her British partner Fay Manners, 37, say they didn’t think they would ever get off the ledge.

Brown adds: “No food or water. »

Falling rocks had cut a rope and sent a bag full of survival gear and technical equipment plummeting to the valley floor.

“These rocks came out from under me,” Manners told Outside of the difficult climb.

“The next thing I knew, I looked down and the bag was gone. »

The accident left them stranded without essential items, such as a working communications device, a tent, a stove, fuel and down clothing.

Manners said she was almost hypothermic and didn’t believe the two could survive another night on the ledge.

They had been stuck there for 48 hours without shelter, food or water. Snowfall regularly buried them.

They tried to stay warm by cuddling.

“We were broken,” Manners later told the outdoor sports news site.

“At this point we haven’t eaten in two days. We are severely dehydrated. We freeze. We stayed on the wall for seven days.

On the ledge, the two men watched in anguish as an Indian Air Force search helicopter appeared overhead.

He circled the mountain, but flew away without spotting them.

The climbers had managed to send an SOS message to mountain rescue while at 20,350 feet above sea level.

Dvorak’s phone had just enough charge for her to trigger a single SOS, but the battery died just moments after sending the message.

Manners said she knew both men were running out of options.

They were torn between staying put and waiting for rescue, or risking a descent without crampons, axes and other essential equipment.

“Given the incredibly complex and demanding approach, we knew it wasn’t possible,” Manners said.

“Even if we come down from the rock, how are we going to operate in this terrain without our equipment?

Yet on the third day, when it seemed all hope of rescue was lost, they decided to try their luck by rappelling down the buttress.

Manners knew their chances were slim.

New photos show Michelle Dvorak, right, and Fay Manners, stuck on a ledge after losing much of their gear.

Chaukhamba is located in the Indian Himalayas, near the northern border with China.

American Michelle Dvorak, 31 (photo) was also missing alongside Manners.

Michelle Theresa Dvorak and Ms Manners, both experienced climbers, paged their liaison officer, saying their bag containing food and vital equipment had fallen into a gorge.

“We were severely dehydrated, hungry and freezing,” she said.

“Our bodies were weak and even before we lost the carry bag, we had been climbing for six days, pushing our limits.”

They nevertheless began a descent, but at that moment fate offered them a respite.

They spotted four climbers from the French High Mountain Military Group of Chamonix.

“It was a miracle,” Manners said.

“It’s perfect timing. When we reached them, they were also trying to reach us.

She added: “My heart was overwhelmed when we realized they were there for us.”

The French team had learned of the stranded climbers and was trying to rescue them. They helped them return to base camp.

They were evacuated thanks to the search efforts of the Indian Air Force (IAF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and State Disaster Management.

Manners, originally from Bedford, moved to the Alps to pursue her passion for climbing and became a professional mountaineer, sponsored by brands including The North Face and Petzl.

She became the first person to complete a number of complex routes on various Alpine mountains.

“My ambition is to inspire women to pursue their interest in mountaineering,” we read on its website.

Manners is a data consultant “by night,” according to her Instagram, which has more than 15,000 followers.

Dvorak is also an experienced climber as well as a teaching assistant at the University of Washington.