Man rescued by helicopter after fall leaves him hanging by feet on via ferrata in Alps
He was left suspended 25 metres above ground for 10 minutes
The man was left suspended in the air for 10 minutes before help arrived
PGHM DE MODANE
A man in his 60s has been rescued after becoming suspended upside down, 25 metres above the ground in the French Alps.
The Frenchman fell while climbing a via ferrata in Valfréjus, above Modane (Savoie) on Tuesday, September 2.
Via ferratas are fixed climbing routes that allow people to access steep and hard-to-reach places on mountains.
They usually consist of fixed metal handholds and footholds, railings and cables.
Climbers usually clip onto these cables or railings to give them protection from falling.
The man was trying to help his daughter, who was having difficulty, when he fell.
His harness was loose and became tangled around his ankles.
He was suspended for 10 minutes upside down before mountain rescue, called by the daughter, arrived. They used a helicopter and winch to lift the man to safety.
He was unharmed but was taken to hospital in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne as a precaution.
"This operation was short, but very intense and complex," Captain Stéphane Narbaud of the PGHM mountain rescue, told local media.
"The blades of the Choucas 73 helicopter were less than two metres from the trees."
Captain Narbaud stressed climbers “must always ensure that your equipment is properly adjusted, in all circumstances, on a via ferrata and that you are securely attached to the lifeline”.
