0:00:02 > 0:00:05A close call, a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08It was about survival at that point.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13I knew I had to get the people out of the car.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15The difference between disaster...
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and survival.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20It was terrifying. I thought it was game over.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:23 > 0:00:25The doctor had a word with us,
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and thought he was preparing us for David's death.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32It was something out of a horror film.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Their instincts and resources...
0:00:34 > 0:00:38coupled with the quick thinking of others helped to pull them through.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41I wanted to keep him awake. I needed to keep him awake.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And their dramatic experiences were recorded on camera.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Your life is on the line.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48It's a day they will never forget.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50The day they had a close call.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Today on Close Calls, skiing too close to the edge,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12a holiday-maker makes a disastrous error high on an Alpine glacier,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16falling deep into a bottomless crack in the ice.
0:01:16 > 0:01:17I heard a shout, "Oh, my God.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20"Oh, my God. Matt's skied into the crevasse!"
0:01:20 > 0:01:23Also today, a car is on fire at a safari park.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26A family is facing a terrible dilemma.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28How long can they stay in the car before they have to make
0:01:28 > 0:01:31a run for it? Not long enough.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33My son opened the door and ran.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36And police chase a high-speed driver after he overtakes
0:01:36 > 0:01:41four un-marked cars, only to find he's making a special delivery.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I've got out of the police vehicle,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47run to the passenger side, thinking I'm going to make an arrest.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It's winter in the French Alps,
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and three mates are heading out on an adventure.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Their off the mark ski run's on a glacier.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09It's challenging and exciting. And they're just getting started.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13They're all experienced skiers but this is a risky place.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20There are warning signs everywhere. And you can see why.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Their helmet camera records them edging along this precarious ridge.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30The friends are feeling the fear.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36But they're about to face much greater danger
0:02:36 > 0:02:41when the thrill of adventure becomes a desperate struggle for survival.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I heard a shout saying, "Oh, my God.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46"Oh, my God. Matt's skied into the crevasse!"
0:02:57 > 0:03:00Matt Allen works hard in his family's catering firm
0:03:00 > 0:03:04in Belfast for 11 months of the year but his passion lies
0:03:04 > 0:03:08hundreds of miles away in France, in the snowfields of Chamonix.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Matt lives to ski.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Ideally, with his ski mates, Rick Greenwood and Matt Donovan.
0:03:15 > 0:03:20Every year, I just take all my holidays, one month, and go and
0:03:20 > 0:03:24live like I can ski every day, and pretend like it'll last forever.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28It's February, and Matt's back in the resort with his friends.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Matt's been there two weeks and skiing hard.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35Today, he's tired and planning on taking a rest day.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37But, then, an opportunity comes up.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41We got a phone call.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44One of our very good friends, Rick. He was free to ski that day as well.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48He had the day off work. And the weather was just getting better and better.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52I was just sitting there. And Matt mentioned the Vallee Blanche.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55We don't go that often because it's a weather thing, and timing.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59So, I've got my two best friends, the weather's perfect,
0:03:59 > 0:04:03everything fell into place, so me and my favourite people in the world
0:04:03 > 0:04:07to ski with, let's go, let's go and have an adventure in Vallee Blanche.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The Vallee Blanche, the White Valley, links France and Italy.
0:04:11 > 0:04:15Skiing here requires skill, nerve, and lots of safety equipment.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19They load up with shovels, avalanche beacons, harnesses,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21and a helmet camera.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25They're looking forward to an exciting day of high-octane skiing.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29Getting there is a challenge in itself.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Warning signs tell them there are no marked paths,
0:04:32 > 0:04:37and no ski patrols, no prepared ski runs, no avalanche protection.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Plus, there are crevasses ahead,
0:04:40 > 0:04:44and they have to cross the notorious Arete Ridge.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47So, the start of the day is exciting. It's scary.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49You get that little adrenaline lift.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53And Matt doesn't like it, I don't like it. It's just...
0:04:53 > 0:04:56It's just a point you have to get over.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04Just myself, Matt, and Matt Donovan, just to do one run
0:05:04 > 0:05:07and make the most of a blue sky, powder day.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Now the friends are outside the patrolled ski area.
0:05:14 > 0:05:19They have to rely on skills, experience, and each other.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21This is adventure. This is where we're going now.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23You feel like an explorer.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31The cliff is sheer. To the left, the drop is 12,000 feet.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38They continue to inch along the narrowest of ridges.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45You don't fall down to the left-hand side, it is a no-fall zone,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48the left side. You will roll a bit to the snow, and then fall.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50And that's it. It's game over.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52'I just want to get there. Now.'
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Soon, they're at the highest point,
0:05:59 > 0:06:03and at the start of the toughest 22km run home.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06This is extreme glacier skiing.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Glacier is basically a huge body of ice that has cracks,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16crevasses all through it in different areas.
0:06:16 > 0:06:17But it's covered in snow.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Where you're skiing, a lot of times, all you see is the snow.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23You don't realise you're anywhere different.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27To ski on... it carries a lot of dangers, a lot of risks.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Skiing here is not for the faint-hearted.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33They need to avoid weak snow bridges, thin layers of snow,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36deceptively covering gaping deep crevasses.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39As we come over the lip,
0:06:39 > 0:06:43Matt's actually pointing out there's a crevasse here, that you can see.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46That's a small one that we went around
0:06:46 > 0:06:50cos it's quite visible from where we were, so it's no issue.
0:06:50 > 0:06:56They move past it. Matt's feeling tired. By now, his knees are aching.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01He drops back, opening up a worrying gap between him and his friends.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05The guys skied on ahead, I let them get a bit of distance.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08So, I was coming in, nice and slowly, in the back.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And we got quite a bit of distance between us.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14After the first pitch, as we were coming towards the crevasses,
0:07:14 > 0:07:20I skied over the snow bridge of an incredibly big crevasse.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23And got safe on the other side.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27And then Matt - Matt Donovan - came just behind me, and we both
0:07:27 > 0:07:31pulled up just to the other side of the crevasse, in the safe zone.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33I saw where they were in the distance.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36And I just, sort of, set a straight line towards them.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39As I got closer and closer and closer to them,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41I started to look up and I started to realise,
0:07:41 > 0:07:44once I was very close, that there was something...
0:07:44 > 0:07:46something was just not right about where I was.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48I knew I was in the wrong place.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53Matt's two friends are plotting the rest of the route down, unaware,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57at this point, that their mate has made a terrible misjudgement.
0:08:01 > 0:08:02I heard a shout, saying,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05"Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Matt's skied into the crevasse!"
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It's all captured on Matt Donovan's helmet camera.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I just couldn't believe it. I was, like,
0:08:22 > 0:08:25"No, that is impossible. This is a big, big crevasse."
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Matt has gone. He can't be seen.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30He can't be heard.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32In that heart stopping moment,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35his friends know they may never see him again.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37'Attention! Attention!'
0:08:37 > 0:08:41Later, the desperate battle to make contact with Matt.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And the frantic efforts to try and reach him.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46When you're actually in that situation,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48and there's no-one else around,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51it gets...very, very scary, very, very quickly.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05When a car is seen weaving in and out of traffic, police give chase.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07But, in this case,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09it's not the driver who's about to have a lucky escape.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16It's late evening on one of the major motorway routes
0:09:16 > 0:09:18along the south coast.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22A car is being driven erratically, cutting other drivers,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and changing lanes.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29The driver doesn't know it's all being recorded on the camera
0:09:29 > 0:09:31of an unmarked police car.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35I was, sort of, weaving, in and out.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38But the police officers have no idea of the dramatic events
0:09:38 > 0:09:40unfolding in the vehicle.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Sergeant Simon Goss has been in the force 27 years.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51He's in charge of a team of eight traffic cops,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55on the lookout for and recording criminals on the road.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But, one day, in the middle of June, he and a number of colleagues
0:09:58 > 0:10:02are on their way home from a police operation in unmarked vehicles,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06and one of their in-car cameras is recording.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09It captures the start of probably the most unexpected
0:10:09 > 0:10:13sequence of events he's ever experienced in his career.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Travelling at 60mph, that's the speed limit for that
0:10:16 > 0:10:20part of the motorway, just heading back to base after an 11 hour shift.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23We're aware of this black car that undertakes us,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26clearly driving a lot faster than 60mph.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30The vehicle accelerates ahead of us, weaving in and out of traffic,
0:10:30 > 0:10:32and I think the consensus of opinion of us all
0:10:32 > 0:10:36was that the vehicle had just been stolen and we needed to stop it.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38But this car isn't stolen.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42It's just in a hurry to make an extremely important delivery.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Behind the wheel is Colin, a devoted dad, and grandad,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49who's rushing his heavily pregnant daughter to hospital.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54I was, sort of, weaving in and out.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58And, unbeknownst to me, undertook four unmarked police cars.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03My dad's doing high speed down the motorway...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Obviously, we see the blue flashing lights.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09Then Tiff said, "My waters have gone."
0:11:09 > 0:11:12So I started going a little bit faster.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17Surprisingly, the vehicle continues to speed, even accelerates.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21I didn't stop. It was in my head to get Tiff to the hospital.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24But, as Colin hits top gear,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28he soon realises Tiffany isn't going to make it that far.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Half of her head come out.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34I had no choice but to pull over.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37The vehicle stops on a very narrow bit of hard shoulder
0:11:37 > 0:11:41and we basically surround the vehicle with our unmarked cars.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43I leapt out of my driver's door,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46as all the police got out of their car.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I got out of the police vehicle, run to the passenger side,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51thinking I'm going to make an arrest.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54And I just said, "My daughter's having a baby."
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I opened the passenger door, got Tiffany's legs turned,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59out came baby.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02He's got Lola's head in his hands,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05and Lola's literally being born in front of us.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08Which is a massive shock to us all.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11And it's just as much of a shock for Tiffany.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14It's been a speedy birth in more ways than one.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16My first was 27 hours.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18She was 19 minutes.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22No-one expects your dad to deliver their baby, do they?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25It was quite...embarrassing.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Just had to do what he had to do, I suppose, bless him.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Mother and baby finally make it to hospital
0:12:30 > 0:12:32and both are in good health.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37- Lola is well-prepared for a life in the fast lane.- There, look.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40The lady that was registering her...
0:12:41 > 0:12:45..said, "Is this the M275 baby?" I said, "Yes."
0:12:45 > 0:12:48And that's what they've written on her birth certificate.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Born - M275 on the way to Queen Alexandra Hospital.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Grand Prix grandad Colin makes a rapid apology
0:12:56 > 0:12:58for his high-speed antics.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01I said, "Look, guys, I'm really sorry for driving like a lunatic."
0:13:01 > 0:13:04And they were, afterwards, they were really good.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07I think he was just as shocked as we were that he got
0:13:07 > 0:13:09so surrounded by four unmarked cars.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12He was desperate to try and get Tiffany to hospital.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14But he was doing his best in the circumstances.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18Simon, however, feels he probably should have been better prepared.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20Coincidently, my wife is a midwife.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23I did think at the time maybe I should have listened to a few
0:13:23 > 0:13:26more stories as she told me about delivering babies,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28but, luckily, Lola was fine, Mum was fine.
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Coming up, a terrifying car fire, and it seems there's no escape.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44A family is trapped inside their burning vehicle,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46but they're surrounded by lions.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Do they flee, or sit tight in choking smoke?
0:13:50 > 0:13:53I saw flames coming from the front of the vehicle.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56I could see the panic on the children's faces.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00And, in the Alps, Matt's friends battle to reach him
0:14:00 > 0:14:02trapped in a bottomless crevasse.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I kind of had a thought, you know, I was going to be buried.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07This is going to be like being in an avalanche,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10not going to be able to move, not going to be able to breathe.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25This footage, filmed on a mobile phone, shows a line of traffic.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29And, at the back, one of the cars is burning out of control.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Inside, a mum and her two young children are suddenly facing
0:14:32 > 0:14:35a terrifying, life-threatening decision.
0:14:37 > 0:14:38This is Longleat Safari Park,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and their car is in the middle of the lion enclosure.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45It's getting too dangerous to stay in their burning vehicle,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but it's also too dangerous to get out
0:14:48 > 0:14:52because the lions are surrounding the car.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55It's probably most people's worst nightmare.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57The lions are actually watching us.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Suddenly, fear gives way to panic.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01One of the children does something drastic -
0:15:01 > 0:15:05opens the door and tries to make a run for it.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08My son opened the door and ran out of the car.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16It's the Easter holidays, and Helen Clemens and her two children,
0:15:16 > 0:15:1912-year-old Charlie and her nine-year-old brother,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21George, are on a family day out.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25The first thing you do, you see the lemurs
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and then you can go into the zebras and the giraffes.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Then there's the monkeys.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35And then you go on to the big cats.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40You see the tigers first, which we did,
0:15:40 > 0:15:43and they were quite close to the road.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48But Longleat Safari Park is most famous for its lions,
0:15:48 > 0:15:5036 in total, and its Park Ranger Andy Hayton's job
0:15:50 > 0:15:52to keep an eye on them.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57They're probably more dangerous than a wild lion
0:15:57 > 0:15:59because they have no natural fear of us.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02It's a big unpredictable carnivore
0:16:02 > 0:16:05that makes a living out of killing things and eating it,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08so you never, ever, ever get complacent with them.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14For Helen and the kids, the lions are definitely the main attraction,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and they're excited as they enter the big cat enclosure.
0:16:17 > 0:16:18This Easter weekend,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21the good weather has brought visitors in their droves,
0:16:21 > 0:16:25all keen to get close up to the pride prowling its territory
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and recording their day on their cameras and phones.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30Everyone likes to look at all the animals
0:16:30 > 0:16:32and they forget there's a lot of people behind you,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36so that's why there was a lot of, you know, stopping and starting.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Helen, Charlie and George are already well inside the enclosure
0:16:40 > 0:16:43when they realise something's not right with their people carrier.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45There was steam coming from the bonnet.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47When you go into any enclosure it says,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49"Please stay in your vehicle.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52"In the case of an emergency, please sound your horn."
0:16:52 > 0:16:56She reassures the children, but now Helen is becoming frightened.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57She decides to press the horn.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59HORN BLARES
0:16:59 > 0:17:01But the sudden noise attracts the attention
0:17:01 > 0:17:03of a large pride of lions nearby.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07One of the rangers on look out sees they're in trouble
0:17:07 > 0:17:10and radios Andy Hayton.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12I could hear panic in her voice.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13She told me that there was smoke
0:17:13 > 0:17:16coming from underneath the car bonnet.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Sometimes you think, smoke, steam -
0:17:18 > 0:17:21maybe it's a radiator hose burst or something.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24But it isn't steam, as they're about to find out.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28It started getting darker and it started to turn brown,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31and then suddenly it was turning black.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33And, because it was at the front of the vehicle,
0:17:33 > 0:17:37near the windscreen, it was coming in towards us through the vents,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40and I said, "That isn't steam, that's smoke."
0:17:43 > 0:17:47Helen is now terrified they'll be overcome by the deadly fumes.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50She has no choice but to open the car window,
0:17:50 > 0:17:52hoping the lions won't come any closer.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56Andy's still 200 yards away and racing towards the enclosure.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00He can see time is running out for the family.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04I knew I had to get people out of the car.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Then, suddenly, the family's situation gets much worse.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11At that point I saw flames coming from the front of the vehicle.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14I could see the panic on the children's faces.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Both Charlie and George were in tears.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It's too much for nine-year-old George.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23Overcome with fear, he suddenly jumps out of the car.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28My son opened the door and ran out of the car.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31I was really, really scared.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35I saw the lions, but I just didn't know what to do.
0:18:35 > 0:18:41I thought if I could run to the entrance bit,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45but it's too far away, so then I just thought, I'll just...
0:18:46 > 0:18:48..leg it.
0:18:48 > 0:18:49I was calling him back,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I said, "You've got to come back to the car."
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I could see the puzzled look on his face, you know,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57do I stay in the car? Do I get back in the car?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Andy arrives at Helen's blazing car
0:19:07 > 0:19:10and manoeuvres his 4x4 tight up alongside.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16I said to Helen, "I'm going to have to just get you into my truck,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19"and what I want you all to do is just jump over the driver's seat."
0:19:19 > 0:19:22But young George, gripped with panic,
0:19:22 > 0:19:26heads to the wrong side of Andy's car and into the path of the lions.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28I did have to manhandle George in,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31caught him by the scruff of the neck and fired him through the door.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Andy's reached them just in time.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Tourist photos show the front of the car is now well alight.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Just one minute more and the whole family would have been forced
0:19:42 > 0:19:45to leap out and into the enclosure with the lions.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Helen captures the moment on her own mobile phone.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52With the family safe, the rangers round-up the animals.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55Now the locals fire service can take over.
0:19:55 > 0:19:56The actual car was on fire.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It was well alight from end to end and there were flames
0:19:59 > 0:20:0210 or 15 feet in the air, quite a bit of smoke being produced.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I directed the crews to attack the fire.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Whilst they were doing that I made my way to the nearest ranger
0:20:07 > 0:20:10just to confirm... I think my words were something like
0:20:10 > 0:20:13"Could you confirm to me that all of the cats are away?"
0:20:13 > 0:20:15I think the response was something like,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17"Yes, I can assure you they've all gone to bed."
0:20:17 > 0:20:21It's been a terrifying experience for Helen, Charlie and George.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Look, there's the ranger, and we're in that car, so we've left it.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27Can you see how we've let it?
0:20:27 > 0:20:29Wow, look, that's where the lions were.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33They were really, really close. They are watching us.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36They'll never forget the family outing
0:20:36 > 0:20:40that became a trip, literally, into the lion's den.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51Back in Chamonix, a day's skiing has taken a terrifying turn
0:20:51 > 0:20:55for three friends after one of them missed judges the track
0:20:55 > 0:20:58and disappears into a bottomless crack in the ice.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06The moment is recorded on one skier's helmet camera.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11Now the two men are gripped with fear.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Matt!
0:21:13 > 0:21:15I heard a shout to saying, "Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17"Matt skied into the crevasse!"
0:21:17 > 0:21:23I skated back up the snow bridge, obviously being very careful
0:21:23 > 0:21:26because snow bridges are not the most stable things
0:21:26 > 0:21:29at the best of times, and started peering into the crevasse,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32looking to see exactly what had happened.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34They know their friend is in desperate trouble.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36He might even have lost his life.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38But Matt is alive
0:21:38 > 0:21:41and all too conscious of what's happening to him.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I was falling. That was the most terrifying thing.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50And I was banging off the sides,
0:21:50 > 0:21:52and I didn't know how much snow was coming with me,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I kind of had a thought, you know, that I was going to be buried.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58This is going to be like being in an avalanche,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01not going to be able to move, not going to be able to breathe.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Miraculously, Matt comes to a halt on a small ledge of snow
0:22:04 > 0:22:0660 feet from the surface.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I stopped falling at the bottom,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and there was very little snow piled up around me.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17I was pretty much just standing there trying to work out what happened.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21I was at the bottom of this huge hole just...
0:22:21 > 0:22:23"What happened? Where am I now?"
0:22:24 > 0:22:28Looking up, he can just see a patch of blue sky.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Looking down, the crack just keeps on going.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37All I could see was two walls either side of me of ice.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40It was deafeningly silent. It was terrifying.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44I wasn't optimistic. I thought it was game over.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47The fact that Matt actually skied down into the crevasse
0:22:47 > 0:22:50has been crucial - it's kept him upright.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54If he'd tried to stop he could have plunged in headfirst.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00I'm doing this pat-down of my body trying to work out...
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I should be broken in half, something should be broken,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06there should be blood. This isn't normal.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08But, for some reason, I was all OK.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12His friends have no idea if he's dead or alive.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The scary part right now is that I was
0:23:15 > 0:23:18shouting and shouting and shouting,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21whilst balanced, with my skis on, on a snow bridge,
0:23:21 > 0:23:25basically, not knowing what the outcome was going to be.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27So I was just shouting, "Matt, Matt, Matt!
0:23:27 > 0:23:30"Matt, Matt, Matt! Answer me, answer me, Matt!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32"Are you OK? Are you OK? Are you OK?"
0:23:33 > 0:23:36I started shouting and shouting and shouting,
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and I could sense that it wasn't travelling very far,
0:23:39 > 0:23:42cos the sound wasn't echoing, it was just dying.
0:23:44 > 0:23:45Rick has a desperate idea.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48In vain hope, he tries ringing Matt's mobile phone.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Then my phone rang. I was thinking, "This'll be my mum."
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Unbelievably, the idea works.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59A jubilant Rick signals that he's made contact.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04We talked through the situation very briefly.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Just to arrange, OK, they're getting a rope to me.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09They're getting an ice screw down
0:24:09 > 0:24:11to me on the end of the rope for a weight.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13We lowered down an ice screw to him
0:24:13 > 0:24:15so that he could clip into his harness,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18secure himself to the crevasse wall inside the glacier
0:24:18 > 0:24:21and make himself safe while we decided what we needed to do.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25but Matt knows there's also danger
0:24:25 > 0:24:28from the ridge his friends are standing on above him.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33I was still very aware that where Rick was standing to shout at me
0:24:33 > 0:24:36was actually on a snow bridge, so I was still quite aware that
0:24:36 > 0:24:38I'm not completely out of danger.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41There's still a risk that the roof could come down on me,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45the small bridge he's standing on, the cornice, could come down on me.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46There was still a lot of fear.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Matt's friends call helicopter rescue,
0:24:50 > 0:24:53only to find it's not available.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58All we could do then was try and attempt a crevasse rescue.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01When you're actually in that situation,
0:25:01 > 0:25:06a friend of yours is down there and there's no-one else around,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09it gets very, very scary, very, very quickly.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Rick and Matt secure their friend to a rope.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15He won't fall any further.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19But getting him out is an altogether different problem.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23We realised we probably did not have enough equipment
0:25:23 > 0:25:27for the two of us to get him out, and it would have been a struggle,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31the two of us, to set up a system that would get him out.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35Fortunately, two English guys came down,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38one of them have very, very, very accomplished mountaineer
0:25:38 > 0:25:40who, although, by his own admission,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42had never done a crevasse rescue before,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46knew the basic principles of setting up a pulley system
0:25:46 > 0:25:48to get Matt out of the crevasse.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Down in the crevasse, Matt is doing all he can to keep calm.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Some time passed and I'm just sitting there
0:25:57 > 0:26:01with my skis in my backpack and my backpack on,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04hanging by a screw, on a rope, in a hole...
0:26:05 > 0:26:07So I got my camera out.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11I took the selfie and everything, just to, eh...
0:26:11 > 0:26:13I don't know, I was just trying to not panic.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21Between them, the four guys on the surface have set up the pulley.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24Down below, Matt suddenly feels a tug on the rope.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30As soon as they pulled, there was this hugely satisfying
0:26:30 > 0:26:33wrench on the rope that just lifted me up,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and I've never felt happier to be wrenched up
0:26:36 > 0:26:38by a rope before in my life.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I just remember sitting there thinking,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43"I'm now going away from the crevasse."
0:26:43 > 0:26:46I knew they just had to keep pulling and pulling and pulling,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and every little bit I was going up.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54After about half an hour of backbreaking work,
0:26:54 > 0:26:56the four of us finally, finally, finally
0:26:56 > 0:27:00saw Matt's face coming above the lip of the crevasse,
0:27:00 > 0:27:05coming through the snow bridge, and we dragged him out.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09The helmet camera cuts out just before Matt reaches the surface,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11but he's safe.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14The friends record the moment with a photograph.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Very emotional moment for all of us,
0:27:16 > 0:27:19you know, two complete strangers who'd helped us out
0:27:19 > 0:27:21and the three of us who are good friends.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23I think everyone shed a bit of a tear.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25I've never felt so happy.
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Climbing out the side of this hole,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29just come over the side of the crevasse and there's these
0:27:29 > 0:27:33two strange guys I've never seen before, my two good buddies -
0:27:33 > 0:27:35it was the first time I really felt
0:27:35 > 0:27:39that full flood of adrenaline and emotion.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Rick came up, huge hug.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Probably the most emotional hug I've had with Rick,
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and Matt the same.
0:27:45 > 0:27:48The two guys, we just had this real hug, you know.
0:27:49 > 0:27:53"We nearly watched you die. You're now safe."
0:27:53 > 0:27:55That's nice, it's a good feeling.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59That's it for today. Join us next time for more stories
0:27:59 > 0:28:01from people about the day they had a close call.