0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call - a moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I could die here. This is really serious.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Right, call 999 now.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19You could see it on the faces of the crew, how life-threatening this was.
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Why would you need to swim?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Apparently they're supposed to still be on a boat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26These are the people that have been there and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27I thought she had died.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31The day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:54Today on Close Calls, a fishing trawler in trouble in the North Sea.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57It's taking on water at a rapid rate.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00A passing vessel has gone to her aid.
0:01:00 > 0:01:04A coastguard helicopter and a lifeboat stand by,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06but there's no saving the trawler.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10It's going to be a battle to save the crew.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Swimming as hard as we could, we couldn't get away from the boat.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16It's a lot of tonnes of steel you can see coming towards you.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21And an emergency operator receives an extraordinary call
0:01:21 > 0:01:22about a young boy.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Also today, two brothers on a skiing trip when one disappears
0:01:38 > 0:01:39straight down a crevasse.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43It was like a nightmare, really.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47I just thought, "This is going to be a pretty horrible way to die."
0:01:54 > 0:01:57The North Sea, off the coast of the Shetland Islands.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01A fishing trawler is sinking.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Its crew of five are still on board, along with two rescue workers.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Time is running out for all seven men.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12A deck hand on another vessel films as the stricken boat
0:02:12 > 0:02:14begins to slip beneath the waves.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18The men must jump into the icy waters before the trawler
0:02:18 > 0:02:20drags them down with it.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22If anybody had got caught up in the rigging,
0:02:22 > 0:02:25even with a life jacket on, it's a heavy boat, it's...
0:02:25 > 0:02:27They're not going to be seen again.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38The Shetlands are the most remote islands in the UK,
0:02:38 > 0:02:43situated more than 100 miles north-east of the Scottish mainland.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47The largest port, Lerwick, is home to the fishing fleet,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49a mainstay of the island's economy.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Darren Harcus moved here from Orkney to be closer to his job.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59For six years, the trawler Ocean Way has been his workplace.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Its joint skippers Steven Hughson
0:03:01 > 0:03:04and his dad Leslie have become his close friends.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Both great guys to get on with. Happy to work with them.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12Just very easy-going and makes everybody's life easy.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Darren works two weeks on the trawler then returns home
0:03:15 > 0:03:19to his fiancee and six daughters for two weeks off.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24Yeah, family life is good. I suppose absence makes the heart grow fonder.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26I don't know what it is about the fishing.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28You just get lured back every time.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31I've tried several other jobs and always end up going back to fishing.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37The lure of the sea is so strong that even when Darren
0:03:37 > 0:03:41is on shore leave he volunteers as a crew member with the RNLI.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Joining the lifeboat team fulfilled a lifelong ambition.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48Since I was a little boy, I remember them coming out to Westray Regatta.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Back then, they would take people out on the boat.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53I remember thinking that was amazing as a kid.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55Yeah, I just want to help other people at sea.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56I think everybody does.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02It's a Friday morning in March and Darren is at home
0:04:02 > 0:04:04when his pager goes off.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07He's stunned when he learns the name of the boat putting out
0:04:07 > 0:04:08a mayday call.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11One of the guys said that it's the Ocean Way, it's your boat.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16So, yeah, all sorts of things going through my mind at that time.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19On board are his lifelong friends, his second family,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22but he's reassured when he's told the situation isn't critical,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25although the boat is taking on water.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27Just thought it would be run out there and meet them,
0:04:27 > 0:04:32put a pump on board, pump it out, get them tied out safely, job done.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34But it didn't happen like that, obviously.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43When Darren and his RNLI crew mates arrive at the scene 20 miles
0:04:43 > 0:04:47off the coast of Lerwick, the trawler is listing badly.
0:04:48 > 0:04:50A Norwegian salmon boat, the Gerde Saele,
0:04:50 > 0:04:52is already standing by to offer help.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57A crew member films as a coastguard rescue helicopter circles above.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Darren and another RNLI volunteer, John Best,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06are transferred to the Ocean Way with a powerful pump,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09but water is pouring in so quickly it can't cope.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13To start with, when we got the pump fired up,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15the water was actually about us. It was maybe two foot high.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16It was getting worse and worse.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19We told them that we really do need to get people off.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The crew think part of the boat's fishing equipment called
0:05:24 > 0:05:27the trawl door slammed into the hull when it was under water
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and pierced the reinforced steel.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Knowing the Ocean Way is lost, the skipper shuts down the engines,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37causing a puff of black smoke to erupt.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Darren calls the lifeboat back in, and the trawler's skipper,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45Steven, gives the order to abandon ship.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Water is now coming over the top rail of the deck.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54The bow of the Ocean Way is lifting out of the water.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56The lifeboat comes alongside,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58but it's too late to do a boat-to-boat transfer.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02When the boat started going vertical, that's when me
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and John Best gave the order to jump.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It'll be safer in the water away from the Ocean Way sinking,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12because if anybody had got caught up in the rigging,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15even with a life jacket on, it's a heavy boat, it's...
0:06:15 > 0:06:17They're not going to be seen again.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Some of the crew are reluctant to jump,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22but Darren knows they have no choice.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Just screaming at them to jump.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29Full faith in the lifeboat being able to pick them up.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31There's that much adrenaline pumping,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33I wasn't really thinking, just doing.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34There's a one-metre swirl
0:06:34 > 0:06:39and the water is only six degrees as the men launch themselves into it.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Skipper Steven is the last man off.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49I wasn't 100% sure if Steven was much of a swimmer or not,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52so I made a bit of a beeline for him.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Footage shot from the RNLI boat and the Norwegian trawler shows
0:06:56 > 0:06:59the men in the water swimming desperately to safety.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Darren and Steven are only feet away from the sinking vessel,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06in danger of being dragged down with it.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Swimming as hard as we could, we couldn't get away from the boat.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12It's a lot of tonnes of steel you can see coming towards you.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Darren's RNLI colleague shepherds the other crew members
0:07:16 > 0:07:18towards the rescue boat.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25The trawler's crew are hauled on board the lifeboat
0:07:25 > 0:07:29one at a time with the help of a special harness.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33There was... I don't know how to describe it. Slight disbelief.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Everybody was almost happy just because they're safe,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39trying to make the best of a bad situation, I guess.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44But there's no hope of salvage for the Ocean Way.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49It vanishes beneath the waves. It's too much for the trawler's skipper.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Steven was pretty quiet on the way in. I mean, really quiet.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58I was a bit worried that he was going into shock,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01obviously having been in the cold water, just trying to keep
0:08:01 > 0:08:04an eye on him, try and engage with him and make sure he's speaking.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Back on shore, the crew are given the all clear.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15But everyone involved is aware how close they came to disaster.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Later that night, my fiancee did give me a big cuddle
0:08:17 > 0:08:21and say she was extremely proud of me, which...
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Maybe it was a big deal.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Coming up later...
0:08:32 > 0:08:37..a skier plunges down a crevasse. His body cam records the fall.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41He comes to a stop on a small ledge.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46This is the view up and this is the view down.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00A worried dad makes a 999 call.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04It's unlike any other the call taker has ever received.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The little boy's mother has just discovered her son
0:09:24 > 0:09:26locked inside the machine.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30When I opened the dryer, it was just like a wee rag doll.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32It was just like living a nightmare.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Paramedics are briefed and rushed to the family's address.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37Responded as quickly as we could.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40We're hoping for the best but preparing for the worst on the way.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Gillian Duffy and her husband Aaron are teenage sweethearts.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54Now married, they live with their family in the pretty seaside
0:09:54 > 0:09:57town of Bangor in Northern Ireland.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03I've got four children. My eldest is Sophie. She's 12.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06The next one's Sasha. She's 11.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Then there's Freddy, who's seven, and Riley, who is five.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14The two girls are close. Close in age.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Girls being girls, they'll fight a bit out over bits and pieces.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Freddy and Riley are very close, but as a whole family,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24they all play with each other regardless.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27The couple's youngest child, Riley, was born with Down's syndrome
0:10:27 > 0:10:31and other related medical issues, including a heart problem.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Before he was even six months old, he needed open heart surgery.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37It was a frightening time for the family.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43The doctor told us then how severe Riley was.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46He gave Riley 24 hours to live and said we need to put him
0:10:46 > 0:10:48to operation and we need to get him stronger.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52It was a long road, but we haven't looked back.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55He's been great ever since.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58Now five, Riley is full of mischief.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Riley, he's a face that melts your heart.
0:11:03 > 0:11:09But he is into everything. Just have to, 24/7, just keep an eye on him.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10But it's not easy.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Riley doesn't always understand why he has to stay
0:11:13 > 0:11:16away from certain things in the house.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19With Riley it's a lot more difficult because he's nonverbal.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24He does have a few words that he uses, but it's mainly just signing.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26You are having to repeat yourself with Riley,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30so it is continuously, you know, "Don't do it, it's dangerous."
0:11:30 > 0:11:31"No, no, no" all the time
0:11:31 > 0:11:34with different things, dangers around the house.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37But it's not just Mum, Dad and his siblings who keep a watchful
0:11:37 > 0:11:40eye on Riley, so does Teddy, the family dog.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Teddy obviously realises that Riley has special needs
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and there's something that bit special with Riley.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50You can see Teddy looking out for him all the time,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54always following Riley around, just keeping an eye on him as well.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55In fact, Teddy has a track record
0:11:55 > 0:11:57for looking out for the entire family.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01One night, Teddy came in and she was acting all weird.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04Then we started smelling a smoky smell.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07It was our charger was just about to go on fire.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09She had detected it from the other room.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11When Teddy had done that, I thought Teddy was a hero,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14to me, you know, cos she's alerted us to that.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16It's a wet Sunday afternoon
0:12:16 > 0:12:19and Gillian is upstairs doing the housework.
0:12:19 > 0:12:21Husband Aaron is at his mum's nearby,
0:12:21 > 0:12:23and the girls are at the cinema.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Freddy and Riley are downstairs.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30The usual Sunday, getting everything ready for school the next day.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Freddy was glued to the TV, as normal,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36and Riley was playing on his wee iPad.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I was just up and down the stairs, so they were happy as Larry.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43But as Gillian gets to work with a vacuum in her daughter's
0:12:43 > 0:12:46bedroom, the family pet appears.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50Teddy came running in and was barking and running in and out
0:12:50 > 0:12:51and in and out, frantic.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Instinctively, Gillian knows something is very wrong.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56I stopped the hoover
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and ran downstairs screaming to my other son, Freddy,
0:12:59 > 0:13:00"Where's Riley? Where's Riley?"
0:13:00 > 0:13:04We just went looking for him, and Freddy started shouting,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06"There's an iPad in the tumble dryer.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12I was like, "This can't be happening."
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Frantic, Gillian rushes into the utility room to find
0:13:15 > 0:13:20the dryer on and something tumbling around inside it.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Riley, with his love of dark, quiet spaces has climbed
0:13:23 > 0:13:27inside the dryer, somehow shutting the door, restarting the cycle.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33When I opened the dryer, it was just like a wee rag doll.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37I just pulled him out and I just started throwing water over him
0:13:37 > 0:13:39cos he was just roasting.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41At the same time, she rings Aaron.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I got a phone call from Gillian to say,
0:13:43 > 0:13:45"I need to take Riley to the hospital quick.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47"I've just pulled him out of the tumble dryer."
0:13:47 > 0:13:49I sort of thought, "Sorry?" You know, "What?"
0:13:49 > 0:13:51I said, "I'll be there in 30 seconds."
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Aaron races home to find Gillian throwing cold water over
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Riley at the kitchen sink.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00I could see the swelling around the forehead.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05I just thought, "We need to get plenty of cold water onto this."
0:14:05 > 0:14:07I then lifted him and ran him straight up the stairs.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Both me and him stripped and got him into the shower,
0:14:10 > 0:14:12but I could see more burns,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15I could see the bruising on his back, the burns on his back,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16the burns on his arm.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20All the while, Riley's still screaming.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22Just me and him plunged into the cold water.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24It was just frightening me
0:14:24 > 0:14:29cos it just looked as if he had just been run over.
0:14:29 > 0:14:30And he just looked terrible.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32I thought, "We need to phone the ambulance here."
0:14:32 > 0:14:35This is Aaron's call to the emergency services.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37PHONE RINGS
0:15:07 > 0:15:11Call handler Paul White can't quite believe what he's hearing.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14People getting trapped in things happens often,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17but not tumble dryers, I've never heard of anything like that before.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45The injuries we'd be worried about would be any damage to the head or
0:15:45 > 0:15:49any broken bones, anything from being thrown about in a tumble dryer,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52and also any burns from the tumble dryer being on.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20They had obviously suffered trauma from going round in it,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23so it does change how things are treated and how he was treated.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Paul flags the family's call as a priority because of Riley's age.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Paramedic Ian Wooley arrives at the house in record time.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I've never received a call like that before,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38but we responded as quickly as we could,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40especially as it was a young child.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43We were hoping for the best but preparing for the worst on the way.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47But when Ian tries to check Riley over,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49the little boy is too distressed to be examined.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53He's not great, cos he's been in hospital so many times.
0:16:53 > 0:16:58I lifted his top up to show the paramedic some of the bruising and some of the burns.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01He knew it was quite severe and serious.
0:17:02 > 0:17:08There was burns to the arms, upper back and just above one of the eyes.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11But, honestly, my biggest concern would have been
0:17:11 > 0:17:14the throwing about in the drum of the tumble dryer,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16so I was more concerned about traumatic injuries,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18after having a look at the burns.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Riley is unable to tell the paramedics
0:17:21 > 0:17:23or Mum and Dad what hurts.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26His parents are also concerned about his heart condition.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29We just feel that, you know, can his heart, you know,
0:17:29 > 0:17:34take something so traumatic? And you just don't know what's going on in his wee body.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Riley is rushed to Ulster Hospital with his dad at his side,
0:17:38 > 0:17:42while Gillian arranges for the other children to be looked after.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44A team of emergency doctors
0:17:44 > 0:17:47and nurses are standing by to assess Riley's injuries.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50I've worked in A&E for over 20 years,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and in all that time I've never heard of a call like this before.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57His head was covered in a multitude of small bumps,
0:17:57 > 0:18:00his whole scalp was covered, I'm sure there was 15 or 20 bumps.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04His back was covered with abrasions and marks
0:18:04 > 0:18:05over its entire surface.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09He had burns around the waistband of his back and he had
0:18:09 > 0:18:10burns to his left elbow as well.
0:18:10 > 0:18:15The concerns when we see that amount of external injury are what lies underneath as well.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18So, obviously, there is the potential for brain injury,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21brain bleeding, or indeed chest injury.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24A nurse distracts Riley with a teddy bear,
0:18:24 > 0:18:26while doctors examine him.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30By the time Gillian arrives, it's all looking more positive.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34He's playing with one of the nurses, throwing a teddy back and forth.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38So it was, like, huge relief. But even seeing him sitting there
0:18:38 > 0:18:40covered in bruises, burns,
0:18:40 > 0:18:42you're just...your heart just melts for him, like.
0:18:43 > 0:18:47X-rays and scans reveal no internal injuries.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Mum and Dad's quick thinking prevented the burns
0:18:49 > 0:18:50from being more serious.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Dad had taken him straight to the shower, which was a really clever thing for him to do,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57because cooling burns down early is
0:18:57 > 0:19:00paramount to stopping the ongoing burning process.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04These machines are a closed box, you can suffocate inside them.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And if you don't do that you can tumble and turn
0:19:07 > 0:19:11until you receive such severe injuries that they can kill you.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Riley remains in hospital for two days, and is then allowed back home.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19He was straight down the hall and into his playroom.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Just all his own wee stuff, he was just... You could tell that he was just glad to be home.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Gillian now keeps the utility room locked,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30but one member of the family gets the complete run of the rest of the house.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Teddy would have normally been outside,
0:19:33 > 0:19:35but that particular day it was raining and,
0:19:35 > 0:19:39you know, it's scenarios like that where if he had been outside
0:19:39 > 0:19:40Riley wouldn't have survived.
0:19:40 > 0:19:44A couple more minutes in the machine and he wouldn't be here today.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45It doesn't bear thinking about.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56That's a story that will make mums and dads everywhere
0:19:56 > 0:19:59more than a bit concerned, but what a lovely family.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Now a tale about two brothers whose day out on the slopes
0:20:02 > 0:20:05took a terrifying turn when one completely vanished.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10Saas Fee in the Swiss Alps.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14Two brothers from England are scouting for filming locations
0:20:14 > 0:20:16on the ski slopes.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17One is recording as they tackle
0:20:17 > 0:20:20a challenging off-piste run on a glacier.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24He thinks he's planned his route to avoid cracks in the ice.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29But, suddenly, the snow gives way beneath him.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35He plunges 60ft below the surface.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Jamie and Jack Mulmer grew up in the quiet village of Bearsted in Kent.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56But it's the mountains of Switzerland they now mostly call home.
0:20:56 > 0:21:02Started skiing when I was a kid, when my parents started taking us on family holidays.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06And my parents had always skied as kids, so
0:21:06 > 0:21:08they wanted to pass that on to us.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And they did.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14So much so that the siblings have turned their passion into a business.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18They've moved to the resort of Saas Fee in Switzerland,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and started a company making promotional videos for hotels and chalets.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25It was 24-year-old Jack who came up with the idea,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30but when it began to take off, he recruited older brother Jamie to help.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36Having my brother as the person I work with makes life very easy,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38there's never any arguments.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42I am completely happy to admit that he is the boss of our company.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Um, most of the time I do what he says.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52It's early December, the start of the winter season,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and the brothers are anxious to get out on the slopes to recce some new locations for filming.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59They start out on the Feegletscher glacier,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03skiing off-piste at three and a half thousand metres above sea level,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05accompanied by friends.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Jamie is recording on his helmet camera,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12as they gather at the top of an infamous run.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15It's known as Make Or Break,
0:22:15 > 0:22:18because if you don't make it
0:22:18 > 0:22:20then you break it.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25The brothers are experienced enough to know the dangers to look out for.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29There are giant cracks on the ice alongside the run.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33Before he sets off, the hazards are playing on Jamie's mind.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42Younger brother Jack heads down the piste with two friends.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Jamie sets off a minute later. He can see a crevasse up ahead
0:22:48 > 0:22:51and is confident he's chosen the right route to avoid it.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56There's always a channel, slightly to the right of the middle of the face,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58which everyone skis through.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00That was what I was aiming for.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04By now, brother Jack has reached the bottom of the run.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07So we watched Jamie drop in, he was coming down the face.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09He was going relatively quick.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14But when Jamie skis over a ridge, he realises, to his horror,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17the crevasse is much closer than he thought.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22I started to see the dip of the crevasse,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27um, and that's probably about where you hear me groaning.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29HE GROANS
0:23:29 > 0:23:33Because I realised that I need to get a lot further right.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37He desperately tries to avoid the opening in the ice,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40then suddenly the snow gives way beneath him
0:23:40 > 0:23:43and he plunges straight into it.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50And I kind of flipped over backwards,
0:23:50 > 0:23:56quite a horrible feeling. I kept falling down and I started sort of tumbling,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59I was sort of flipping down, sort of head over heels
0:23:59 > 0:24:01and bouncing off of ledges.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06You kind of hold your arms out and stuff, but it's completely in vain
0:24:06 > 0:24:08because there's nothing to hold on to.
0:24:10 > 0:24:17It was like a nightmare, really, I just thought, "Ah, this is going to be a pretty horrible way to die."
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Eventually, Jamie stops falling,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22landing on a ledge of snow.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26The camera's red recording light reflects back into the lens.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Down in the ice, there's nothing but silence.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34When I finally did come to a stop,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37I think I was on my hands and knees.
0:24:39 > 0:24:42At the bottom of the slope, Jack sees his brother vanish beneath the ice
0:24:42 > 0:24:44and fears for his life.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47There's always the chance that you can fall in one of those,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49and then you don't come back out again.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53It happens so quickly. There wasn't really any time to think.
0:24:53 > 0:24:5760ft down, Jamie is recovering from the shock of the fall.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Took a second to look around me,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and gave myself, like, a pat down.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I sort of realised that I was OK.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09The brothers both have radios, so he immediately calls Jack.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Having the radio was so good, because
0:25:21 > 0:25:27when I was sort of speaking to Jack it was, uh... Yeah, it took my mind off things a bit.
0:25:27 > 0:25:33Jamie clears the camera lens. His shot shows how far under the snow he is.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48On the surface, Jack realises rescuing his brother isn't going to be easy.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49They'll need help.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51There wasn't really...
0:25:52 > 0:25:56..any point in him trying to get out himself,
0:25:56 > 0:25:58because it could have gone much worse, really,
0:25:58 > 0:25:59so we just told him to stay put.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03He hasn't much choice, but Jamie's worried the ledge he's on could give way.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08To his right, the crevasse continues much deeper into the ice.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13I could see down it, and it was just black down into that hole.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Then snow suddenly starts falling in on top of him.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29I was quite worried about snow avalanching in and maybe burying me.
0:26:29 > 0:26:34For another hour, an anxious Jamie stands balanced on the narrow snow ledge.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37Then a rescue team reaches the crevasse.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42There's helicopters flying around, there's paramedics all over the place.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47For us, it was quite comforting knowing that there was lots of people around and stuff like that.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51They throw a rope down to Jamie and he hooks himself on.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55But ice ledges and overhangs are blocking his route to safety.
0:27:00 > 0:27:04I kind of ended up swinging under an overhanging bit of ice.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09If they had yanked me there they would have just, like, rammed me up into the top of this ice.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17Jamie has to trust the team as they haul him up the ice walls,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19and away from the void below.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21It was quite intense, you were being pulled up
0:27:21 > 0:27:24an almost vertical wall.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27The camera captures one of his rescuers above.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Daylight and safety are now tantalisingly close.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32There's no, like, "gently does it" when it comes to that,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34it's just, like,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36get you up, like.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Two minutes later, Jamie makes it to the surface.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43His ordeal is over.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46I was pretty happy to be, uh,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48to be coming out over the top.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53Of course a feeling of relief when he popped out of there.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58As Jamie emerges, a relieved Jack is there to greet him.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Yeah, there wasn't really, like, tears and crying and stuff,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07you know, it was just, like...
0:28:08 > 0:28:11.."Well done for surviving that, that was lucky.
0:28:12 > 0:28:13"You're an idiot."
0:28:24 > 0:28:27That's all from Close Calls today,
0:28:27 > 0:28:28we'll see you next time.