Survivor story 3

Colby Coombs was a.....

• Fireman who loved to go climbing in his spare time

• Fitness instructor who went climbing every weekend

• Experienced mountaineer and wilderness guide

• Marathon runner who liked to run up mountains

Where did Colby Coombs and his friends travelled to, to climb Mount Foraker?

• France

• Switzerland

• Alaska

• The South Pole

At 13,000 feet, the climbers experienced a violent mountain storm. What is this called?

• A snowstorm

• A whiteout

• A blackout

• A snow tornado

The storm caused an enormous avalanche. How many feet did the men tumble down the sheer rock face?

• 200 feet

• 300 feet

• 700 feet

• 800 feet

Coombs was knocked unconscious. How long was he out for?

• 6 minutes

• 2 hours

• 4 hours

• 6 hours

Coombs was dangling from a rope with broken bones. Where was his friend?

• Buried under the snow

• At the bottom of a crevasse

• Dangling unconscious from a rope

• Inside his survival tent

What made Coombs realise how lucky he was to survive the fall?

• His protective helmet was shattered to pieces

• His gloves were still on

• He had no broken bones

• His sunglasses were snapped

Before trying to descend the mountain, what sensible choice did Coombs make?

• He gathered some food from his backpack

• He took his friend's helmet

• He had a couple of hours sleep using his friend's sleeping bag

• He made a fire from some wood he found

When he found his other friends dead at the bottom of the cliff, what else did Coombs find?

• A hut to shelter in

• A rescue team

• Some extra food to eat

• A spare rope

Being experienced, what 3 things did Coombs know were very dangerous when climbing solo (on your own)?

• Missing your friends, family and pets

• Starvation, being lonely and exposure to the cold

• Dehydration, sunburn and being lost

• Dehydration, exhaustion and exposure to the cold