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The first date that led to a dramatic mountain rescue

A romantic climb went seriously awry when a fierce blizzard left Rachel Colenso and her partner trapped on a narrow, icy ledge in the Swiss Alps for three days.

In 2003, Rachel Colenso and her partner went on a first date climbing Piz Badile in the Swiss Alps. What was meant to be a romantic getaway ended up being a disaster when they were engulfed in a fierce electrical storm and trapped on a narrow, icy ledge with little food and water for three days.

Sonam Wangchuk is an engineer from Ladakh, a cold desert region in the Himalayas. He builds artificial glaciers - or 'ice stupas' - that collect water during the winter and melt during the spring. It's an invention that's helping thousands of local farmers and has led to the planting of more than 5,000 trees.

Picture: Rachel Colenso
Credit: Courtesy of Rachel Colenso

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44 minutes

Last on

Tue 18 Aug 2020 02:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Mon 17 Aug 2020 11:06GMT
  • Mon 17 Aug 2020 17:06GMT
  • Tue 18 Aug 2020 02:06GMT

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