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The Beauty and Intrigue of Crevasses

September 04, 2013 Last Frontier Heliskiing

If you have ever looked into the spacious blue walls of a crevasse, you can’t help but be mesmerized by its beauty. What are these vast walls of coldness? How are they formed and where do they come from?

Vast And Beautiful, Crevasse Are Out Of This Word. Photo: Dave Silver
Vast and beautiful, crevasse are out of this word. Photo: Dave Silver


A crevasse is a deep narrow hole or crack in a sheet of ice or glacier. They form as a result of movement and stress associated with shear stress generated from two semi-rigid pieces that have different rates of movement. They can vary in size, with some being huge and some being very minor.

Crevasses are also dangerous a fact that was made famous in the movie Touching the Void that depicts the true story of Joe Simpson and his climbing partner, Simon Yates. In February of 1988 the two men had just reached the top of a 21,000-foot peak in the Andes when disaster struck. Simpson suffered a broken leg and Yates trying desperately to lower to safety, eventually cut the rope dropping his friend into a deep crevasse, moments before he would have been pulled to his own death.

Touching The Void Tells The True Story Of Joe Simpson And His Escape From A Deadly Crevasse In The Andes.
Touching the Void tells the true story of Joe Simpson and his escape from a deadly crevasse in the Andes.

The riveting story unfolds as somehow Simpson summons the strength to crawl out of the crevasse over the cliffs and canyons of the Andes, reaching base camp hours before Yates had planned to leave.

In the Antarctic region, recent advancement in technology has made crevasse detection easier and thus reducing the threat they pose to researchers. In this area splits can be 60 metres deep and 9 metres across, big enough to swallow a supply-towing tractor whole.

Until recent advancements, crevasse detection has been done with a ground-penetrating radar (GPR). A driver and GPR operator who monitor real-time scrolling radar images, looking for the tell-tale signature of a crevasse.

The process is repetitive and stressful, that is before a robot came to the rescue. Yeti- the name of the robot, is claimed to be the first robot proven in the field to be capable of identifying crevasses hidden under the snow.

Yeti The Crevasse Detecting Robot Has Revolutionized Researcher Safety In Antarctica.
Yeti the crevasse detecting robot has revolutionized researcher safety in Antarctica.

Roughly a meter wide, the GPS-equipped, four-wheel drive robot follows preprogrammed routes to survey areas for hidden fissures. Revolutionizing Antarctica crevasse surveying.

At Last Frontier Heliskiing all of the guides are trained in crevasse-rescue techniques, while dangerous if not treated with respect crevasses can also be extremely beautiful and mystical things to view.

Last Frontier Heliskiing Guides Are Trained In Crevasse Rescue. Photo: C3 Productions.
Last Frontier Heliskiing guides are trained in crevasse rescue. Photo: C3 Productions.

Inuit people have many stories and legends surrounding ice. When viewed in real life and up-close it is easy to see why crevasses are often described as both powerful and immeasurable.