Trapped in a Frozen Cave Deep Below Ground | Cave Exploring Gone Wrong

Lance tesm is a caver and climber who won an award from the international technical rescue Symposium in 2017 around 15 years prior he led a group including his friend and their two boys on a caving trip to Crystal ice cave the group expertly scouted their trip ahead of time but despite all their planning and expertise they found themselves trapped in a frozen cave deep below ground this this is the story of how his own son risked everything to find a way to save them all from the Frozen grip of Crystal ice cave before we dive

into the video I'd like to ask for your support by subscribing to our Channel currently only 8% of our viewers are subscribed but your subscription helps us create more content like this simply click the Subscribe button like this video and hit the Bell icon to stay updated on our latest uploads by doing so you'll also help you recommend our content to a wider audience without further Ado let's jump into the video on a snowy morning in May Lance tesm his friend and their two sons ages 8 and 13 drove around 22 mil Northwest of American

Falls Idaho to the crystal ice cave along the way they passed through a park called the craters of the Moon a region named for large Barren mountains that descend onto empty Fields covered in the remains of volcanic eruptions like Miss shaben Cinder cones and glassy obsidian some regions of the park are covered in blackened rocks stretching out as far as the eye can see creating an alien landscape resembling the surface of the Moon in other sections of the park small shrubs dot the landscape and in the distance Craters of red and black rock dig into

the Earth with walking trails on their rims along their borders the Sage Brush starts to dominate the land and even some tough pioneering trees have wrestled for their spot in the harsh environment of the park normally The Ground by the cave was covered in miles of Sage Brush and little shrubs their dry twigs and rough fibers should have been visible poking up through the snow but the ground was oddly flat as the cavers approached all of the shrubs were gone it made for an eerie sight as they gazed out on the empty field of snow

at 10:00 a.m. the group began rigging a rope at a hole in the ground this hole was scheduled to be their exit and the hardest climb of the Cave the group carefully crouched down in the snow and looked down this Skylight into the chamber below with the sun shining through the chasm they could see the Rope to check that it was safely resting on the ground which took all the guesswork out of rigging the proper length tesm had been to the crystal ice cave many times before so he knew the chamber below was covered in

snow that floated down through the Skylight in previous strips the snow was only around 2 ft deep inside the cave snow on the cave floor was normal and it even had some benefit since the weight of boots easily compressed it adding a few extra inches of height which made it easier to start the climb out of the Skylight he used a 200t rope and verified that multiple coils were lying flat on the ground so that they had some extra leeway just in case outside on their way to the main entrance to finish preparations they walked

past the remains of lava rock that had turned to Rusty orange Hues from exposure to the air and sunlight they plan to enter through a large collapsed pit with a small hole near one side the cave had a second entrance but that region was supposed to be blocked and it was mostly horizontal in length so it was less sporty than repelling down the chasm in the wintry winds the three cavers were well Dred for their outing tesm also did mountaineering in the winter so their gear could handle the cold weather both above and below ground

their thick gloves were designed to insulate while also providing enough grip to hang on to their ropes they had a mixture of safety features at their disposal like harnesses lights extra food water and all the training in the world in the barren landscape above the rift the group had to get creative with their anchor curse once the ropes were secured they began their descent the wind was Furious causing the Rope to sway as snow blew onto their faces and eyes from above taes and his friend showed the boys how to manage the onslaught of snow

and wind little did they know just 11 years before their outing 19-year-old Evan L Bates slipped off the edge of the nearby Kings bowl and fell 100 ft to his death the icy conditions they experienced could easily cause anyone from this group to meet the same fate but they descended into the bottom of the 42t rift without much issue wasting no time they flicked their lights on and breach the entrance of the Cave the entrance Rift and the Crystal ice cave itself are both some of the many car structures that have been formed by the

Great Rift located along the 400 mile long Snake River plane which connects to Yellowstone in the East the sealed horizontal entrance met with a trail carved into the splintered Rock by a mining engineer who spent his life developing the cave into an attraction for visitors blasting through the basalt rock to create a safer artificial entrance spanning a quar mile long tunnel that was back in the 1960s but safety inspectors closed the cave roughly 20 years later today the cave has fallen into disrepair making it a destination for both cavers and explorers who like to catalog

the dilapidated remains of old abandoned buildings ghastly theme parks and other urbanized structures that are actively being reclaimed by Nature the route they took into Crystal ice cave opened into a passage with ceilings high enough for comfortable walking after a short distance the group reached the first abandoned viewing room where tourists used to safely View glamorous ice structures through glass panes that protected the delicate structures from prying hands today the glass is dark and cracked the paint along the wooden frames has peeled away and the structures behind the glass have seemingly vanished leaving only a

black void tm's group passed by a line of rusted anchors along the opposite wall which may have been the remainders of a safety Hall line to quickly rescue inter tourists or it may have been used to string up a mergen see rope lights or lanterns the group crunched broken glass which cut through the rubber soles of their shoes but not enough to pierce all the way through they continued to watch for any nails since Cuts would expose their skin and blood to the practically subzero temperatures of the Cave the route they planned through Crystal ice

cave lacked any difficult crawls so they could probably avoid bacteria or debris from infecting a wound but if a hand or foot got injured it could be almost impossible to complete the Cave's numerous climbs they had to keep their eyes out for many other hazards you wouldn't expect to find below ground as they Trek through the haunting interior of a cave that was part natural and part excavation part Beauty and part horror for decades glass window panes metal support structures and other pieces of infrastructure were left to slowly wither away renewal projects have tried to

cover up evidence of the Cave's commercial past by removing some debris changing trails and Roads and removing railings to make the cave look more natural but this work was never finished all hopes of returning the cave to its natural state have been destroyed just like the miner dream that made the cave popular to begin with the group marveled at Crystal Ice Caves triangular rooms which look like they could be artificial but they were made when segments of the ground were pushed upward from the force of magma creating a pressure Ridge type cave the unique shape

of these tunnels enabled wind to chill water in the cave forming the ice structures that attracted so many visitors to this spot however as the group stepped through a broken window structure the cavers found the tragic state of Crystal ice cave what was one once one of the Cave's largest most spectacular formations was reduced to a frozen puddle with only a few small ice stalagmites remaining chemicals from the mining work vandals effects of global warming and mold all worked against the delicate balance of the Cave the mold or fungi that infected the cave also burrowed

into rock to form microscopic cave likee structures consuming it and weakening the structure of the cave C multiple breakdowns have happened over the years spurred by the loss of supporting ice and the destructive power of the fungal infestation present within the Cave's cramped quarters any step could be there last if a cliff were to break before they attach their Bay or if a cave in crushed or trapped them near the desolate spot where tall ice flows once stood a few larger ice Mounds remained below the massive ceiling the kids had the Primal urge to break

the icicles off the walls and stomp on the icy spikes on the ground but the adults reminded them to respect the cave so future Generations could enjoy it too carefully stepping around the corner they found another passage tucked away amidst more Rubble that sat precariously close to another ledge they had reached the second climb of Crystal ice cave this time for the larger 50ft drop they rigged a different knot and repelled into the Cave's most stunning descent along the wall ice and rock mixed together to form layers with large rounded ice rungs and brown Dusty

Stone on the ledge up top water from the ceiling formed a thin layer of black ice that looked nearly invisible in their torch light so they had to Anchor their rope further back to avoid crashing to the ground below the icy wall was difficult to manage for some of them they hadn't brought ice climbing shoes so they experienced some slips as they tried to create friction against the smooth surface to control their descent still despite the dangers they conquered this section and found themselves at the bottom of a large Rift covered in Boulders that had

broken off of the walls and ceiling taes and the others used a pull down rig for this rope that way they could take the rope with them once they finished the second climb once they completed the cave they could retrace their steps on the surface to grab the other two ropes they only had a short distance left to go so they pulled the Rope through the loops up above and moved across the breakdown to the entrance of the 150t tall Skylight room their designated exit normally some faint glows can be seen through the hole past

the breakdown as sunlight from the sinkhole Beyond filter through the cave it would be a welcome sight compared to the suffocating darkness of the cave tesm and his friend were looking forward to seeing their boy's reactions to the light but as they got closer they started to get concerned this time that they hiked up the mound of rocks and dirt at the end of the breakdown room no faintly glowing light was there to beckon their arrival earlier when they rigged the drop they could see the B of the cave so they knew the Skylight should

be visible why was there only Darkness ahead the Skylight was near a hill at the end of the breakdown room a dense Mound that had been formed by sediment drifting into the cave compacted by water and even more dirt and hardened into a cement-like formation as tesm and his group reached the hill they were shocked to find that the passage was blocked filled with almost 20 ft of snow that had compacted to form a thick impenetrable wall the group carefully examined the blockage and found footprints in the snow that led up the mound and seemed

to disappear under the ceiling tesm grabbed a sharp Rock and an ice screw and hammered away at the snow plume slowly he formed a small foothold to create a safe pathway up the hill where it met the ceiling they all hoped that there was a small small crack near the top that they could crawl or dig their way through to reach the Skylight and exit the cave but no luck something must have changed in the cave since the last time someone was here there was only supposed to be a few feet of snow in the

cave and it shouldn't even reach this far down they suppressed creeping sensations of dread as they searched around the room for any signs that could help them through this barrier they already knew they were trapped but the dangers hadn't sunk in yet they couldn't backtrack since they'd already pulled the Rope through the second Pitch large rounded ice shelves of the pitch would be impossible to climb without ropes even if they had ice climbing equipment like pcks and Spike shoes that could grip the ice they would need to perform bouldering Maneuvers that not even Pros would

attempt without a bay dangling off The Ledges with no footholds as they tried to climb over them the teammate fast work of the cave so they still had hours left before their time limit was up at that point relatives back home would report them overdue a rescue would ensue and it would be easy for Rescuers to reach them since the entry rope was already rigged and they were on the main path all they needed was a rope to be lowered down the second Pitch they had plenty of food and water but the temperatures in the

cave were incredibly cold the men could handle the the cold just fine but the boys would be at risk it was up to them to get out of the cave or risk dying slow painful deaths in The Frigid cold if no rescue came or if conditions worsened inside the men would undoubtedly give their sons extra warmth and the boys would have to sit idly by as their parents wilted away curled up and frozen solid after brushing Away part of the snow from the wall they were excited to find a 5 in space that had formed

between the hard packed snow and the wall the Gap seemed to go all the way through to the Skylight room how had the Gap formed the boys didn't trust it it seemed impossible at first since temperatures were cold enough to prevent the snow from melting but the faint sunlight and wind through the Skylight could have made the snow turn directly into gas without melting in a process called sublimation luckily for them this crack next to the wall bypassed the dense mound of rocks which should have been in the center of the snow wall the group

felt they had only one choice they all grabbed what they could and worked to enlarge the space using primitive rocks and anything they could find in their gear packs they chipped away at the dense mound of snow and ice when the passage was just large enough for him 8-year-old Jesse t some volunteered to crawl through the Gap crawling through this crack would be incredibly risky if any pieces of ice or Rock broke off and tumbled downhill toward the crack they could crush him breaking bones rendering him unconscious or killing him instantly the snow had hardened

but if there was any lighter snow beyond their Vision it could also quickly rush into the space sealing the passage shut and burying him alive while his father looked on helplessly if a nightmare scenario happened even trying to dig Jesse out could cause more catastrophe as the mold cave walls themselves could crumble with all the impact of digging and thrashing into the snow and Rubble crushing or sealing them all inside the cave in spite of all the dangers it was up to Jesse to save them they were all tense as Jesse began his Crawl Through

the tightly packed snow wedge against the freezing Rock he felt the cold compress his warm clothing chilling him to his core the volcanic metal along the wall threatened to scrape his skin as he contorted through the difficult space as he wormed his way forward chunks of icy snow and powdered shavings fell in front of him he scooped the pieces up and pushed them down to his torso until he could kick the rubble backward to continue crawling miraculously after around 3 ft of crawling in tightly packed snow the space enlarged to nearly 2 ft in width

Jesse now had enough space to comfortably Traverse the rest of the Gap to see where it went he was within earshot still so he shouted back his Discovery the rest of the team was excited to hear the development though any loud talking could cause the whole mound to collapse in an underground Avalanche after another 20 ft of crawling Jesse could see sunlight in the room Beyond they were almost home free but what was supposed to happen when he reached the other side would 8-year-old Jesse have to climb up the 150 ft exit rope by himself

and even if he could what would they do then would he have to Traverse the barren Wilderness of craters of the Moon alone in the blistering wind just to get to civilization and call for help would he have to backtrack through the crawl again to grab the Rope complete the first half of the cave and then rig the second Climb by himself he didn't have time to consider all the possibilities as his easy crawling came to an end the passage ahead narrowed once more to get through he had to dig through the snow all by

himself shoveling it back into and filling up the wider crack he had limited tools and almost no space to work with to make matters worse he didn't have the strength of an adult CER so each strike with his tools each grasp with his hands barely made a dent in the wall ahead as he pushed through Jesse found himself once again trapped in an ice box the cold snow made each movement difficult and the way backward was now layered with ice chunks and shavings slowly after using most of his energy he persevered and exited the crack

once on the other side he found the Rope intact at the base of the Skylight the path through the sinkhole was still able to be climbed proving it was possible to Traverse this Gap Jesse began digging through the tunnel in the opposite direction grabbing the rubble from his first trip and pushing it out into the Skylight room eventually he returned to the group and informed them that they could make it through this narrow crack with their call out time fast approaching the rest of the team worked to enlarge the crack hammering away at the snow

and ice with stones and whatever metal they had on hand in their supply kits after they widened the f narrow section they took turns digging through the next layer on their sides forming a chain between the wall and the mound after what felt like an eternity in Crystal ice cave the group worked together to widen the last passage enough to enter the Skylight room all thanks to Jesse's scouting effort it turns out a wildfire had ravaged the area a year prior to their Adventure destroying all of the Sage Brush that normally covered the ground without

the protection of the shrubs the wind had no barriers to slow it down wind speed increased across the field blowing snow from the ground into the Skylight toward the breakdown chamber below as layers of snow continued to enter the cave more and more snow flowed into the mouth of the Skylight room increased wind chill made the effective temperature lower which caused the snow to solidify on the cave floor when tesm and the other cavers looked down the Skylight earlier they couldn't tell the difference between the normal 2ft snow coverage they had expected and the massive

10 or so feet of snow that actually blanketed the ground as they all entered the room they saw another passage beyond that easily floods this time it was covered in ice using the last energy they had tesm Jesse and the others made it out of Crystal ice cave rattled but unharmed they later learned that another group of cavers experienced the same trap just a few weeks before luckily they had a whistle and they left one caver above ground the above ground member heard the whistle and quickly got them to safety ever since those close calls

back in the early 2000s cavers have been advised to check the Skylight entrance before removing any ropes from the first or second Pitch or else risk becoming trapped by below ground in the freezing snow and ice thanks for watching would you let your son Risk Everything to save you would you risk your life just to explore the ruins of an old attraction share your thoughts in the comments below like the video If this story put you on edge And subscribe to the channel for more blood Chilling Tales