THIS is the horrifying moment a climber suddenly loses his footing and tumbles uncontrollably down a snowy mountainside.
Terrifying footage shows the climber hurtling down a near 45-degree incline, tumbling head over heels.
Fellow climbers can do nothing but watch in horror as the man eventually comes to a halt in a pile of snow at the bottom.
The dramatic fall took place during a dangerous ascent of Mount Rysy.
Reaching a height of up to 2,500 metres, it is the highest peak in Poland’s section of the Tatra Mountains.
Moments before the accident, a fellow climber who witnessed the incident said the man placed his foot in the wrong spot, instantly losing his balance.
With little grip on the frozen slope, he began sliding down the narrow gully with no way of stopping himself.
Remarkably, despite the violent descent, the man escaped with no serious injuries.
According to reports, the only injury he suffered was damage to his little finger.
In the aftermath of the fall, the injured tourist was checked over by one of his companions, who happened to be a doctor.
After being given the all-clear, he was able to carefully descend the mountain without needing further assistance.
In a separate incident that same day, another tourist was struck by a falling block of ice.
He too lost his balance and slid down the same section of slope.
Not quite as lucky as the first climber, he was taken to the nearby Morskie Oko Mountain Shelter before being handed over to mountain rescue for medical treatment.
The Tatra Mountains are a popular skiing and climbing destination for tourists eager to experience snow in a dramatic European landscape.
However, the rugged range has also seen a number of serious accidents in recent years.
Last April, two Ukrainian tourists died in separate incidents after falling to their deaths.
Unfortunately, these are just two incidents in a long line of tragedies that have occurred high above sea level.
In 2024, a top executive at Audi tragically died after plunging from a 10,000ft mountain in Italy.
Fabrizio Longo was hiking at Cima Payer in the Adamello Mountains when he fell to his death.
The 62-year-old reportedly attempted a route equipped with fixed steel cables, ladders, and other climbing aids.
Rescue teams rushed to the scene after a fellow climber called emergency services.
A helicopter team eventually located Longo’s body approximately 700ft down inside a gorge.
