If you’re gonna screw up on the hill, the smart money would take depantsing any day over the nightmare snowboarder James Pell put himself through. The British snowboarder was riding in Tignes, France, a few days ago when he and friends ventured off-piste. Can’t blame him for that, we’ve all been there, but stuck on a steep face with a thin snowpack, he made a clearly unwise decision, took off his board, and started walking. The thin snow cover released under his slippery boots, and chutes and ladders ensued.

Pell wishes for brown pants.

Pell wishes for brown pants.

Darwin wins.

Darwin wins.

Pell and friends flirt with Darwin.

Pell and friends flirt with Darwin.

“We came to a cliff ledge and quickly realized that there was no way we would be able to ride out of the area,” said Pell, 23 and a naval engineer from London. “But by the time we realized this it was too late to do anything about it. We were stuck. We tried to find a way down but the slope was really steep and the snow was very loose.

“I found myself on this ledge and I tried to make my way back. I took off my snowboard and was walking across when the snow suddenly gave way.”

Pell dropped 100 feet over unforgiving rocks and landed in a deep drift.

“I hit my ribs on something and fell through a tree. But the whole experience of falling was a blur. I thought I was going to die. It was amazing I landed in a deep drift of snow.”

The Brit and his friends were saved by Tignes ski patrol, who saw the incident and radioed a rescue helicopter.

“It was quite simple,” Pell said. “I thought I was going to die. Seeing the pictures of what happened to me turns my stomach even now. Looking back on it we should have paid more respect to the mountain.”

You think?

Photos copyright extremesportsphoto.com

Tagged as: europe, snowboarding