Star of Courage for Canmore’s Sebastian Taborszky

On Nov. 9, 2015, Sebastian Taborszky rescued a man who had fallen during an ice climbing excursion at Murchison Falls in Jasper National Park, Alberta.

Taborszky and the man were on an 80-metre descent when the victim started to free-fall. Taborszky tried in vain to grab on to the rope, which sliced through his glove.

The victim, tangled in the rope, stopped falling 10 metres from the ground. Without any equipment or support, Taborszky climbed down the wall of ice to reach his injured companion.

Over the next seven hours, in -15°C temperatures, Taborszky endured exhaustion, dehydration and his own injuries as he dragged the severely injured victim over the steep, rocky terrain back to their vehicle.

He then hoisted the victim inside the car and drove for an hour before he could alert the authorities for help.

In 2016, Maarten van Haeren and Taborszky established three new mixed/ice routes near Caldron Lake, southwest of Peyto Lake. For more see here.