On September 24, 2007, William Pike and James Christie headed to Tongariro National Park to climb Mount Ruapehu in the North Island, New Zealand. They planned to reach the Dome Shelter, a small hut near the summit, to rest and refuel before the final push. As they pushed for the summit, unstable snow forced them to turn back the shelter to reach the summit later. As they rested, Mount Ruapehu would erupt, causing a lahar that rushed towards them, unable to escape the coming disaster.
0:00 Introduction
0:50 William and James Tongariro National Park Adventure
9:05 The Eruption
13:25 The Race to Save William
20:25 The Aftermath
26:16 Conclusion
Get 2 month's of YouTube Premium Free:
youtube.com/premium?cc=outdoordisasters&utm_campaign=ytpcreator
Disclaimer: Monthly paid subscription. Price per month varies. First 2 months free. Terms apply. Cancel anytime. If you subscribe through the link in this post or the banner appearing in this video, I may get a commission.
Join the Outdoor Disasters Patreon for narration only videos and early access: https://www.patreon.com/OutdoorDisasters
Be the fuel behind Outdoor Disasters! Donate to my coffee fund:
https://buymeacoffee.com/outdoordisasters
Merch now available! https://outdoordiasters.creator-spring.com/
If you haven't yet, please subscribe by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrtvSjgVg8QgRJzysB55xA?sub_confirmation=1
Music by Scott Buckley "Omega"
Copyright © 2025 Outdoor Disasters. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos fall within the guidelines of fair dealing/fair use. No copyright infringement intended. All rights belong to their respective owners. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, or have any questions, feedback, suggestions, etc, email OD at [email protected]