Survivor of 120mph blizzard in Chile that killed Cheryl Cole’s Brit ex-aide recounts hike horror

A SURVIVOR of a 120mph whiteout in Patagonia that killed former Cheryl Cole aide Victoria Bond has told how the horror blizzard swallowed his group.

The terrifying snowstorm left five trekkers dead and others fighting hypothermia on a remote Chilean pass.

Chris Aldridge, a British TV director hiking alongside Bond, said he was certain the group would not make it out alive as winds “descended” on John Garner Pass in Torres del Paine.

Aldridge, who has trekked the Himalayas, said nothing compared to the terror on Monday.

He said “the sheer determination not to die” is what kept them moving, even as whiteout winds turned one of the world’s great trekking routes into a deadly trap.

He recalled how snow blasted into his face as he slid uncontrollably down sheet ice.

Aldridge told the Daily Mail: “Most of the time I was thinking, ‘Oh, this is where we die’.

“It was pretty terrifying. I slid down the mountain once at a very high speed and I couldn’t stop.”

Victoria Bond was a Cornwall-based adventurer who previously worked for Cheryl Cole and Peaky Blinders star Annabelle Wallis.

She was among five foreign hikers killed when the freak storm tore into the park with 120mph gusts, sleet, and almost no visibility.

Two Germans and two Mexicans also died.

The group had been trekking Chile’s demanding Circuit O, a route Aldridge says they were told was still safe despite forecasts of winds strong enough “to be classified as a tropical storm.”

Aldridge said said the initial climb at 5.30am was “easy”, despite driving rain, but conditions flipped as they began their descent.

“Some people slid down the mountain,” he recalled.

“It was icy, really treacherous… People couldn’t see in front or behind.”

Back at camp, hypothermia was setting in.

The Brit survivor said: “Everyone was verging on hypothermia. Lots of people with frostbite and some other superficial injuries.”

Worse, he said, rangers who would normally launch a rescue had been called away to vote in Chile’s general election, leaving trekkers and volunteers to mount their own search.

“Everyone came together in the most extraordinary way… They went above and beyond,” Aldridge explained.

Bur unfortunately, not everyone returned.

A Facebook alert had already warned of the crisis, with a message reading: “There is too much snow and some people are stuck on John Garner Pass.

“We need urgent help; both the climbers and the rescuers are in danger of death.”

Four members of the missing group were later found alive.

But Bond – described by friends as a “legend” – perished alongside Cristina Calvillo Tovar and Julian Garcia Pimentel from Mexico, and German hikers Nadine Lichey and Andreas Von Pein.

The 40-year-old Brit had been documenting the trek online.

A fellow Brit earlier joked about day one: “15km of why the f***k did I fly 8,000 when I could’ve walked round Bodmin Moor in a light drizzle.

“Should’ve brought a canoe and a priest.”

The group had been raising money for Movember, supporting men’s mental health and suicide prevention.

Chilean president Gabriel Boric posted condolences on X, writing: “To the families, friends and loved ones… I send my most sincere condolences.”

CONAF, the park authority, said it would review safety and communication protocols, adding: “We deeply regret this tragedy… We reiterate our commitment to the safety of visitors.”

The UK’s Foreign Office said it was supporting Bond’s family, while friends and former colleagues paid tribute.

Pal Gerry Sims wrote: “As sad as it is we have lost a legend today… glad to call her my friend.”