The Last Ice Merchant Harvesting Glaciers

Great Big Story
Great Big Story
2,246,558
0
Publicado 2017-01-10
For more than 50 years, Baltazar Ushca Tenesaca has been ascending Ecuador's tallest mountain to harvest glacial ice. At one time, there were 40 or so ice merchants who made the daily trek up the active volcano. But now, only Ushca continues this 500-year-old tradition. And while the demand for ice isn't as high as it once was, Tenesaca's harvesting methods remain the same. Despite the challenges, this ice merchant is as dedicated to his work as ever.

Tune in to "That's Amazing" every Sunday at 9 p.m. on The Weather Channel.

SUBSCRIBE: goo.gl/vR6Acb

Follow us behind the scenes on Instagram: goo.gl/2KABeX
Make our acquaintance on Facebook: goo.gl/Vn0XIZ
Give us a shout on Twitter: goo.gl/sY1GLY
Come hang with us on Vimeo: goo.gl/T0OzjV
Visit our world directly: www.greatbigstory.com/

This story is a part of our Planet Earth series. From mammals to insects and birds to reptiles, we share this great big world with all manner of creatures, large and small. Come with us to faraway places as we explore our great big planet and meet some of its wildest inhabitants.

Great Big Story is a video network dedicated to the untold, overlooked & flat-out amazing. Humans are capable of incredible things & we're here to tell their stories. When a rocket lands in your backyard, you get in.
Todos los comentarios (21)
  • @power21100
    those vendors are gonna be so sad when the ice man stop delivering ice.
  • @Egg4712
    He has silk touch with that axe
  • @williamlevy6964
    He walks all day and at the end of the day has a lovely cold juice from the ice he mined. Talk about a happy, humble life.
  • @nope1083
    His job, even though physically demanding is probably very relaxing with all the nature hikes. Compare that to an office worker who sits for eight hours but is stressed out to where it effects their health. This is probably why Baltazar collected ice for so long.
  • @dwayne5134
    It's hard to believe that hes having fun mining ice and doing all that hardwork and only getting 5$ per block. What a dedicated hardworking man.
  • @cantho11
    That's has to be the hardest 5 dollar holla I've ever seen.
  • @kpr3xd157
    Normal people:gets ice from freezer Balthazar: gets it from volcano
  • @isabelacalle8000
    his spanish is broken because its his second language, his main is Quechua which is a native language from which the word Chuchaqui (hungover) comes from
  • @infinitystem6565
    The best quote from Baltazar, "Im proud to work". A lesson for many.
  • @ondrahalouzka8572
    "The last ice merchant of Chimborazo" is the coolest fn title a man can have.
  • @christopherjacome6392
    You know, I found this pretty interesting because I realized my mother actually lived close to this mountain, and out of general curiosity I asked her if she ever knew the guy and to my surprise, she actually remembered him from when she would go to the market with her mother and buy from the juice vendor. I guess I realized that in Ecuador, everyone knows at least a bit about everyone else, one of the reasons I love it
  • @alriyadhdalire3286
    Baltazar: 8 hours of hiking, breathless Me: 4 mins of stairs, Heavy breathing
  • @MH-te9sq
    I wish I could go to Ecuador and taste what the refreshments with glacier ice taste like. I'm quite curious right now.
  • @gasmask7064
    Don't see many older folk as physical as this guy, he looks and talks so humble.