[imagesource: YouTube / Bear attacks climber – 登山者と熊]

Climbing down the cliff of a mountain is already incredibly nerve-wracking.

Imagine doing so, being incredibly careful about where you plant your hands and feet, and then suddenly a massive bear appears out of nowhere, launching at you while you’re dangling off the edge.

Ja, not a vibe.

A poor hiker in Japan had this experience first-hand and managed to capture the whole hair-raising scene on a GoPro camera attached to his helmet.

The terrifying incident took place on October 1 on Mount Futago near Chichibu City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, reported PetaPixel.

Around the 1:05 mark, you can hear the hiker crawl into himself with fear before releasing a guttural scream in the hopes of banishing the bear:

IFL Science has a word from the brave soul:

“I was attacked by a bear from behind while descending the rocky ridge of Mt.Futago,” reads a statement on a YouTube video of the incident. “Instead of fear, I switched to the feeling that if it was coming, I had no choice but to face it.”

“Looking back at the video, it seems that the bear attacked me to protect the cub. I invaded bear territory, but since they attacked me, I defended myself with self-defense… The bear family went down, so I climbed back up to the summit. After taking a breather, I returned the way I came and descended.”

The climber, who is a martial arts enthusiast, walked away alive, with just a few scratches, cuts and a sprain from “hammering” the rock and the bear:

“I learned karate when I was a child, but I liked mixed martial arts now, so maybe I could use hammer fists instead of punches,” he says.

“My hands were scratched and cut from desperately holding on to the rock. My right wrist was slightly sprained after hammering the rock and the bear.”

He was smart to take that “breather” and then descend the same route that he ascended, where he was left alone.

While bears are magnificent animals, running into an angry parent is not something you want to experience first-hand.

[sources:iflscience&petapixel]