Photo: Colorado Avalanche Info Center
A snowmobiler in Colorado survived a full hour buried beneath the snow after getting caught in an avalanche on February 17. The incident occurred near Vail Pass on Shrine Mountain after he triggered the slide and his partner immediately began a solo search. The second rider called 911 for help after he was unable to get a signal on his avalanche transceiver.
“Summit County Sheriff’s Deputies and Summit County Rescue Group personnel responded to the scene,” Colorado’s Avalanche Information Center wrote on Monday. “While walking across the debris field, a rescuer saw the corner of Rider 1’s deployed avalanche airbag sticking out of the snow. Rescuers and Rider 2 extricated Rider 1 from the debris about one hour after the avalanche. Rider 1 was conscious and talking, but cold. Rescuers transported Rider 1 from the field and to a hospital for further evaluation.”
Colorado Avalanche Information Center says they will be providing a full report (and sharing to social media) sometime this week.
View this post on Instagram
An avalanche warning had been issued Sunday evening and was set to stretch from Monday morning through Tuesday evening with a high level of dangerous conditions due to heavy snow and strong winds. The current warning still covers Park Range, Rabbit Ears Range, Gore Range, Never Summer Mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, Indian Peaks Wilderness, James Peak Wilderness, and the mountains around Berthoud Pass. The danger level has been exceptional (Level 4 of a possible 5) with a mix of naturally occurring avalanches as well as slides being easily triggered by people in the backcountry. The Colorado Avalanche Center has advised avoiding slopes steeper than 30 degrees in the meantime.
Surviving a full hour buried under an avalanche is miraculous. The recent story is a testament to being fully prepared with safety equipment, as transceivers can be prone to failure in some cases but, according to authorities, a deployed avalanche airbag ended up saving his life.
