Thread: avi # 2 baker

My buddy Brad and I were about to ski this one run a little ob of chair #6 i think it was when we see this one guy screaming and yelling frantically. Brad goes down to check it out and yells back at me that we have a burial. The guy was digging around frantically with his snowboard which gave us the indication that neither of them had transceivers. fortunatley they did, however either this guy was in a daze or he didnt know how to use his equipment. brad took charge as group leader and after wading in 8 foot snow we were able to locate him with a probe after about 10 minutes. he was 8 feet buried according to the probe. as we dug at about 6 feeet we sawa a hand and as soon as that was uncovered it the hand started frantically waving. thank god for we knew the guy was alive. however we tried yelling at him with no avail to stop as to conserve his engery. we got his face uncovered at about 15minutes and he was alirght. crazy sequence. brad and i have done a lot of training but never been involved in an avi. the guy at first was so stoked to be out, then started crying for about 5 minutes then got stoked again and hugged us both real hard and then started crying again for another 5 minutes. he said while he was under he was making amends, wanted to tell his parents that he loved them and he said that when my probe hit his teeth it was the happiest moment of his life.

needless to say after all that we were in an avi runout and it was another 25 minutes of hell of getting out of there safely.

brad and i are happy that we are 1-0 for pulling out victims alive but never in hell want to go through it again.

after we were shook up and just went and relfected in the lodge for about an hour before deciding to make some turns again.

even though we pulled the guy out alive we made a lot of stupid mistakes most likey because it was so early in the season. we learned a lot about the power of the mountains and are truley humbled. we are going to practice a hell of a lot more before we go out again.

-phil

Originally Posted by postman22

the guy at first was so stoked to be out, then started crying for about 5 minutes then got stoked again and hugged us both real hard and then started crying again for another 5 minutes. he said while he was under he was making amends, wanted to tell his parents that he loved them and he said that when my probe hit his teeth it was the happiest moment of his life.

damn, that shit gave me chills...


good work gettin him out, glad he is ok...

Good work. I'm glad people feel comfortable posting there experiences. It's a great learning tool for all of us. Please be safe ya'll.

So did you use your beacons to find him, or was the area small enough for probing alone?

WAY TO GO in doing the right thing without panicking- you probably saved his life.

And thanks for posting your story.

Originally Posted by postman22

he said while he was under he was making amends, wanted to tell his parents that he loved them and he said that when my probe hit his teeth it was the happiest moment of his life.



-phil

I can relate. I had a similar thought process while pinned underwater in a kayaking mishap. I thought about death for most of the two and a half minutes I was under. I wanted to make sure my mom knew I was going out in a beautiful place, but I didn't want her to go through the terriable ordeal of losing a son at a young age. Its strange where your mind goes at times like that, and I know that I am not the only one to have similar stories from a near death experiance.

BTW, strong work on the rescue.

Nice work mang...that dude was lucky.

man it would be freaking scarey being burried for that long not knowing if they are going to find you. Nice work

WOW! Amazing how someone was looking out for this burial victim. 15 minutes that far down??? VERY LUCKY.

Nice work, you certainly deserve a free season pass for that, or more. Inspiring.

Very lucky outcome on this. Good thing your guys were in the right spot at the time or we would be reading a different story tomorrow.

cograts on saving a life and thanks for posting your experiance

lots o dangerous shit. that guys lucky

All that really matters is the guy's alive tonight. Great job postman!

Originally Posted by Trackhead

Nice work, you certainly deserve a free season pass for that, or more. Inspiring.

Well played fellas, well played.

Awesome work 22 & B-RAD!
Did you have someone you could post as a avie guard during the rescue?

it was a crazy experience, even though i've done the training and read a lot about it, it really hits home when you are searching for a person. Good work phil, it sent me for a loop and i know it did for you too.

brad

Good work man

Good work boys. You didn't panic, no-one died thanks to you. Nothing like trial under fire

Postman22 for Maggot of the Year! Brad too!

Way to keep your head. Nice work!

wow, intense... lucky guy for your heroic actions

chilling experience, one I hope never to be faced with.

15 minutes - one lucky sucka.

nice work guys and thanks for posting.

I read that again.

You two saved his life.

Strong work!

Damn, you guys saved a life. Great job. I hope you never have to do it again.

thanks for posting that.

Originally Posted by postman22

he was 8 feet buried according to the probe. as we dug at about 6 feeet we sawa a hand and as soon as that was uncovered it the hand started frantically waving.

8 FEET x 3 people = one lucky mother fucker....good reason to own a 300cm guide probe....How long did it take you to dig him out?!?! Must have had a hell of an air pocket - was he wearing a full face helmet or avylung or something? Or did the slide not setup and was heavy chunks with lots of pockets?

Originally Posted by postman22

even though we pulled the guy out alive we made a lot of stupid mistakes most likey because it was so early in the season.

-phil

care to share some of them if your comfortable? what was the slope aspect and conditions?