Amazing avalanche/rescue video

[Ak_pride]

Not sure if this has been posted before, Even if it has I think its a good idea for as many people as possible who backcountry skis to see this, it certainly made an impression on me. Amazing recovery time by the guides at 4 and half minutes, looks like he might have had a hand out of the snow.

YouTube - Avalanche

[Caucasian Asian]

That was included in the DVD extras on a ski movie last year. I can't remember which one but I remember thinking how spooky quiet things got. Scary shit.


Scary shit.

[montanaskier]

crazy scary stuff for sure.

[emr]

crazy how a sunny powder run turns into a dark still place in a matter of seconds.

thanks for the post.

[Loon]

WOW, first for me, that was pretty intense. Props to his boys for being Johnny on the spot.

[Mex]

Yep that is scary. Thanks for the post.

[cooks]

Wow. That's some pretty intense stuff right there.

[Prophet10]

Intense. A must see...

[yemntftb]

jesus thats insane

[smitchell333]

More story from Youtube:

I got this story from Chappy's Vimeo site. Chappy is the owner of www.PortersTahoe.com

The Story:
In April of 2008 I drove from Lake Tahoe to Haines, Alaska up the Al-Can highway through British Columbia and the Yukon with an enclosed 4-snowmobile trailer and a ton of gear. I told myself the year before after a few years of getting shut out that other than for a surgical strike, last minute type of spot open for the weekend or something....that I'd only come up with sleds from now on instead of sitting around drinking myself into oblivion on a "down day."

Well thank God we did that because we definitely had down days again right from the get-go. The sledding up at Haines Pass is out of control good. Even staying closer to town like below Old Faithful is great. Can't say enough about how much fun it is to ride snowmobiles up there with no trees.

So the first legit day after that main snow storm cycle that we arrived to we still went out snowmobiling one more time while another part of our group went up in the bird. Actually two groups went up in the bird, and the first group did all the normal day-after-storm-cycle snow pit and snow quality tests.

The first group decided that while the dangers remained high, that it was good to go. They all made some of the sickest pow turns in their lives I was told. The next group then - a couple hundred meters or so over - set up for their descent.

The guy in the video was the first one to drop from their group and while not a guide (he was going tail-gunner style), had a lot of Utah and AK backcountry experience. He had a Black Diamond Avalung on, but as you can tell from the video while he's talking as he's dropping in, it wasn't in his mouth to start. He tried to shove it in the instant of starting to get sucked down, but it didn't stay. It was just off to the corner of his mouth he said, and he definitely got snow / ice build up as you'll see on the second sweep of the mouth by the guide after they get to him.

So as he drops in you can also see the sluff to the skier's right immediately start building....and that's actually the chute that was the intended route down. For whatever reason - well pure, unadulterated powder will do it to you - he didn't go make some strong "skier cuts" into the upper pack to do one final snow check.

Instead he just sent it. And it didnt' take more than a few turns out on this big shoulder above this cliff band to break loose.

This was a decent sized avalanche. 1,500 feet the dude fell in a little over 10 seconds. The crown was about 1 - 1.5m. The chute that he got sucked through to the skier's right was flanked on either side by cliff bands that were about 30m tall. He luckily didn't break any bones and obviously didn't hit anything on the run out.

He was only buried for 4 and a half minutes which is incredibly short. In that time, though, you can hear his breathing already accelerate. The ruffling noise back and forth is his chest rising and falling and the noise that his jacket makes. The intermittent whimpering noise you hear is him trying to swallow and get some air. Still sends chills up the back of my neck. Oh and they located him so fast because his right glove came off just before he came completley to rest and there was an excellent visual of course.

The digging out is utterly amazing. I don't think that you could've paid a Hollywood crew to stage something better. The fact that he could've been facing any 360 direction and yet he's looking right up into the sun-filled blue sky with that first full scoop away of the shovel is borderline spiritual.

[Solesides]

Yeah, 1:20 is genuinely terrifying. EDIT: ^^^ sneaked in while I was posting.. When was this? Is there an incident report from this at all? Do we know if he came away from this relatively unharmed?

[RiderX]

"you want to go first. i just don't want you getting caught in your sluff." I think that was him saying that at the beginning of the video. a bit foreboding to say the least.

I am fairly certain the black diamond had this video on their website for awhile.

[bern43]

Wow. Really scary stuff.

[emr]

He had a Black Diamond Avalung on, but as you can tell from the video while he's talking as he's dropping in, it wasn't in his mouth to start. He tried to shove it in the instant of starting to get sucked down, but it didn't stay. It was just off to the corner of his mouth he said, and he definitely got snow / ice build up as you'll see on the second sweep of the mouth by the guide after they get to him.

^^ I was wondering if he had an Avalung. I thought his breathing sounded like there was one in his mouth... I guess I'm wrong. How many people actually put their mouth piece in before they drop? Is it tougher to breath, or is there an adjustment period? I picked one up at the end of last season and have only put it on around the house. I know what the manual says, but it seems like a pain to have that in your mouth while skiing. Who has experience with an Avalung, and what are your thoughts?

[RiderX]

I ski with it ready to use, but not with the mouthpiece in my mouth. Too hard for me to breathe. I have always figured that I have enough time to place the mouthpiece, if something went bad.

It may not matter if you have it in place to start the run or you put it in your mouth right as things turn to shit. The problem is keeping the mouthpiece in your mouth while tumbling down a mountainside in an avalanche.

[RockBoy]

I found it interesting to hear all the walkie-talkie ringing going on from his location under snow. Begs the question: Would a walkie talkie help you locate a buried buddy? (This has probably been discussed before)

I usually don't bring my radio when I am out in the b/c, but now I think I'll reconsider. If I could get a buried buddy's beacon signal, and also have an extra clue of his general location by hearing his radio ringing, that would be a good thing.

[quienes?]

holy. shit. that is heavy.

[Bullet]

Originally Posted by emr

He had a Black Diamond Avalung on, but as you can tell from the video while he's talking as he's dropping in, it wasn't in his mouth to start. He tried to shove it in the instant of starting to get sucked down, but it didn't stay. It was just off to the corner of his mouth he said, and he definitely got snow / ice build up as you'll see on the second sweep of the mouth by the guide after they get to him.

^^ I was wondering if he had an Avalung. I thought his breathing sounded like there was one in his mouth... I guess I'm wrong. How many people actually put their mouth piece in before they drop? Is it tougher to breath, or is there an adjustment period? I picked one up at the end of last season and have only put it on around the house. I know what the manual says, but it seems like a pain to have that in your mouth while skiing. Who has experience with an Avalung, and what are your thoughts?

Scary. I didn't find it that hard to ski with. No different really than skiing with a mouthpiece.

[monkeywrenchMoose]

The whimpering sounds of him trying to breathe REALLY got to me.

Glad I just bought a Covert Avalung from RedWolf. Hope I never have to use it.

[Loon]

Originally Posted by RockBoy

I found it interesting to hear all the walkie-talkie ringing going on from his location under snow. Begs the question: Would a walkie talkie help you locate a buried buddy? (This has probably been discussed before)

I usually don't bring my radio when I am out in the b/c, but now I think I'll reconsider. If I could get a buried buddy's beacon signal, and also have an extra clue of his general location by hearing his radio ringing, that would be a good thing.

Yeah, I was wondering they could hear that radio buried under the snow. Maybe I should hook a speaker up to my radio and crank the volume in avi terrain.

[Cono Este]

Thats a great a idea. A high intenisty beeper, like the fire dept uses, that is activated somehow in a slide. Maybe tumbiling etc..
Probably speed things up pin pointing a burial in lieu of probing. etc.

[LeeLau]

Lucky bugger. I cringed when I saw him put the pole straps on

[UTaho']

Originally Posted by Solesides

When was this? Is there an incident report from this at all? Do we know if he came away from this relatively unharmed?

From what I understand, he had a torn achilles tendon & is skiing again. This was April 2008 in Haines

[brig]

wow that is unbelievable. lucky he was buried so close to the surface. that's what I worry about -- getting driven down deep, and even if they locate you it takes forever to dig down. makes me want to get one of those inflatable backpacks that you pull a ripcord on if you get in an avie, so you stay near the surface.

[Neurodoc]

Originally Posted by LeeLau

Lucky bugger. I cringed when I saw him put the pole straps on

Me too! I wondered if that bothered anyone else.

I have an Avalung, but after watching this I'm more and more convinced ABS is the way to go.