Photo: screenshot//@carson.schmidt10
Dramatic footage of a rescue at Palisades Tahoe in deep powder, which happened on February 18, stresses the importance of riding with a partner, especially in new snow. It was posted by Carson Schmidt, who out of pure luck passed by the buried skier.
“For whatever reason we stopped and happened to just see tips of the skis in the whiteout and luckily we did. Just want it to be a reminder to ski safe and ski with a buddy. Doesn’t have to be an avalanche or a tree well to get buried when it’s that deep,” Schmidt wrote.
Palisades reportedly received 44 inches of fresh snow that morning and 29 inches the day before. High winds, heavy snowfall, and poor visibility all combined to force a shutdown at Palisades midway through February 17th. The viral rescue video shows just how deep all that powder was by the 18th, when Schmidt and a riding partner dug out the lucky skier.
You can also see just how easy it would have been for the good samaritans to pass by the fallen skier without noticing him. Even as they stop to dig him out, they call for another passerby to help, but that skier moves along without ever noticing a life is being saved just a few yards away.
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