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When heavy amounts of snow blanket ski slopes, that thrill of fresh powder we all love can sometimes be tempered by increased danger. This season, we’ve seen numerous stories of avalanches, many of them fatal. However, slides aren’t the only way snow can get bury us, as one Washington skier nearly found out the hard way.
A frantic rescue was captured on camera this week by ex-world cup skier Ian Deans. He had been recording a promotional video with the ski resort Summit at Snoqualmie when he came across a pair of skis sticking up out of the snow. Below them, a man was almost completely buried in over 40 inches.
“It was so deep,” Deans told KIRO 7. “Walking around, you were up to your waist, if not more.” He quickly dove in to rescue the man, managing to dig his face our and prevent him from suffocating.
The moment was all the more frightening for the fact that it didn’t occur in the remote backcountry, but right next to a crowded ski slope. “It was a moment of panic, two feet away from 40 other people going by, with no idea that it happened,” continued Deans.
In the caption for the video he took of the rescue, Deans highlighted the fact that, while avalanches may garner the most headlines, “snow immersion” can be just as deadly.
“Fall wrong, and it’s game over, done,” he wrote. “Lucky I got to this guy before it was too late. Forty-eight inches is a lot of snow. Avalanches are front of mind, but deep snow immersion can happen anywhere. Be safe, ski with people, look out for each other.”
