BURIED ALIVE: Real Life Avalanche Burial & Rescue

[@doug.mitchell.106ID]

Growing up in the Pacific NW and spending much of my early life exploring the Cascade backcountry, my first avalanche rescue rather ironically happened below a well-known avalanche chute along I-90 just below Snoqualmie Pass, driving up to Alpental for a few hours of night skiing in magnificent snow. Long story short, I was the only eyewitness to see a guy swallowed by a fast-moving wall of snow as it blasted into the side of my truck. It took several minutes to dig up and out of my own vehicle, buried in 3-4 meters of dense sluff. I quickly recruited several bystanders to serve as spotters and diggers and go back in after him. A few minutes after we'd started digging where I estimated he'd ended up, two WSDOT staffers driving a plow rolled up with long probes and joined us, also providing bigger shovels. By my watch, we located him right where I hoped he was at 17 minutes, reaching him under several feet of Cascade Concrete at 25 minutes. He wasn't moving. Cleared an airway at 29 minutes, knowing full well he might already be a popsicle. He started moving as we extracted him from the hole. Later at the fire station, he explained he was losing consciousness from lack of O2 and hypothermia when he felt one of the probes hit his leg. I'd participated in plenty of backcountry rescues with SAR up to that point, helping save a few lives along the way, but this was the first time all the Ski Patrol training and the situation came crashing together with a life in the balance -- and the clock ticking. The moral of the story is simple : if you plan to spend any time in the backcountry, and want to live to tell the tale, learn ALL there is to learn. Avalanche rescue, how to dig a proper pit and evaluate snow layers, how to operate your beacons, etc. Your life -- and your friends' lives -- depend on it.

[@russman109]

Doug thanks for sharing!! Question: When was this accident on I-90? They've done so much work to that highway, and I haven't heard of a slide closing it for quite some time. And where on the 90 was it? (I'm a local)

[@doug.mitchell.106ID]

@@russman109 This was winter '96, a few months before moving to coastal California for six years in early '97, then relocating to Europe in '02. The slide was on the west side, right where the highway starts to curve around to the pass, from the steep slope above the old snowshed. Not along Lake Keechelus on the east side. It had been dumping all afternoon, so I'd bolted work early for some fine Alpental night powder. I'd been slowly working my way up the grade in 4WD, navigating the jumble of parked 18-wheelers and 2WD vehicles until there was no way through, since the snow had already sluffed partially across the road a couple times. The guy was very lucky I noticed him as he reached the passenger side mirror. Moments later a wall of white concrete slammed into us. My SAR-equipped Dakota was buried. It took a few minutes to extract myself and the two women riding along (fellow resort ambassadors at the Summit), digging out through 1-2 meters of snow above my driver's side window. A stopwatch -- literally the time of HIS life -- already running on my wrist, I moved toward a hazy huddle of humanity up against the guardrail on the far side of the road above the slide, recruiting a half-dozen guys to spot and dig. Soon after we'd extracted him, I was riding along with the DOT guys hustling him up to the fire station. The scene was taken over by a long-time mountaineering friend on State Patrol who also worked SAR. For the next two hours, they grid-probed the *entire* slide for other potential bodies with long aluminum DOT probes. In doing so completely trashing the sheet metal and glass over my entire truck. It looked like she'd done battle with a big hailstorm -- and lost. When I drove over to the Allstate claims agent in Woodinville to assess the extensive cosmetic damage -- the truck was delivered there -- he'd seen the story on the news a couple days earlier and treated me like royalty. In the end, the Dakota looked better than new by the time my old snowmobile buddies at Gilman Auto Body finished the job. In the aftermath, the guy we'd rescued was interviewed by all three network affiliates (KING/KIRO/KOMO). He was portrayed as a "hero" for SURVIVING. Not a single mention of the team of volunteers who'd risked their own lives to keep him from becoming a popsicle. Turned out, he was a snowboard instructor at Snoqualmie, who knew better than to be out of his car in an active avalanche zone. A clear lesson here for the uninitiated about how the mass media actually works.

[@Searchin4tone]

I applaud you for putting the camera/phone away immediately after seeing your friend in trouble. Precious time was not wasted. Imagine the countless lives that could be saved if others did the same in all scenarios.

[@jamielancaster01]

Applaud??? These numb-nuts should have been wearing airbag backpacks. No applaud!

[@davesmulders3931]

A phone interferes with the transceiver in search mode, so that is why you put your phone away. It's standard procedure in case of an avalanche.

[@appak001]

Biggest take home was that re risk: “LOW does not equal NO!” This was an Amazing case study and shows the importance of: -Rescue strategies -digging tactics (often overlooked looked) -having all the kit -doing all the checks -why you can never be complacent (not saying you were) -and so much more! Thanks for sharing!k x

[@surflasal]

-Heavy pack might put you head down the the debris

[@mikeschmidt3362]

These are the type of people I hope to always have by my side. Hats off to the crew being ready and prepared for this accident.

[@ryanstewart1521]

The way that slope broke loose was crazy, no escaping that one. Such an awesome crew of friends, can’t wait to take an avalanche class.

[@JoeAnklam]

So fucking heavy to listen to but so needed. Much respect to you all. Truly.

[@jamesdyer744]

Why the language? Young people should be able to watch and read reviews. Comments like this is what keeps adults from letting there kids be on the internet. Sadly this could save a kids life down the road had they been able to be on the internet. Just think about what your saying and doing. English language is big lots of other choices. Romans 10:9-13

[@colinkraft7837]

@@jamesdyer744 Or maybe you could realize that it's just a fucking word, and there are plenty of kids who WILL learn from this video. Some words are less appropriate for certain situations, I agree, but you sir seem afraid of a four letter word.. Swear words are used for emphasis, and Joe used that word perfectly. Nothing PG about this video James. Heavy as fuck Joe, I agree.

[@stevenbogart9313]

Greg is my cousin’s son, thank you for this safe rescue!

[@calebrussin8637]

So much emotion in this story. Made me cry a little holy fuck.

[@lflaherty]

Thank you guys for getting to that old boy quick enough, and for being humble enough to share it as an educational opportunity. This will absolutely help to keep people safe in the future. Love ya, Weave!

[@bbeulin]

Thank you for sharing. Off and on for 20 years I've been riding in the Backcountry & have lost friends in Avalanches. I appreciate your story and always get hair on my neck raising feelings when I listen to feedback and assessments like yours. I passed this along to my AIARE Level 1 classmates as we begin our class tomorrow because of your excellent details and post assessment of the situation. Thanks you again for sharing.

[@davidream5175]

Great Video Jones! Your message was perfect. It is a testament to your rescue skills. Having been a ski patrol, avalanche forecaster and snow ranger with multiple rescues under my belt over 40 years, this hit home. Thanks...Dave

[@davemedara2862]

Hi Dave!

[@davidream5175]

Hi Dave! It is good to hear from you. I hope you are well and are having fun. I'm retired and living the dream. It's snowing and we're excited about skiing ⛷. I'm still touring around Alta and trying to avoid the minions! This place has got crazy busy so we're skiing during week. Take care D & B

[@slingingcream]

Sure is a eye opener to never assume that there couldn't be a slide, this video made me realize that we should always practice.

[@1ajw23]

Man this message is especially important this year, with all the newbies getting into the back country because of resort restrictions... Not something to go into haphazardly. Great story.

[@GleaMDMK]

This video is important. This is one of those things that you don't usually get to learn from. Thank you from posting this.

[@freshturns_snowboarding]

The terrain traps there... That's a nightmare scenario. Cheers for raising awareness

[@jadarroch]

Wow, so crazy! So stoked that Greg was fine! Just shows you can never be too careful in the back country!

[@DylanXVII]

Thanks for sharing this. As someone looking at doing some days in the backcountry next season, this is a crucial reminder of how important training is - both individual and for your entire crew - when SHTF.

[@sbespn3820]

I wish someone would design an airbag system attached to about a 10 foot tether of some kind that could be thrown and deployed if caught. A durable tethered airbag would be much harder to bury than an airbag pack, especially in terrain traps, because it would act like a beach ball and have more buoyancy so it would float in almost all conditions. Searchers would know right where to go because a bright orange ball would be sitting on the surface tethered to the victim, obviously you'd want to probe and confirm with a beacon before digging, but I think something like that could save people. You only have 15 min to find and un dig a person. And having a visual clue on the surface would speed things up tremendously.

[@andymaccallum7924]

Thank you for uploading this video. It’s a great educational video. Thank goodness that you able to save your friend.

[@valreznic]

Huge thank you for posting this video. Its part of every viewers education and as you say... never stop learning! Great job out there!

[@jason_swet]

Thank you for telling this story. Very eye opening. Glad everyone is ok 🙏🏼

[@stephenjurisic]

Thank you for sharing this video. I have taken an AST1 course and I still feel like I have a ton to learn. Stay safe.

[@landonthings]

So glad that he was saved. Good crew. Lucky in so many ways too. Stay safe, and thanks for sharing.

[@FaithandActiondotnet]

Reminds me of my friend & I coming across a guy hanging upside down from his board in an 8 foot deep creek-well with snow closed in all around him. When we pulled him out he was white/blue.

[@kaceykuhn70]

You all are great friends. So awesome how you worked so well together to save your a brother. I totally respect your mountain knowledge and more respect to you that you are producing this to teach others. Great to always be prepared in the backcountry. So happy for the positive outcome and kudos to you all. Thanks for your honesty and transparency. Great job.

[@andyhampsten4252]

fantastic crew work, and smart only one on the hill at a time and watching. best outcome

[@timlarsson1451]

Thanks for sharing! No matter how good you are shit can go down. Glad everyone came out allright!

[@russman109]

I really appreciate this video guys. Thanks so much for sharing and putting this together. I believe Nick really nailed it: No matter what there is an unpredictability factor. Multiple folks already rode this, and there were no blatant red flags. In this accident I see the spatial variability factor within a snowpack rearing its enormous head....Yet another reminder to only use snow pits for education and "closing" terrain, never to open terrain. It also just highlights that unknown....And truly, the unknown is what makes the mountains so powerful and enticing. I guess more than anything this is a reminder that to 1) Do your best to be safe, and be prepared to survive if shit goes south. And, 2) Accept that you can still get killed, even if you're doing your best. I've lost 12 close people to this game, and they were all experienced and the most excellent of humans. Thanks guys.

[@Ozzy1kneeboard2snowboarder3]

Thank you .. for your story.. it’s so important to share such experiences.. happy it turned out to be a happy ending..

[@adamwilliams532]

Thankyou for sharing this story, much respect to you all, great outcome guys 🤙

[@pwdrskr]

Thx so much for sharing. We benefit from real world learning, especially in our local Tahoe zone. Really interesting to hear about the communication and action taken after the slide. So hard to predict how each individual will behave but I took away some key learnings (e.g., value of "eyes-on", radios, having people positioned to access diff parts of the run, the challenge of traveling up hill, shovel and probe ready, intensity of shoveling, etc.) We learn and practice these all the time but real world experience amplifies these points.

[@dam8087]

Great video, honest, informative and educational, thanks to the Jones crew

[@swsmtnguide]

Storm slab on buried surface hoar is literally the second thing on the forecast for that day

[@Bergmann69]

Dont be so rude dude ^^ Off course it was..and the hill was way over 35 degrees at some Points..and he did to many turns ln the spines

[@daggiedrop7108]

Always some goof spitting off eh. 🙄

[@adamsharp-1]

You're right (I suspect as usual), anyone that's ever been caught in an avalanche isn't as savvy as you...

[@AluxLob]

Thank you for sharing your story!

[@mrdog3920]

Kudos. Thanks for putting this out there 🙏

[@jeaniemarczniec7755]

God was on all your side and everyone was there that needed to be.

[@burghman8000]

it has nothing to do with the Flying Spaghetti Monster it was the training of these people and equipment that saved this man's life

[@afsal9378]

Thank you for sharing, Respect

[@matyasagoston5354]

Absolutely eyeopening! Thanks for sharing this story guys!

[@marshalltitus1804]

Nice team work! Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@motownspiders]

Looks like a James Penfield original behind Weav. Great painting.

[@travisprovin1336]

Props to this crew for sharing their story and their rescue effort. Although we can learn from their story and video footage we can learn even more from analyzing their actions rather than just hearing the story. Granted this is a short, edited video but they make it sound like they did nothing wrong and that their only error was not doing a beacon check (which is how you should always start your day). The incident report, terrain, and forecast say otherwise. They were in steep 35*+ complex terrain, riding over convex slopes and into concave depressions. The avalanche incident report also noted other avalanches in the area (although they could have slid after this one, we dont know) and the forecast mentioned the danger exactly as this avalanche happened; storm slab over surface hoar (which was confirmed the next day by digging a pit). It's not rude to critcize their actions or their story. It's this criticism that actually helps everyone learn which makes this video 100x more valuable. Kudos to this crew. Their actions saved their friends life but its clear that they got very lucky (already in uphill mode, striking on the second probe, beacon on and functional even though no one did a check). Yes hindsight is always 20/20 but I think there is a lot more to be learned than what was portrayed in the video.

[@tag5504]

Thank you. I'm looking at video and the first thing I see is huge bolder field and rolling terrain. I am far from a expert... but my gut is wondering.

[@rosewoodoriginals5663]

Very moving video. Love u weaver. Good job boys.

[@TheMeditatingGnome]

Sharing this stuff is so important and will save lives. That said, this isn’t a mellow day for the vast majority of backcountry travelers. It’s complex terrain (rollovers, multiple aspects, multiple converging slide paths, terrain traps). And the avy danger was moderate. 25% of avalanche fatalities in the US occur on moderate danger days. 2% occur on low days. Just saying to all the noobs out there (and reminding myself), mellow for pros is not mellow for the rest of us.

[@RadicalEarth]

There will always be debate about "complex" terrain vs "challenging" terrain. You hit all but one, there were almost certainly portions of that slope at, or greater than 35 degrees. Easy to get lulled in by "moderate" rating, good point on stat of 25%. I agree that my immediate thought was though not a crazy gnarly line, this is not mello terrain. Not judging the riders super hard here, but good comment.

[@TheTkrum]

Nothing like those 10 minutes.

[@heyzeuschristos4561]

Lucky as but no one mentions the error in the decision making process of going. This is the initial error that was made as early season backcountry in the Tahoe/Sierra mtns have proven to be very risky and not without incident as witnessed the previous years on Mt.Tallac Dec 2018 and Tamarack Peak near Mt. Rose. Part of early season dangers are due to typically warmer late fall temperatures which when snow finally falls creates multiple temperature variations, below surface faceting and other unseen weaknessess. Combine that with false sense of security due to experience, avalanche certification and whatnot and you have a recipe for disaster just waiting to happen, and trust me, it will. Add ego, heuristic self image and hubris and it increases the chances of getting caught substantially. This being said with forecast storms heading this way finally, people are going to be seriously chomping to "get some". So this old guys advice is make better decisions from the get go, use the available avalanche info sites as a precaution as not to take assumed risks especially if only moderate and don't be as typically self centered to believe it cannot happen to you. Think about others also like emergency rescue personel and other medical pros thatvmay have to be in a risky situation digging your mangled body out of a pile. Be smarter than the average brohbrah and don't ever feel posting a video on such and such of your rad turns even matters. Best advice I was ever given on Mt.Rainer in 1986 was by world class everest climber and Rainier Mountain guide Lou Whittaker, " THE MOUNTAINS DON'T CARE!! Be safer be smarter. Peace Out.

[@neverforgettr2276]

Thanks

[@thebrownfamilyriders]

awesome love the video keep it up!!!!!!!!

[@maxwright4387]

this shit made me cry lol

[@vincentmessier2830]

That was tense

[@wintermutt]

Creepy that this happened on the way to an avalanche course.

[@elliotkuhlman1093]

What radios were the team using? What is recommended by the JONES team?!?!

[@mrsir1872]

bca's are pretty reliable

[@craigbosko2229]

Qiut a video, I'm going to send the title to my nephew so he can watch it.He's got all of the avy equipment he could muster, it's just a matter of him taking a level 1 and I would like to see him take a level 2 to learn about snow stability and unstability like I did years ago,the two coarses work together, I HIGHLY reccamend it.

[@clarifyingquestions]

Question - to the surviver Is this experience worth your life and the lives of your friends.

[@bobwerner1033]

Oh a fucking real life one

[@MurCurieux]

Great video!

[@MarcDonahu]

Was this in Tahoe? If so where?

[@powderdropzone]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@blowtorchacurlyfry1]

skiing before the avalanche course oh the irony

[@SidiNic]

That was heavy

[@greengraycolor]

Big thank you for sharing. What was the grade and aspect of the slope?

[@lisamarieashby2523]

There is never a completely "safe" way or means to be out in nature. Nor anywhere else for that matter. Preparation and training, then implementation of that, is the only hope. Never any guarantees.

[@MrKnnthc93]

Damn shit is gnarly

[@albertmanning6653]

god bless

[@foodin5ish]

Snowboarding is my one true love, being buried alive is one of my greatest fears.....

[@DoctorSess]

When he talks about not being able to move at all... that would be a terrible way to go

[@madzcarlosita5703]

Tusok done MOMMIES CORNER

[@ericlakota6512]

Those beckens are huge i can believe how meny videos i see how they work

[@laxplaysu91]

do you think an airbag would have helped a lot in this specific incident?

[@powderdropzone]

Unlikely with the terrain trap.

[@TruckeeNuts]

It certainly couldn’t hurt but you cannot count on them to solve the problem. Traveling with knowledgeable, trustworthy and savvy crew in familiar terrain are paramount.

[@Jober038]

It might have helped to avoid ending upside down en thus saving precious time burring him out. My friends and I, we all wear one. Nevertheless, we all did the avi course and keep training, although it is clearly never enough! So, thanks for sharing the video!

[@JonesSnowboardsVideos]

In this situation the rider was a filmer, so his backpack was extra big and heavy. The results of having an airbag are unclear in this scenario.

[@jeremyjones7046]

Tough to say, but it would not have made it worse and may have helped. He got pushed forward immediately, was pinned face first and didn't travel very far.

[@b3n_ketchup586]

They made it seem like he died had me all dummy

[@derekenero2102]

What is a probe??

[@crimpchimp]

It’s basically a long, foldable metal pole. Similar to a tent pole. After getting as close as possible to the beacon signal of the buried person you can use the probe to locate them precisely. You stick the pole down through the avalanche snow in sort of a “snail” pattern. Once you hit the person with the probe, you start digging.

[@mountainflyhigh]

When you all think you are smarter than gravity.

[@bobwerner1033]

I can't believe this is actually happening lol oh really

[@dollycau9099]

ma con tutte le piste sicure che ci saranno...................ve le cercate proprio!!!!

[@woodslisa4529]

it isn't worth the risk of dying or becoming paralyzed

[@alexr7665]

Cut the fucking music

[@runforrest86]

NO BEACON CHECK!?

[@RDNGAMING22]

I KNOW NICK RUSSEL MY BROTHERWENT TO SCHOOLWITH HIM VT BABY VT 802!!!!!!!!!!! sms

[@richardcunningham1648]

Another dummies in avalanche terrain story they completely did not assess terrain correctly Gee why not walk right through the deposed zone or the starting zone

[@T3PinR]

but you all continue to want to wear the Red Bull logo

[@nevadadan4113]

So in order to be a snowboarder- is it required to look like a complete D-Bag?