The snowmobiler was “conscious and talking, but cold” when he was extricated from the debris, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said.
SUMMIT COUNTY, Colorado — A small piece of fabric located in a large avalanche debris field is what led to the rescue of a snowmobiler who had been buried for roughly an hour.
Around 12:11 p.m. on Monday, the Summit County Rescue Group said it was notified of the slide that was triggered by two men who were snowmobiling at tree line on Shrine Mountain which is just east of Vail Pass.
One of the men was buried. The other man attempted to use his avalanche rescue transceiver to find him, but did not get a signal and called 911 for help, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said.
Summit County Sheriff’s deputies and Summit County Rescue Group personnel responded to the scene. At 1:13 p.m. while walking across the debris field, a rescuer saw a small piece of fabric. He pulled on it and realized it was part of the snowmobiler’s deployed avalanche airbag sticking out of the snow.
>Watch a video of the rescue in the player below.
Rescuers and the other snowmobiler extricated him from the debris about an hour after the avalanche, CAIC said. He was “conscious and talking, but cold,” and was taken to a hospital for evaluation, mainly due to early signs of hypothermia.
According to the Summit County Rescue Group, the man was buried by nearly two feet of snow and was “extremely fortunate to have been located alive.”
The group went on to say that survival is “highly dependent” on having the right equipment, such as a transceiver, probe pole, and shovel, and knowing how to use them.
In general, the rescue group said an avalanche is deadly unless a person is located and uncovered within 15 minutes.
On Thursday, the CAIC warned backcountry travelers that avalanche danger would rise to HIGH (4 of 5) over the Presidents’ Day weekend, which is one of the busiest and, historically, most dangerous times of the season. An avalanche warning was in effect for the area including Shrine Mountain on Monday, according to the CAIC website.
“We expect natural avalanches this weekend, and people venturing into the backcountry will be able to trigger slides big enough to bury, injure, or kill them,” CAIC Director Ethan Greene said Thursday. “And once the skies clear on Sunday, the chances of an accident will increase due to the nice weather, new snow, and dangerous avalanche conditions.”