Snowmobiler in Colorado rescued after being buried by avalanche for more than an hour
The dramatic rescue of a snowmobiler buried under 2 feet of snow for more than an hour on Presidents Day in Summit County was captured on video.
Just after noon Monday, Feb. 17, Summit County Rescue Group was notified of an avalanche in the Shrine Bowl vicinity of Vail Pass Recreation Area, according to the rescue group's Facebook page and confirmed by the Summit County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, which released the body camera video.
Two men were snowmobiling and set off an avalanche that buried one of the riders, the rescue group said, and the unburied snowmobiler called 911 and immediately tried to find the other snowmobiler.
The avalanche was approximately 500 feet wide and ran 328 feet. The man was buried by around 2 feet of snow.
Two dog teams and 10 searchers from among a large responder presence were driven by snowmobile to the scene as other team members staged in case they were needed.
At 1:13 p.m., a searcher saw a small piece of fabric at the surface on the debris field, according to the group's post. When the searcher pulled on the fabric, he saw it was part of an airbag the buried snowmobiler had inflated.
The man was dug out after being buried for around 65 minutes, the rescue group said, noting the man "was conscious, breathing and able to converse with rescuers."
The man was placed on a gurney with skis and driven by snowmobile, then transported to Summit Medical Center in Frisco via ambulance. The post said the man "appeared to be suffering mainly from early stages of hypothermia."
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center rated avalanche danger as high (4 out of 5) Monday following a series of storms that dumped 3 to nearly 4 feet of snow in areas of the mountains over multiple days.
More: Here is how much snowfall Colorado ski areas received during Presidents Day snowstorm
There have been 13 people caught and buried, three injured and one killed due to avalanches in Colorado this snow season, according to the center.
The state averages around six avalanche deaths per year, which leads the nation.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Snowmobiler in Colorado survives avalanche burial of more than an hour
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