While plowing through waist-deep powder in Tahoe, California, two skiers came across a third buried below the surface. Their quick thinking likely saved the man’s life.
Skier Carson Schmidt captured the footage with a camera mounted to his helmet on February 18 in Palisades Tahoe. In what the resort described as “six feet of freshies,” Schmidt and his ski partner came across a pair of skis poking out of the snow. The duo successfully dug out the buried man within minutes of seeing him.
The name and condition of the buried man have not been made public.
The video shows the point-of-view of a skier as he drops into a run between KT-22 and Olympic Lady at Palisades Tahoe, a large ski mountain in California’s Sierra Nevada.
“That’s deep,” Schmidt says while standing in powder up to his knees. It’s at that moment that he points ahead to a pair of skis poking out of the snow, getting his friend’s attention. The duo skiers over to the person, whose head is completely covered in snow, and begin digging with their hands, first unburying the skier’s head. When asked if he’s okay, the man responds with a grunt, spitting snow out of his mouth.
“For whatever reason, we stopped and happened to just see tips of the skis in the whiteout, and luckily we did,” wrote Schmidt in a video caption, adding that he was initially hesitant to share the video. “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.”
Palisades Tahoe recorded 44 inches of fresh snow on the morning of February 18, adding to the 19 inches that had fallen the day before. On February 17, the resort closed due to extreme storm conditions.
“Our teams are working at the speed of safety as they dig out lifts and walkways, perform avalanche mitigation, assess terrain, and prepare the mountain to return to operations. These efforts take time, especially following a significant storm cycle, and we appreciate your patience as crews work,” Palisades Tahoe resort on Instagram.
The lower portion of the mountain reopened on February 18.
“Practice deep snow safety. Ski with a buddy, keep visual contact, and stay within your ability,” wrote the resort on social media following the storm.
The post Video Shows the Moment Two Tahoe Skiers Rescue Another Buried in Snow appeared first on Outside Online.
