Good Samaritans save snowboarders buried alive in avalanche
The terrifying incident was captured by a camera on a helmet that one of her rescuers was wearing.
A woman was recently rescued after being buried alive by an avalanche thanks to quick-thinking snowboarders that were nearby.
The avalanche occurred at the Verbier Ski Resort in Switzerland, which is a resort that is known for its backcountry skiing.
In the video above, the trapped woman can be seen struggling to breathe under the weight of the snow as Victor Liebenguth, a professional snowboarder that was near the site of the avalanche, tried to quickly dig her out.
The camera that was attached to Liebenguth’s helmet shows him clearing the snow away from her face so she could properly breathe and she can be heard asking her rescuers to look for her friend that she was with.
Three women in total were trapped by the avalanche and they were all rescued by the surrounding snowboarders before a rescue helicopter arrived.
Liebenguth shared the footage to his Instagram account and said that there were minimal security precautions on the slopes despite the resort announcing that there was a “very high avalanche danger” on January 30.
AVALANCHE SAFETY
Here are some avalanche safety tips, courtesy of the Government of Canada:
If you are caught in an avalanche:
• If there is machinery, equipment or heavy objects around you, push them away to avoid injury.
• Grab onto anything solid, such as trees or rocks to avoid being swept away.
• Close your mouth and clench your teeth.
• If you find you are moving downward with the avalanche, stay on the surface by using a swimming motion.
• Try to move yourself to the side of the avalanche.
When the avalanche slows try to:
• Push yourself to the surface.
• Make an air pocket in front of your face using one arm.
• Use the other arm to push towards the surface.
After an avalanche:
• Dig yourself out, if you can.
• Relax your breathing. This is especially important if you cannot dig yourself out.
• Stay calm and shout only when help is near.
