Dramatic rescue of snowboarder buried headfirst in snow caught on video
Dramatic footage captured the moment a snowboarder was rescued after being buried headfirst in a deep mound of packed snow.
The terrifying moment was recorded by body-camera footage as Francis Zuber skied down Mt. Baker Ski Area in northwestern Washington earlier this month.
Zuber was shredding down the mountain, zig-zagging between the trees behind a snowboarder on March 3.
He got caught in deep powder but easily made his way out and got back on his way.
That’s when he noticed a snowboard sticking up out of the snow.
“You alright?” he asked the boarder, receiving no response.
Zuber quickly turned and started packing the snow with his skis to make a path over to the tree well where the snowboarder was buried.
As he got closer, he removed his skis and trudged his way over to the poor soul. He tried to determine how the snowboarder was angled and quickly began digging into the snow with his gloved hands.
“Hold on, I’m coming,” Zuber shouted as he continued digging into the packed snow.
After several gut-wrenching moments, he finally reached the snowboarder’s head, deep in the snow, and uncovered his face.
“You alright? Can you hear me?” Zuber asked, but the man was unable to respond as he was covered by more falling snow. Zuber continued to clear the snow to allow the man to breathe.
The trapped snowboarder eventually began moving his arms in an attempt to help free himself.
Zuber is heard heaving with exertion when he finally reached the snowboarder’s face again as the man took a huge gulp of air.
“OK, you’re good, I got you,” Zuber reassured the man. “Alright we’re both gonna catch our breath for a sec, then I’m gonna help dig you out, OK?”
“Thank you,” the snowboarder said, finally able to catch his breath, “I’m good.”
Zuber then went back to his belongings and proceeded to assemble an emergency shovel to help him dig the snowboarder out completely.
The avid skier posted the terrifying video on Instagram warning, “Tree wells are real.”
Tree wells, also known as spruce traps, occur when the space under a tree does not get the same amount of snow as surrounding areas, causing a sinkhole.
The US Department of Agriculture Forest Service advises that snow sporters always bring a partner, warning that most injuries occur during a crash or fall into a tree.
“The mountains don’t care how much skill or experience you have. They don’t even care if you and your ski partners are doing everything right,” Zuber captioned the video.
He advised skiers and snowboarders of all levels to take an avalanche training course to learn how to survive similar scary situations.
“I’m thankful I knew just enough to scrape by and perform a successful rescue,” Zuber said. “And always look out for each other out there.”
