Colorado avalanche survivor describes being buried in snow: "I was frozen in place"

Last February after a big snowstorm in Grand Mesa one group of snowmobilers hit the slopes for what they thought would be a fun afternoon. The fun came to a screeching halt when one of those snowmobilers triggered a small avalanche.

This avalanche happened on a steep slope to the Southeast of Priest Mountain in Grand Mesa. Cassy said they were dealing with flat light conditions that day, so she couldn't see how steep that slope was.

"I misjudged the slope of a hill, and it was a small hill too. It wasn't a big mountain face. Seemingly innocent. I went up the hill and the whole thing just popped up on me. And before I even knew what was happening, I was buried," she said.

Cassy was buried upside down. "I couldn't move my arms. I couldn't move my head at all. I was frozen in place. And in fact, I don't even remember being buried that long because I lost consciousness pretty quickly," said Cassy Gates.

She and her group knew there was a high avalanche risk that day, and they were all very prepared. Everyone in her group had taken avalanche safety courses, and they did equipment checks that morning. That preparation saved her life.

"I knew everyone was prepared, and I knew everyone's gear was working, so that was comforting," said Cassy. "I knew that at least two people from our group had seen what had happened because they were right behind me."

Her friend and her fiancé were the ones right behind her. They immediately radioed to the others in the group, and they quickly began trying to find Cassy. They used their beacons to locate her and then started digging. Because she was buried head down, they had to dig to clear her airway first.

Within minutes she was freed, and conscious again. The next step was for the group to find and recover the sled.

The avalanche was reported to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. 

"It was a small avalanche, but small avalanches can still kill people. And that group did a great job getting her back on top of the snow and where she could breathe again. It's a very close call. Any time someone goes under the snow and their airway is compromised it's a very serious situation," said CAIC Director, Ethan Greene.

"The avalanche conditions on any given day are a combination of the weather we've had and the weather that day. And that's because if you dig down into the snowpack in the Colorado mountains, you're going to see a whole bunch of layers in the snowpack. Those layers are born out of different weather events, big snowstorms, wind events, and dry periods. and avalanches tend to break on the interfaces of those areas," Greene says.

Last winter Colorado saw dramatic swings in temperatures, with several snowstorms surrounded by very dry periods. Weather like that increases the risk of avalanches as the season goes on. Greene says it is important to keep an eye on the avalanche forecast if you plan on spending any time in the backcountry, and very important to take avalanche safety courses as it could save lives.