Backcountry skier rescued after triggering avalanche
SILVERTON, Colo. -- A backcountry skier who triggered an avalanche that covered a highway earlier this week was rescued by people who were said to be “in the right place at the right time,” CBS Denver reports.
Sallie Barney and her husband Mike were coming back home to Silverton on the highway when they were stopped by the slide covering the road. They spotted people digging through the snow and saw some debris on the road. That’s when they stopped and rushed over to help.
“My husband spotted the skier’s backpack on top of the debris,” Barney said, speaking to CBS Denver by phone. “He’s an avalanche professional, he guides skiing and teaches for the Silverton Avalanche School, so he pieced it together pretty quickly.”
Sally and Mike grabbed shovels out of their car and eventually got to the man.
Remarkably, they uncovered the unidentified skier about four feet below the surface of the hard-packed snow, providing him with an airway and getting him out of the slide, Barney said.
She said the skier appeared to be uninjured in the ordeal.
The stretch of highway was closed for several hours due to avalanches including the one triggered by the skier, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Avalanche danger remains high across most of the High Country.