Trapped in the snow: Surviving an avalanche
- Details
- Created on Sunday, 10 April 2011 18:43
- Written by Nathan
By CADDIE NATH, SUMMIT DAILY NEWS
Buried alive beneath more than three feet of heavy spring snow, Danny Ferrari knew he was in trouble.
Just before noon, on April 1 the avid snowboarder and long-time local triggered a massive wet-slab avalanche while riding Devil's Tool, backcountry terrain near Arapahoe Basin.
Within minutes the slide sucked him in, leaving him trapped under the snow for approximately 45 minutes. “I (thought), ‘Whoa, this is serious. You might die,” Ferrari said. “It just engulfed me.”
His chances weren't good. Avalanche victims who are completely buried for more than half an hour stand only about a 34 percent chance of survival. It was enough for Ferrari, who said he never stopped trying to fight his way out. “I was mad as hell, because I was like, ‘I can't believe this just happened,'” he said.
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