It wasn’t an avalanche; just powder so deep that one skier became submerged and almost died. Luckily, two strangers were skiing past, noticed the skis poking out of the snow, and came to his rescue.
The incident occurred at Lake Tahoe, California, the site of the recent avalanche tragedy that killed nine skiers. Carson Schmidt and his friend Erik Masuda were skiing at Palisades Tahoe in whiteout conditions on February 18 when they saw a lone figure almost totally buried. Frantically, they dug him out.
Carson Schmidt, left, and Erik Masuda explain what happened. Photo: Screenshot/Eyewitness News
“When we uncovered his face, his mouth was stuffed with snow,” Masuda told ABC’s Eyewitness News. “I used my finger to unclog his mouth. And you hear a big gasp for air…The shade of his face was purplish blue. He was definitely running out of oxygen.”
The video below captures the man’s close call. A good reason to always ski with a partner.
