A snowmobile rider was rescued Monday after he was caught and buried in an avalanche on Shrine Mountain west of Vail Pass, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
Two snowmobilers triggered the avalanche around noon, state officials said. One of the riders was caught and buried, and the second rider tried to use an avalanche rescue transceiver to find his partner but could not get a signal and called 911 for help.
The second snowmobiler later saw a corner of the other rider’s avalanche airbag sticking out of the snow in the debris field, and he and Summit County rescue crews dug out the other rider.
About 10 searchers and two dog teams responded with the Summit County Rescue Group. Another 17 searchers and two dog teams stood on standby, ready to jump in.
The avalanche victim was buried for about 65 minutes under more than two feet of snow, but he was awake and talking when rescued, rescue officials said. He had minor injuries and was taken to the hospital in the early stages of hypothermia.
“Backcountry users need to be aware that an avalanche burial will generally result in a fatality if the subject is not located and uncovered within 15 minutes,” Summit County rescue officials said. “… In this case, the subject was extremely fortunate to have been located alive.
There was a high avalanche danger for most of northern Colorado’s mountain ranges on Monday, with dangerous conditions and human-caused slides “very likely,” according to the avalanche center.
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