Who: A 36-year-old Bozeman, Montana man
Where: The Going Home Chute in the Gallatin National Forest, Montana
His mistake: He was skiing alone and made a hard cut on a convex roll
What happened: A man skiing alone made a deep cut in the snow at the top of a chute, ultimately releasing an avalanche. A hiker in the area, who happened to be a member of the local search and rescue team, hear the man’s cries for help.
Somehow authorities were alerted and 23 members of the rescue team responded on snowmobiles and by helicopter. The man was airlifted to a waiting ambulance.
The man did check avalanche conditions before he set out that day. And he said the purpose of the ski cut was to test the conditions. Obviously it wasn’t safe enough to ride.
While he was stuck in the avalanche, he attempted to ski out of the path, but was pinned against a tree and broke his femur. The man was also wearing a transceiver.
Read the story here.
Skiing alone in avalanche country makes your transceiver pretty much worthless.