A video of a thrilling rescue of a snowboarder buried with their headfirst in meters of snow has become extremely popular.
Gasping for air and ensnared in a tree well on a mountain in the United States, the snowboarder was liberated by the savior who desperately excavated through the snow in the footage.
Amidst the trees, in the snow, Francis Zuber spotted a snowboard while skiing on Mount Baker, far away from the ski runs.
Zuber captured the thrilling rescue on his helmet camera and shared the video on the internet.
I was only able to catch a glimpse of his board, but in the description of his video, he said that he trapped the free to shovel a later and was using his hands to do so, which grabbed my attention enough.
The man survived and Zuber has been commended for his courageous deeds.
However, it could have been fatal.
According to a search and rescue expert, Zuber saw the snowboarder at the ideal moment.
Dwight Yochim, the CEO of the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association (BCSARA), expressed that these waterfalls possess the capacity to turn fatal.
Yochim explained, “He attached his feet to the board upside down. It would have been extremely difficult. He was stuck. There was no effort made to get him out. He wasn’t moving. The snowboarder was not going to extract himself from that situation.”
Yochim, the snowboarder, was visibly distressed towards the end of the video, with his lips turning blue from both the lack of oxygen and the cold.
The YouTube video has garnered more than 470,000 views, as of Monday afternoon.
Yochim praised Zuber for his instincts and added he most likely had the training and knowledge to help him in this situation.
How to avoid getting trapped in tree wells
Yochim elucidated to Daily Hive the actions one can take in both scenarios, for individuals who are unsure of how to proceed if they, or someone they are acquainted with, become trapped in a tree well.
First of all, a tree well is a “V-shape” that develops next to the trunk of a tree.
“It is exceedingly simple to succumb to those. But the unfortunate aspect is the form resembles a perilous trap,” Yochim explains.
It’s extremely risky when the truck starts to squeeze against the snowpack and the space becomes narrower and narrower. In this tree, if you’re not careful, you could end up falling headfirst and many people have experienced this.
Counterproductive be can which up themselves push to might people said Yochim, tree the against back your with in fall you if.
“All you’re doing is shoving snow down and you’re compressing yourself in more and more,” he stated.
Therefore, the sole method to extricate oneself is by ascending the tree in an inverted manner.
He remarked, “It becomes significantly more difficult when you’re positioned with your back towards the tree. You have a limited amount of time. That is your sole opportunity.”
Yochim states that the evacuation timeframe for individuals will vary from 15 minutes to an hour, based on the snowpack conditions.
That is the reason why Yochim strongly advises anyone going out on the slopes to never go by themselves.
He advised getting out of the tree well, stating that assistance would likely be required. He emphasized that having just one person would be more advantageous than having at least two individuals in that specific situation.
Yochim explained, “If you’re upside down in an area where oxygen levels are lower, it can become more challenging to breathe. The compression between the snow and the tree can slowly make it difficult to breathe as well.”
“All of those elements contribute to an extremely dangerous situation,” he stated.