WATCH: 2 snowmobilers escape death after being buried by avalanche
It was "one of the scariest days of my life" a snowmobiler recalled after he and several others were swept away by an avalanche in Wyoming.
This intense video shows the moment a snowmobiler in Afton, Wyoming, got buried by an approaching avalanche on Jan. 22. He was buried under 2 to 3 feet of snow before getting rescued by his friend.
A fun day on the mountain quickly turned into a heart-pounding rescue in a race against time after an avalanche blindsided several snowmobilers in Wyoming's Star Valley on Monday, Jan. 22.
It was "one of the scariest days of my life," Jake Dahl said in an Instagram post. Dahl was on the mountain with some friends when a sudden avalanche swept him away, as well as one other person. "I started flailing my body and ended up about a foot under the snow with my arm exposed," he explained. "With my one free arm, I dug my face out and started screaming for help."
An avalanche sweeping away a person and a snowmobile in Wyoming on Jan. 22, 2024. (Mason Mitchell Zak via Storyful)
Mason Mitchell was the other person who was caught up in the surge of snow and was buried in several feet of thick, dense snow by the time the avalanche ended. Mitchell was buried in snow for approximately seven minutes before others were able to locate him, dig him out and rescue him from the life-threatening situation.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in the avalanche.
"This is definitely a huge eye-opener for us and I’ll never look at terrain the same way!" Dahl said on Instagram. "I will continue my avalanche education, and I highly recommend you do the same if you do anything in the backcountry!!"
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