Avalanche Canada is hoping back country enthusiast can learn from the story of a remarkable avalanche rescue in northern British Columbia.
It was March 2013 and four skiers were on a back country trip near Terrace when three of them were buried in an avalanche.
Now Avalanche Canada has created a new website called Rescue at Cherry Bowl that allows viewers to navigate through the experiences of the skiers who were buried alive and their rescuers.
“When the slide stopped three of them were deeply buried. The one person left on the surface had his pack swallowed by the snow, leaving him with no rescue equipment other than his transceiver,” explains the website.
“The chances of his friends’ survival were almost zero, yet all of them lived.”
Matt Schenck was that lone unburied skier. In a video he remembers the aftermath of the slide as the “hardest time” in his life.
“I never really imagine that we were susceptible to something huge,” said Schenck.
The site also gives users more information about equipment, types of avalanche and avalanche forecasts to help them stay safe in the back country.
“We are looking forward to sharing this project that has given so many rich, teachable moments on top of a happy ending,” said Mary Clayton with Avalanche Canada.
“We hope this site will inspire more back country users to keep up their training, hone their rescue skills and continue to engage with Avalanche Canada and all our programs.”
To find out how Schenck and his friends ended up in such a perilous position and how they survived you can visit Rescue at Cherry Bowl.
Watch Below: A Revelstoke skier shares video of being caught in an avalanche. It was Zach Birnie’s last day in Revelstoke for the season and with a lot of new snow, it looked like a beautiful day for some back country skiing. With a camera attached to his chest, he pushed off for a run but only seconds later he is is swept up in an avalanche. In the video below you can hear Birnie scream and swear as he realizes what is happening.
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