After an avalanche buried him in snow, a backcountry skier reflects on his survival — and what he could have done differently

 ...After three or four seconds, Scheidegger heard air release from the snowpack, and “that entire layer of snow whomps to the ground,” he said, “and it almost sounds like thunder.” Scheidegger watched as an avalanche of maybe 700 feet rushed by him in less than a minute, releasing thousands of pounds of snow down the slope. 

In the chaos, he never saw Benge. That was his biggest worry.

“In an avalanche-burial scenario, you have, you know, 10 to 15 minutes at the most to recover somebody,” Scheidegger said. 

Luckily, both of them were wearing avalanche beacons, gadgets that can transmit and pick up the location of someone buried in snow. Scheidegger put his into “search” mode — and got to work.

Benge was stuck under at least five feet of what felt like concrete on top of him. Both men had gone through avalanche-safety training, and while being pushed down the mountainside, Benge had tried to do what he had learned: put his hands in front of his face to create an air pocket, to hopefully prolong his life just a few more minutes. He never got the chance.

By the time the slide stopped, “I couldn't move a finger,” he said.

“I mean, I couldn't move anything.”

His airway was completely filled with snow...more