Nature & Environment
Stuck in an Avalanche? Learn How to Swim to Safety
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 17, 2013 10:00 AM EDT
For those facing an avalanche, many will face a uncertain death. However, for some, they might see it as an opportunity to swim to safety.
According to The Discovery Channel, a British man who was descending Mount Blanc was caught in one.But, he used the thrashing motion as a way to swim out of harm's way.
"He was hit by the full force of the avalanche but instead of being buried he managed to swim it for 700 meters before coming to a stop," said police chief Delfino Viglione, of the Italian town of Aosta, told SkyNews. "The swimming action helped him stay near the surface of the snow and he was able to walk out of the avalanche."
A helicopter then airlifted him and his two climbing companions to a nearby hospital. Rescue teams said he suffered only cuts and bruises.
"We were a group of three and one of us got hit but myself and Misha didn't and are OK," one of the climbers, Ben Tibbets, told SkyNews. "The other guy is very, very fortunate. He didn't have an airbag on him as we were travelling light. He was carried quite a way down but he survived. He rode the avalanche, floated near the top and managed to walk away at the end of it. He's got a few bruises and is a bit shocked but otherwise OK."
According to the Los Angeles Times, forecaster John Snook said that if you find yourself in an avalanche without safety gear, the swimming technique can help you float on the snow.
But if you find yourself in an avalanche without safety gear, the swimming technique can help you "float" on the snow, avalanche forecaster John Snook told the Los Angeles Times.
"The climber who was caught in the avalanche survived but he was very, very lucky," Viglione said.
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First Posted: May 17, 2013 10:00 AM EDT
For those facing an avalanche, many will face a uncertain death. However, for some, they might see it as an opportunity to swim to safety.
According to The Discovery Channel, a British man who was descending Mount Blanc was caught in one.But, he used the thrashing motion as a way to swim out of harm's way.
"He was hit by the full force of the avalanche but instead of being buried he managed to swim it for 700 meters before coming to a stop," said police chief Delfino Viglione, of the Italian town of Aosta, told SkyNews. "The swimming action helped him stay near the surface of the snow and he was able to walk out of the avalanche."
A helicopter then airlifted him and his two climbing companions to a nearby hospital. Rescue teams said he suffered only cuts and bruises.
"We were a group of three and one of us got hit but myself and Misha didn't and are OK," one of the climbers, Ben Tibbets, told SkyNews. "The other guy is very, very fortunate. He didn't have an airbag on him as we were travelling light. He was carried quite a way down but he survived. He rode the avalanche, floated near the top and managed to walk away at the end of it. He's got a few bruises and is a bit shocked but otherwise OK."
According to the Los Angeles Times, forecaster John Snook said that if you find yourself in an avalanche without safety gear, the swimming technique can help you float on the snow.
But if you find yourself in an avalanche without safety gear, the swimming technique can help you "float" on the snow, avalanche forecaster John Snook told the Los Angeles Times.
"The climber who was caught in the avalanche survived but he was very, very lucky," Viglione said.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone