[v1r]

"Tree well rescue in the Mt. Baker side country. I was skiing a zone with a partner when I passed by a snowboarder upside-down and buried in a tree well. I only caught a glimpse of his board but it was enough to get my attention.

The boarder was with a group of three other riders, all very experienced and carrying beacon, shovel, probe, and walkies."

[kbt3168]

Incredible video! He clearly saved his life.

[GODREKR]

That guy was buried in deep. This guy is a damn hero. Good catch since he basically rode right over him.

[kellyhound]

A Washington state snowboarder is recounting the moment he was rescued by a skier after he fell into a tree well while snowboarding near Mt. Baker earlier this winter.

Ian Steger said he was out with a group of friends in the backcountry near Mt. Baker snowboarding in an area where he'd been hundreds of times when the worst happened. He fell backward into a tree well, he couldn't free himself and his friends couldn't find him.

"At that point, I realized I was in a lot of trouble because my friends were below me," Steger said.

The area where Steger and his friends were snowboarding was through a tight group of trees. "What happened is when we went into the trees they were so narrow that we all found our own avenues and lanes. The one I chose happened to be the one that had a big tree well in it, a hole that I fell into," said Steger.

He said he realized he was in trouble when his friends started calling him on his radio but he couldn't reach the radio. He tried to move out of the tree well but said it just made it worse.

"I was gonna die on my own mountain in an area I’ve ridden hundreds of times," Steger said.

A few minutes later, someone grabbed Steger's snowboard.

Francis Zuber was also skiing in the area with friends when he almost skied past Steger.

Steger estimates there was about 40 inches of snow on the ground at that time.

Steger's experience is a good reminder of what to do when out in the backcountry. Zuber saved his life by doing the right thing. He saw a snowboarder's board sticking out of the snow and used his avalanche rescue training to properly dig toward Steger's head and clear his airway.

"If you have proper training it’s a rule - if you see a part of a glove or goggles or board or skis never assume it's a lost piece of clothing or equipment, always assume someone is attached to it," Steger said.

If you're going to be in the backcountry it is important to always be prepared. The Northwest Avalanche Center advises carrying a shovel and an avalanche transceiver, or beacon, which transmits frequencies and can help your teammates find you.

Stay with your team or partners and also always make sure to check the avalanche forecast.

[Mr.NoCredit]

One in a million he was found… super cool video find!

[Yanni]

i skied mt.baker once.
stayed on the groomed runs, tho.

[durt]

You would fucking hang there till spring, and they'd find you by the smell!

[Yanni]

Originally Posted by durt ↗

You would fucking hang there till spring, and they'd find you by the smell!

after the snow melted, he'd have been 40 feet up in the tree

[houseoftechno]

That was some sweet deep snow. Wow. I only know eastern ice.