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Show could not expand, making only shallow breathing possible. He could tell his relative position and was aware that one ski tip was possibly out of the snow. After about two minutes, though still rational and almost detached, D. S. began to lose consciousness. Very aware that he might not live through the experience, he later recalled that his strongest emotion was anger at himself for getting in such a predicament. He remembered deciding that he might use less oxygen if he let himself pass out, and he then stopped trying to remain conscious. RESCUE R. P., the patrolman, kept his position until the slide stopped. As it slowed to a halt, he skied the slide path, searching for any indication of D. S.' s position. One of the instructors skied directly to the lower terminal, where he reported the slide and asked for men, shovels, and the avalanche cache. The second instructor, who had been about one hundred feet below R. P., skied down the ridge in the timber; he began searching in the slide tail. The second patrolman was temporarily stranded because of a ski binding problem. After searching for a short time, R. P. saw a ski tip in the slide. Both he and the ski instructor began digging with their hands and skis. D. S. became aware of people above him and heard the digging. He was conscious when the two men reached his hands and his face; he heard some one say, " He's alive!" D. S. was found laying on his back with his hands ten inches above his face. One ski pole was broken off below the grip. One of the victim's metal skis was broken off behind the heel. The two men checked D. S. for injuries and wrapped him in parkas to get the skier warm. The second instructor, on his way to the area with additional equipment, learned that D. S. had been found. On hearing that, he started back for a toboggan. Noting that others were organizing a search party, he called by phone to the lower lift terminal to report that D. S. was safe. As the victim wanted to walk around in order to get some circulation, rescuers helped him walk out of the trees to rendezvous with the toboggan. D. S. was later checked by a doctor, who found that his injuries were limited to a badly bruised leg and internal bleeding. COMMENTS Test and protective skiing can be a risky business. To be done safely, precautions have to be strictly observed. This was a group of experienced ski patrolmen who did most of the job right, but not all of it. Because they did err in some respects, an accident occurred. Because they reacted quickly and correctly, a possible fatality was averted. Tests of snow conditions prior to the accident warned of instability. Any avalanche slope had to be approached with caution. The gravest mistake was for D. S. to enter a slope where there was a chance for a slab to release above him. Fortunately his companions were safely disposed on the slope and watching him. They found him quickly in debris, thanks to a protruding 95 |
