Kahlynn and Evan Huck, from San Francisco, were on their first run of their snowboarding trip at Squaw Valley Friday when the avalanche struck
A couple who were snowboarding together in California on Friday were nearly killed when an avalanche buried them in feet of snow.
Kahlynn and Evan Huck, from San Francisco, were on their first run of their snowboarding trip at Squaw Valley Friday when the avalanche hit them ‘like a tsunami.’
And while Kahlynn was able to dig herself out of the snow, her husband was less lucky and only survived because rescuers were able to locate him and dig him out.
‘There was lots of fresh powder it was super fun, then I heard someone yell and I looked back and I saw an eight foot wall of snow, a second later it hit us,’ Evan told ABC 7.
‘I was conscious for about 45 seconds while I was under the snow then I ran out of oxygen and passed out.’
A video uploaded from the slopes shows the rescuers digging Evan out of the snow and uncovering his bearded face.
A video uploaded from the slopes shows the rescuers digging Evan out of the snow and uncovering his bearded face
‘There was lots of fresh powder it was super fun, then I heard someone yell and I looked back and I saw an eight foot wall of snow, a second later it hit us,’ Evan told ABC 7. Squaw Valley is pictured in a photo taken just hurs before Kahlynn and Evan’s near death experiences
Kahlynn was also buried by the snow, but managed to dig herself out relatively quickly.
‘I was inconsolable wondering if my husband was gone,’ she said.
The tip of Evan’s snowboard was sticking out of the snow, though, which made the location he was buried easy to spot.
A group of good Samaritans helped to dig him out of the snow and regain his consciousness.
In a video of the rescue people wearing head-to-toe ski gear can be seen bent over the spot where he is buried, furiously digging at the snow to free him.
Skier Joe Breault was one of his rescuers, and said that the moment Evan gained consciousness he asked about where his wife was.
Somehow, neither Evan nor Kahlynn were injured.
The good Samaritans managed to spot that Evan’s snowboard was slightly sticking out of the snow, which made him easy to spot
Friday afternoon’s avalanche was just one in a string of avalanches from a freak storm that dropped an estimated six feet of snow in areas across the state.
Blake Smith, 36, is the second snowboarder to die during the California snow storm this week. He died on Friday after falling into a 5-foot embankment
At least two people have died so far, and an additional two had to be taken to the hospital with injuries after being hit by the walls of snow.
Blake Smith died Friday when he was snowboarding in Fresno, California and fell headfirst into a five-foot embankment of fresh snow. He could not free himself and suffocated.
Another snowboarder was found dead Friday at Squaw Valley Ski Resort after he went missing Thursday afternoon.
Wenyu Zhang, 42, was described by his friends as an advanced snowboarder. His friends last saw him at 12.45pm on Thursday before his body was found Friday morning.
Zhang died in the blizzard from exposure, which had 150mph winds in areas across the mountain.
His body was found just hours before an avalanche occurred and shutdown the resort for the rest of the day.
Wenyu Zhang, 42, was the other snowboarder who died during the snow storm. He went missing on Thursday and his body was discovered on Friday morning
Some mountain resorts in California experienced three to six feet of snow during the storm. Pictured is Northstar California on Thursday
On Saturday another avalanche closed a popular ski destination because eight people were buried in the snow. Rescue crews searched the area for hours after the fact to make sure no one else was out and trapped, according to USA Today.
Two guests at Mammoth Mountain were partially buried but able to free themselves. The other six were all employees who were hit towards the bottom of the ski lift.
They were all able to free themselves and suffer minor injuries.
The resort is not aware of any other missing people.