A 19-year-old Indiana hiker was rescued Saturday after an avalanche triggered an avalanche that swept him at least 40 feet and trapped him on a Colorado mountain, officials said.
According to Grand County Search and Rescue (GCSR), the male hiker went off the road in deep snow on Mount Flora Road near Colorado Mines Peak, north of Berthoud Pass, when it began to slide.
Video of the hiker showed where he ended up after the slide carried him at least 40 feet, the agency said.
“He then walked down towards the highway,” rescue workers said.
‘MIRACLES ARE HERE’ PILOT SURVIVES MINOR ISSUE IN YATA CANYON, TRAVELS 6 MILES TO HELP: OFFICIALS
Rescuers reached the trapped tourist in about two hours.
(Grand County Search and Rescue)
According to the agency, the traveler called for help around 4:00 p.m. when he “finally realized he couldn’t get onto the highway.”
A crew of 13 responded to the call and met the traveler a few hours later. He was able to get out on his own with snowshoes provided by rescuers.
These images, taken from a video a hiker provided to authorities after the slide, show where he came to rest after the slide.
(Colorado Landslide Information Center)
NEW HAMPSHIRE SQUADERS FIND BODY OF YOUNG HIKER WHICH GOSES IN WHITE MOUNTAINS.
“We want to remind our readers that avalanche awareness and safety is not just for skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers,” GCSR wrote. “Hikers and snowshoers can also get caught, injured or killed because they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
These images, taken from a video the hiker provided to authorities, show him looking up and down the mountain where the avalanche took him.
(Colorado Landslide Information Center)
The Colorado Avalanche Information Center said the avalanche risk at the time of the slide was rated as “extreme.”
The tourist told the rescuers that the snow he was on at the time of the avalanche was hard and crusty, noting that there was a one-meter fracture line.