'I was gonna die on my own': Snowboarder recounts stranger rescuing him near Mt. Baker
WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — 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.
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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. Video from Zuber's GoPro camera shows him skiing between two trees when he practically skied over Steger's snowboard.
Zuber then pulled himself over to Steger and started digging.
"He’s yelling out asking if I’m okay, if I can hear him. I can’t see. I can’t hear or see anything," Steger said. "It wasn't until he got to my goggles and wiped my goggles that I realized how deep I was and how far away he was from me still."
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.
For more information on backcountry safety, visit the Northwest Avalanche Center's website.
