A seasoned outdoorsman faced his worst nightmare when he was caught in a thunderous avalanche while skiing that sent him 600 feet down a tree-ridden slope.
Against all odds, Travis Halverson survived the Jan. 12 fall with the help of his girlfriend and his team, despite breaking 10 bones in his spine, ribs, sternum and jaw, Cowboy State Daily reported.
Halverson and his girlfriend decided to go skiing near the Wyoming-Idaho border that day even though conditions were considered high avalanche risk on the Idaho side of Teton Pass.
The two weren’t worried, since they had skied earlier in the week. There were also other vehicles parked at the trailhead, which made them think it was safe.
Halverson admitted after the fact that “they were just ignoring the warning signs.”
Travis Halverson said he was ‘very lucky to be alive’ after ski accident
Halverson and his girlfriend decided to go skiing near the Wyoming-Idaho border that day even though conditions were considered high avalanche risk on the Idaho side of the Teton Pass.
First responders used an inflatable sled to rescue Travis Halverson from a snowdrift after he likely triggered an avalanche.
Rescuers were unable to use a helicopter to save Halverson and had to walk a mile and a half up and down the mountain to get him out.
Halverson and his girlfriend ventured up a steeper, trailless slope, different from the groomed trail most skiers took.
To that end, Halverson and his girlfriend ventured up a steeper, trailless slope, different from the groomed trail most skiers took. That’s where your memory falters.
Halverson was found completely motionless without his helmet, goggles and skis and wrapped in an emergency blanket he was carrying with him that day. That blanket probably kept him from freezing to death.
He was grateful to the lifeguards and skiers passing by who helped him survive this near-death experience.
He said he was “very lucky to be alive.”
Since Halverson’s memory was cut off after the avalanche, his girlfriend was able to remember him skiing next to her and disappearing.
Fortunately, the pair had radios to communicate, and when Halverson couldn’t contact her at the end of the race, she located him.
In the photo: Travis Halverson and his girlfriend Lauren Gearhart.
Halverson doesn’t remember the avalanche, but he does have vague memories of being carried down the hill on the sled.
In the photo: The daredevil skiing couple on Mount Yeckel in Colorado.
Halverson’s girlfriend was the first to find him in the snow with no helmet, goggles or skis near him.
Halverson was found completely motionless and wrapped in an emergency blanket which likely prevented him from freezing to death.
The impressions her skis made in the snow led her to a giant pile of loose, churned-up snow, known as sludge. This was evidence of an avalanche.
After turning on her avalanche beacon, she found her boyfriend buried in the snow with his bright orange airbag inflating around him.
Skiers use airbags of this type to prevent them from being completely buried in the snow in the event of an avalanche.
“It could easily have been worse,” he said. “The helmet and airbag probably protected my head enough to get me through.”
His girlfriend made emergency calls to his satellite phone (essential for skiing in unusual terrain with poor service) and to his cell phone.
It took rescuers approximately five hours to reach Halverson and get him off the mountain.
Teton County Search and Rescue was unable to perform a helicopter rescue, so they had to walk a mile and a half uphill to his location and take him back on an inflatable sled.
Pictured: Halverson after his accident at the hospital.
Halverson has more than a decade of experience skiing off-piste.
Pictured: The Teton Range in Wyoming with peaks approaching 14,000 feet
Halverson, whose accomplishments include reaching the summit of Mount Denali in Alaska, has more than a decade of experience skiing off-piste, areas on the outskirts of ski resorts that have not been groomed or converted into an official trail.
This makes these areas much more dangerous and prone to avalanches, and Halverson explained that he gradually became comfortable with the risk of triggering a snowslide.
“The first time you do it you’re very aware of it and it probably affects you more,” Halverson told the local newspaper.
“Every time you do the same thing, you get more comfortable with that risk and you’re able to put it in the back of your mind a little bit more.”
Halverson is still recovering from serious injuries he suffered more than four months ago and even had the courage to ski on a backcountry slope early last week.
He plans to continue participating in this hobby he loves, but said he will be more aware of the risks in the future.
“Having to sit there without skiing gives you time to think about it a little bit better,” he told the local newspaper.