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Watch: Snowboarder Cheats Death in Mount Washington Avalanche

Published 03/05/2023, 9:53 AM EST

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Snow avalanches on gigantic mountains are nothing less scary than massive waves in the sea. If it sounds unbelievable, recently, a person named R.J. Phipps witnessed a life-threatening avalanche in Tuckerman Ravine that he captured on camera. He saw the accident, where a snowboarder nearly escaped death as he moved down the slope. 

Phipps posted the video on YouTube and explained the situation he witnessed. Moreover, he also clarified what happened to the two people out there. Let us have a look at how things wrapped up in Mount Washington that day.

What happened to the snowboarder caught in an avalanche?

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As winter arrived, Phipps and his family went on the first winter trip to Tuckerman Ravine. Phipps expected to watch something epic as he traveled to Tuckerman Ravine with his family to check out backcountry skiers. And guess what? He exactly got to see something exhilarating within five minutes of reaching the place. As he reached the site, he saw a snowboarder descending the slope.

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Everything was going smoothly and was on the right side of heaven. However, when a few seconds later, a skier came down skiing and took a curve, he unknowingly disturbed the slope and caused an avalanche. Although the skier was able to come through, the avalanche caused a snowboarder to roll down the slope Luckily, besides falling into such a dangerous avalanche, the snowboarder managed to survive without any injury.

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While talking with CBS News, Phipps revealed“When he was coming down, my only thought was to keep an eye on him. If he was to be buried, where was the last place I saw him so we had a starting point if we had to initiate a rescue.”

Read More | “They’re Dangerous”: Resurfaced Video Shows People Terrified of Snowboarding Long Before It Became an Olympic Sport

As reported by CBS News, the acting director of the Mount Washington Avalanche Center, Jeff Fongemie, expressed his views on the matter. According to Fongemie, December to May is the high time when avalanches are generally predicted in the White Mountain National Forest. Although mostly they do not cause massive injuries or life-threatening events. He said, “This one had the potential to ‘easily bury and kill a person.'” He continued, “It was just luck. Once you are engulfed in that, there is not a lot you can do to control your destiny. You just hope for the best.” 

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Despite being stuck in a massive avalanche that ended up hundreds of feet down from where it began. The snowboarder nearly escaped a horrible accident that might have cost him his life. 

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Written by:

Kaivalya R Pillai

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Dr. Kaivalya R Pillai is a US Sports author working at EssentiallySports. An accomplished academician, he recently completed his doctorate degree in pharmacy.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra