Adelaide man survives avalanche in Canada after backpack saves him
AN AUSTRALIAN snowboarder had a hair-rising moment when the ground beneath his feet gave way while skiing. A lucky break saved him.
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AN Adelaide man has told how an airbag he was given as an early birthday present helped him survive a terrifying avalanche while snowboarding in Canada.
On Thursday, Tom Oye, 29, posted incredible video footage on his Facebook page, showing the moment the snow beneath his snowboard cracked and quickly fell away as he was careening down a hillside in the ski resort town of Whistler.
The video, which Mr Oye captured as he snowboarded, has gone viral, racking up nearly five million views since it was posted to Facebook.
Speaking via Facebook Messenger from Canada, the former Golden Grove man told
Advertiser.com.au, said he was performing some “snowboard laps” in the Whistler’s back country when the avalanche hit.
“It had been pretty windy, which can elevate the dangers of avalanches in wind-loaded areas,” Mr Oye explained.
“I went to drop into a chute I was familiar with when the snow just dropped out from under me,” he said.
“I thought it wasn’t too-big-of-a-deal at the start, (because) it was all going so slowly, but after about a second I knew I could be in trouble.”
He credits an airbag backpack he was given as an early birthday present “from all of my amazing friends back home” for helping to save his life.
The sound of the airbag, which resembles that of a hairdryer, can be heard in the video as the avalanche hits.
“The idea is that it fills with air once you are caught in a slide to make you the biggest, lightest object and keep you on the surface.
“It deploys behind your head, and it was keeping my head above the surface as much as possible.”
“It for sure helped.”
Mr Oye said he posted the video for his friends, “as you always do”, but didn’t expect the footage would spark such as huge reaction.
“I spoke with my sister not long after it happened; she said everyone was kinda shaken by the footage, especially because no one in Australia has seen stuff like that before.
“But everyone was just glad I was ok.”
He says his near-death experience hasn’t made him wary of snowboarding again.
“It’s just a strong reminder that being out in the backcountry is no joke, and knowledge of the current snow conditions is king.”