Man injured after back country avalanche near Thredbo
Emergency crews have rescued a man and his wife who got into trouble in the Snowy Mountains back country. The snowboarders had been walking on a ridge when a slide buried the man.
Canberra Star
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A snowboarder has been injured after he was buried in an avalanche while scaling a ridge in the Snowy Mountains back country.
Police say the man was walking in snow shoes with his wife outside resort boundaries about an hour north west of Thredbo when the snow slipped under his feet and buried him.
He suffered a fractured ankle and with the help of his wife, managed to free himself from the avalanche and descend the ridge to safe ground.
She called triple-zero and emergency crews began a multi-agency search effort, using the pair’s coordinates to locate them.
They were met by Fire and Rescue NSW and taken to Thredbo Medical Centre by snowmobile where the man was treated and later released.
The incident prompted local police to remind thrillseekers to stay snow-safe over the winter following a spate of rescues in the alpine region this year.
“We’ve seen great snow falls over the past week, which means the snow is not hard-packed and there is an increased risk of avalanche,” Superintendent Paul Condon said.
“Even the most capable skiers and snowboarders can get caught out, so please be mindful of changing weather conditions.”
The man’s injury comes just days after a man and daughter from Sydney’s northern beaches had to be rescued after becoming stuck in deep snow.
The 45-year-old man and his 10-year-old daughter, of Mona Vale, became separated from their snowboarding group in back country just before 3pm on Monday.
Supt Condon said the pair had “drifted” off the course and outside the footprint of Thredbo Resort, about 2km from Alpine Way and 1km from the resort, before becoming stranded in deep powder.
The man called for help after his daughter became trapped up to her waist in snow, sparking a full scale search involving three specialist alpine rescue officers, national parks, ambulance, fire crews and the SES.
“The father contacted NSW Police but he only had one bar of battery left on his phone so we were unable to get his exact position, Supt Condon said.
“It was fast approaching dark … so there’s risks of hypothermia and there was also a risk to rescuers who are out there trying to find this girl and her father and make sure they came home safely.”
Supt Condon said that followed a “dangerous” rescue last Friday when police were called out at 4.30am in “blizzard conditions” to save a camper who had started to suffer from hypothermia after his tent collapsed in back country terrain.
“As a result of that, two of my alpine operators had to trek for five hours through white-out conditions, extreme conditions, to locate this person and get him back to safety,” he said.
“My police couldn’t see the hand in front of their faces and I was listening to that live at 5am and you could hear the stress in their voices and the severe conditions they were in.
“I was worried they can’t see what’s in front of them, they can’t see a cliff face or a hole that’s been burrowed out, these things (can) cause injuries.”
Police lost a snowmobile during the treacherous search.
On Saturday, a 68-year-old man from South Australia died after hitting a low hanging tree branch while skiing with friends at Thredbo.
“This person was an experienced skier and it was basically an accident, he was with a group that included doctors who tried to treat him at the scene and unfortunately he was deceased,” Supt Condon said.
He wanted the incidents to serve as a reminder to people to take care when heading to the snow.
“My advice is to be prepared, know your capabilities, tell people where you are going and how long you’re going for and making sure you’ve got, if you’re going back country, personal location beacons and a phone with enough battery life to last you your trip.
“People have to listen to NSW police, national parks and the media when they talk about hazardous conditions, weather conditions, snow conditions and road conditions.
“We’ve already seen a double fatality on the road on the snow this year.”
Supt Condon said he felt relieved every time his officers come “home in one piece” after “risking their lives” to rescue people at the Snowy Mountains.
“I stay awake at night when I get these calls worrying about my police and making sure they get home safely to their families,” he said.
“You have to remember these local police officers live in the community.
“Everyone in the community knows them and relies on them and their kids go to school and they work in the community.
“Last year we had 25 (rescues) over the year and this year we’re up to 15.
“We still have six weeks of the snow season and our rescues don’t stop when the snow season stops.”