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(CNN) – Less than a minute after rolling down the slopes of Colorado’s backcountry, a snowboarder was swept away by an avalanche.
Maurice Kervin was snowboarding on Jan.8 at No Name Peak near Loveland Pass in Summit County when he turned to see the snow coming for him, he said.
“I was in awe of his size and very grateful to be alive, honestly, or not buried, not fatally injured,” Kervin told CNN. “The magnitude of that was certainly enough to bury you, maim you or maybe kill you. It was very intense.”
Avalanches are unpredictable and dangerous, and not all stories have a good ending like Kervin’s.
‘Shot cracks’ formed like cobwebs in the snow
Kervin said he realized something was wrong when he saw “gun cracks” under him.
“Snow breaks into blocks, basically, and it’s like pulling cracks or cobwebs in front of you in the snow as it breaks,” he says.
As the snow began to drag him down, Kervin said he used his backpack, fitted with an airbag, to keep it above the snow.
The air hissed, looking like a lot of air pressure released at the same time, as heard in the video. Snow rushed over him and around him as he tumbled about 1,000 feet.
“I dropped my ax and camera that was in my back hand and pulled my airbag, which helped me float above the snow,” Kervin said. “I was able to put my feet on top of the snow after coming down from a small cliff and floating above the snow until I came to a stop.
Once he stopped, the world was “still moving around me,” he said. “It was very surreal at the time.”
“I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m fine. I’m clean. I’m safe. I’m safe,” Kervin said in the video once he was resting.
Kervin, a cryptocurrency investor and amateur snowboarder, said he knew the conditions for a risky race, but said he spent time checking snow conditions as he and a buddy hiked three kilometers to the top. They felt confident to race.
“As anyone who’s ever been caught in an avalanche could tell, we thought we were in the clear and so we decided it was an attempt, and it clearly wasn’t,” a- he declared.
Kervin called 911 and learned that a search and rescue operation had already started, he said.
90% of avalanches are man-made
Two people were caught in avalanches that day and both were triggered by humans, CAIC director Ethan Greene told CNN. Kervin started one of them, he said.
“About 90% of the accidents we have happen when someone dies or someone from their party sets off the avalanche, rather than a natural avalanche hitting someone,” he said.
It is quite common for a human to trigger an avalanche. Colorado has experienced above-average avalanche counts so far this year, Greene said.
CAIC has recorded 259 avalanches in Colorado so far this year on Saturday night, Greene said.
“In Colorado, we get about 4,000 avalanches a year. Getting almost 300 in a few weeks is a lot but not unusual,” he said. “Due to the snowpack this year we have seen more man-made avalanches than usual.”
Greene said it was easy to trigger an avalanche, but it was possible to avoid areas that could be dangerous. It just takes a little training and planning.
“What I want to tell people is what they should do is check the forecast before they go into the backcountry, so they can make a plan for the day that fits. on the terms, “he said. “Getting a little training can also save their lives.”
“Once the snow goes through an avalanche it becomes very hard, almost like concrete,” he said. “You won’t be able to dig yourself. The snow is so hard that you’re going to need someone else’s help.”
Kervin, who has been skiing since the age of 4 or 5, suggests that you go with a partner or a group of people when you ski.
He hopes people see what happened in his video and get the proper education, equipment and people before heading to the backcountry, he said.
“I will not tolerate anyone who tries to go and do what I did. It is my personal choice,” he said. “Be safe in the backcountry and understand the risk assessment and your position.”
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