Silver Plume – A father and son were able to walk away after triggering an avalanche that buried both of them in the backcountry Sunday near Loveland Pass, Colorado Avalanche Information Center officials said.
An 18-year-old man and his father were glissading, or descending without skis, on a section at 12,200 feet about 12:30 p.m. when they triggered an avalanche that ran 300 vertical feet and was 200 feet wide, said Scott Toepfer, a forecaster with the avalanche center.
Stan and Mark Gingrich of Monument were hiking along the Continental Divide when they triggered the avalanche just south of Loveland Pass and north of the Arapahoe Basin ski area, in an area called the “ironing board” section.
Avalanche conditions for Sunday had indicated it was probable people could trigger an avalanche in the area.
Stan Gingrich was able to free his arm and dig himself out after several minutes. He then yelled for his son and heard the teen’s voice under the snow, allowing him to dig the teen out.
“I just remember myself just being inside the snow, just being tossed head over heels, and it felt like there were rocks just bouncing off my stomach and ribs. I think we’re just lucky to be alive,” the father told 9News.
Mark Gingrich recalled for 9News what it was like for the 20 minutes or so he was trapped: “I was just praying to God: I don’t want to die this way,” he said.
Stan Gingrich worked to get to his son.
“I dug myself out with just one hand; that’s all I had,” he told 9News. “It took me awhile, then I found him and dug him out.”
“This was a bit lucky,” Toepfer said. “Most of the time the snow kind of insulates noise from inside the snow. They did not have (avalanche) probes or beacons, so this was the only way he was going to find him.”
Both men received medical attention at the scene.
“They were checked out in an ambulance,” Toepfer said, “and everybody walked away – so incredibly lucky.”
