A Minnesota man received a dislocated shoulder but survived being buried by an avalanche today on Gravel Mountain — in the Arapaho National Forest near the town of Grand Lake.
Shannon Christensen, 31, of Kasson, Minn., was in a popular snowmobiling area around 11 a.m. when an avalanche about 150 yards wide came down on top of him, Grand County Undersheriff Walt Eldridge said.
Four other snowmobilers from the Parker and Broomfield areas saw the slide and rushed to dig Christensen out. They quickly found him under about 3 feet of snow, Eldridge said.
He was buried for about five minutes and was unconscious when they pulled him out. Rescuers worked to warm him, and he eventually regained consciousness, Eldridge said.
Christensen was taken to a local clinic to be checked and treated for his shoulder injury.
Manny Gonzales: 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com
