Rescue officials in B.C. are praising a group of skiers for saving a backcountry skier that was swept off a cliff and buried in an avalanche.
Julian Stoddart and a group of friends were skiing on Hollyburn Mountain on Saturday, located just north of Vancouver, when they spotted a man digging near a pile of debris.
It turns out the man was working to unearth his 67-year-old companion, who was buried in two metres of snow.
The trapped skier had been caught in an avalanche while crossing a slope, which carried him 120 metres and sent him tumbling over a 60-metre cliff.
"At first it's kind of confusing when you see a scene like that, because it's not every day we actually see or stumble upon an avalanche," said Stoddart.
The group quickly pitched in, using shovels to enlarge a hole the buried skier's partner had dug, eventually freeing the man.
The group used their camp stoves to warm water, placed it in bottles and held them against the victim to warm him. They also cut down tree boughs and used their excess clothing to create an area for the man to lie in and keep warm.
"I really credit those guys with saving this man's life," Mike Danks, North Shore Search and Rescue's leader, said. "They were very experienced backcountry skiers with a wealth of equipment. They made the day."
The buried skier suffered a pelvic and leg fracture, but is expected to recover.
Despite the praise, the rescuers are downplaying down their actions.
"We were really fortunate," said Stoddart. "Luck was the number one factor here."
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
