A few weeks ago, a group of expert skiers got caught in an avalanche out-of-bounds at Stevens Pass in Washington. Three died. Freeskier Elyse Saugstad survived the slide thanks to her airbag backpack, a product which is now flying off the shelves at outdoor sporting goods stores. Here Elyse talks about what happened and why she always wears an airbag.
A: Can you describe, minute by minute, what you saw and heard during the Stevens Pass avalanche? And how you knew when to use the airbag?
ES: With regard to myself, I noticed the avalanche coming from the trees above, and within probably two seconds I found myself getting caught. My buddy to my right screamed at me, “Avalanche, Elyse, avalanche!” which also helped trigger my brain that this was serious. Within about two seconds of realizing I was being pulled in I pulled my ABS trigger.
"Now, more than ever, the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth: more connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis the wise build bridges, while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way to look after one another as if we were one single tribe.” -King T'Challa, Black Panther
The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it. ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. ~Winston Churchill
