Lucky to be alive and in the 28th percentile!

[bent wrench]

For those of you who haven't heard I was buried in an Avalanche on Saturday 4-3-10 over by Stampede Pass. I was under the snow for only a couple minutes before I was dug out by Jason and John from Pierrie's Polaris, Jim Sternod and several others that I can't remember but am glad that they were there to help. The snow was wet and heavy and I ended up buried head first down hill with one of my legs out of the snow. The snow crushed my chest and I had/have a pulmonary contusion. One of the blood vessels in my left lung ruptured and I was coughing up some blood. I was able to ride out 10 miles to the truck, where my dad drove me straight to Overlake Hospital. In hind site we should have had an ambulance meet us at the freeway and do the transport. When I got to the ER I was really low on Oxygen in my blood about 50%. I had X-rays done and it showed both lungs being bruised and my heart was also bruised. I was in the hospital until Monday 4-5-10. I am on Oxygen at least for a week while my lungs repair themselves. My heart is good and I will recover completely. I am so lucky to still be alive and am forever in the debt of those who saved me. I went out with a plan to only ride in the trees and I didn’t follow it. That will never happen again. Always stick to your plan! I am very fortunate that everyone I ride with wears beacons and carries the proper gear. I am already looking at the options I have for an airbag type pack or vest. Not that I want to put myself in danger again but I never want to be buried under the snow like that. Chris Fadden, Monroe WA

 

[CatWoman]

Chris,

Thank you VERY much for sharing your experience with us. I'm sure it had to be scary as heck! I'm glad you are alive and still with us (and not hurt worse).......and that you shared that you didn't stick to your plan. That can only help others, and we all need to help each other.

Thanks to your friends for their quick reaction and recovery of you!

Sandy

 

[Pastor]

I am so glad to hear about your rescue.

 

[SnowBigDeal]

Thanks for sharing! Glad everything turned out for the better. Too many stories on here lately of people not so lucky.

 

[XXL]

I am glad it all worked out for you, I am a little claustrophobic and I can't imagine being buried. I triggered a little slide last year, never again for me!!!!!

 

[Scott]

Wow, Chris, that is a crazy story. Holy cow, you are a lucky man.
50% is LOW!!!!!!!!!! I hope you heal soon.
Good lesson for everyone right now with this snow and weather that is hitting us.

WOW!!!!!

--Scott

 

[christopher]

For those of you who haven't heard I was buried in an Avalanche on Saturday 4-3-10 over by Stampede Pass.

Seems like you and I both had a little more excitement that we had planned for over the Easter Weekend.

Glad everything worked out for ya, and your buddies were there to lend a fast hand in a bad situation.

 

[Tec]

For those of you who haven't heard I was buried in an Avalanche on Saturday 4-3-10 over by Stampede Pass. I was under the snow for only a couple minutes before I was dug out by Jason and John from Pierrie's Polaris, Jim Sternod and several others that I can't remember but am glad that they were there to help. The snow was wet and heavy and I ended up buried head first down hill with one of my legs out of the snow. The snow crushed my chest and I had/have a pulmonary contusion. One of the blood vessels in my left lung ruptured and I was coughing up some blood. I was able to ride out 10 miles to the truck, where my dad drove me straight to Overlake Hospital. In hind site we should have had an ambulance meet us at the freeway and do the transport. When I got to the ER I was really low on Oxygen in my blood about 50%. I had X-rays done and it showed both lungs being bruised and my heart was also bruised. I was in the hospital until Monday 4-5-10. I am on Oxygen at least for a week while my lungs repair themselves. My heart is good and I will recover completely. I am so lucky to still be alive and am forever in the debt of those who saved me. I went out with a plan to only ride in the trees and I didn’t follow it. That will never happen again. Always stick to your plan! I am very fortunate that everyone I ride with wears beacons and carries the proper gear. I am already looking at the options I have for an airbag type pack or vest. Not that I want to put myself in danger again but I never want to be buried under the snow like that. Chris Fadden, Monroe WA

Chris,

Thank you for sharing your story! It makes me smile knowing your respectful and responsible enough to ride with guy that have avy gear and know how to use it. It saved your life, and you'll ride another day!

 

[CB.8]

Glad to hear you are OK! I had some freinds that were not so lucky in McCall last week. Two of them died.

Saturday I placed an order with SnowBigDeal for a Float 30. I hope it is the best $500 that I never need.

Rob

 

[captain x]

Chris

Thanks for shareing.......I bet we can all relate to what you had..."a plan".....stay in the trees....etc....then we are tempted.....It is nice to hear your storey.....bc...as we all know not everyone gets out to tell their story.......becuase of storys like this......I am already shopping for my son's 2010 X-mas gift......beacons (for sure) and a bag......he is 19 with much BIGGER #$#% than me.....makes me proud to see him hit the hill and watch him climb and play.....but I would not be too proud if I lost him......my favorite riding partner.....next to my daughter .... doing something that I introduced him to and bc of that he loves the sport as much as me....

WHAT ARE THE BEST BAGS TO GET?......I WAS TOLD THAT THE "ABS" BAGS WILL NOT BE FOR SALE NEXT YEAR.....IS THIS TRUE?

WHAT IS THE BEST BAG and BEACONS FOR THE $$$$

THANKS EVERYONE FOR YOU INPUT....BTW...."CatWoman".....WHAT IS YOUR INPUT ON THESE QUESTIONS?

THANKS

AL

 

[Fireman35]

Thanks for sharing with us. I cant imagine being stuck like that head down not being able to move. Glad to hear it all turned out for you, hope everything heals up fine.

 

[SnowBigDeal]

WHAT ARE THE BEST BAGS TO GET?......I WAS TOLD THAT THE "ABS" BAGS WILL NOT BE FOR SALE NEXT YEAR.....IS THIS TRUE?

WHAT IS THE BEST BAG and BEACONS FOR THE $$$$

The ABS Airbags will still be for sale next year; however, KLIM will not be selling them as they have been the past 2-3 years. SnowBigDeal will continue to sell and support ABS airbags as we have been since 2004.

The best airbag? The physics of an avalanche are the same no matter which airbag you use. If you increase your volume, you will have a better chance of being on top of the avalanche. The features of the airbags is what makes each one different. ABS has two airbags. SnowPulse has a single airbag that wraps around your head. BCA has a single airbag and offered at a good price point. ABS uses nitrogen canister, BCA and SnowPulse use compressed air. Both have their pros & cons.

Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

 

[imdoo'n]

snowbigdeal, this may be the best post i've seen on air bags, no bashing, just good info, anyone contemplating a purchase of air bag would definitely do themselves a favor by contacting you. I will definitely give your name out, to anyone who asks. again cudos to you

 

[CoyoteGirl]

Dannnnnnnng.

This is a good story for peeps to read as in is shows that DEATH isn't the only complication of an avy. You can also get beat up pretty good too. Thank you for sharing.

And glad you are still here to share!

 

[ruffryder]

Holy crap, Stampede Pass?? My neck of the woods.

You mind giving some information about the where?

Sorry to here your story, but glad you made it out alive. Take care and heal up!!

 

[bent wrench]

Thanks

Thanks for all of the notes everyone. I'm feeling really well today and still having a tear or two when I think about how close I was to dying. This was way to close of a "near death experience" than I ever want to repeat.

I have been riding for almost 20 years, I lost my best friend in an avalanche March 6, 2004. I thought I had been more careful after that, I had a beacon, 2 shovels a probe and a pack. I always checked the Avy Forecast and stuck to my plan.

What I am saying is we are human we let our guard down, we are snowmobilers, we love the thrill, but things like this reground us and make us realize the dangers once again.

 

[skibreeze]

Glad to hear that you are feeling better today. Were you wearing any type of tec vest?

 

[retiredpop]

Thanks for sharing your story Chris and I am glad you survived with no long term effects. We read all the write ups about avalanche transceivers , air bags and other avalanche rescue equipment and we sort of get the notion in our heads that we will survive an avalanche if we have all the gear and are dug out in time. I know it is wrong to think that and is not what we are taught in the avalanche courses but our brain makes us not want to deal with the fact that we may suffer fatal trauma because of the physical force of the avalanche itself. Thank you for bringing that point up in your post.

 

[bent wrench]

Glad to hear that you are feeling better today. Were you wearing any type of tec vest?

I wasn't wearing any protective gear/pads.

 

[skibreeze]

I bought beacons and probes after a friend got partially buried. I got my tec vest after taking a couple bad hits to the bars. Since then I am not waiting to have a bad experience. I now ride with knee/shin guards, and got an ABS pack last year just in case I manage to set off a slide again. Hopefully people will be more proactive about avy safety than I was when I first started riding, I'm lucky to still be here. I can thank snowest for opening my eyes.