15 minutes to survive: the avalanche expert’s advice that could save your life – while record-breaking storms kill mountains

A 37-year-old avalanche forecaster lost his life last week when he accidentally caused the natural disaster that quickly engulfed him in several meters of snow.

Nicholas Burks caused a snow slide in Oregon while skiing down a backcountry mountain and could not be resuscitated when he was found.

Burks had all the recommended equipment and training, but a survival expert told DailyMail.com that the tragic death should not deter people from preparing for avalanches.

Chris Lundy, national avalanche specialist for DailyMail.com, who said someone caught in an avalanche has just 15 minutes to survive – and having the right tools is a matter of life and death.

“Once it starts, you have 15 minutes to survive,” Lundy said.

“The average funeral burial in the US is about three feet or so. It can take ten minutes to move that heavy, dense snow to dig them out.”

Most people will think to flee, but the flow of debris typically reaches speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, so specialists are urging people to cover their mouth and nose with their hands.

Your arms will be buried and motionless when extended, and your cupped hands provide a small air pocket for breathing, Lundy explained.

Although a deadly snow slide was impossible to predict, he said skiers should consult avalanche.org before venturing into the wild.

The website collects data from 22 regional centers across the US that provide snow slip forecasts so people know what to expect before booking a trip to the mountains.

Lundy explained that there are three main guidelines to follow when heading into the backcountry: gear up, training and forecasting.

However, Burks was well trained in the events and could predict when they would strike – but a predictable avalanche was not the cause of his life.

He and his friend William Sloop were skiing on Gunsight Mountain, near Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, on March 6.

As Burks descended the mountain, he caused an avalanche and snow overwhelmed the experienced backcountry skier coming down the slope.

A group of individuals at the nearby lodge spotted the avalanche and immediately alerted first responders as they quickly moved to the accident scene.

As they attempted to revive the forecaster, Burks eventually succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene.

It’s unknown what Burk’s friend was doing at the event, but it’s likely they had the equipment Lundy recommends for all backcountry skiers.

He told DailyMail.com that everyone should carry a beacon, shovel, probe and airbag backpack, while also noting that it would be wise to wear a helmet.

“On steep terrain, if you only expose one person at a time, there is someone else in a safe place to do a rescue,” Lundy said.

“There are things to do about the partner and the person in the avalanche. Both must shout ‘avalanche’ so that everyone is aware of this.

He then recommended deploying the airbag, which is essentially a large balloon that inflates when you pull a cord or handle.

The airbag inflates in about three seconds, elevating users and keeping them on the surface of the flowing snowpack.

But it’s not the device that keeps people on the surface; it uses the ‘reverse segregation’ of the law of physics.

Inverse segregation is the idea that larger objects tend to rise to the surface of a moving mixture of differently sized particles – as found in an avalanche.

While Lundy admitted he has the right equipment, he said the best thing winter sports enthusiasts can do is get out of the way of an avalanche.

“Try not to think too much because you probably have a split second to get off the slope,” he said.

‘If you do get caught in the snow, fight like hell. Try swimming or whatever to keep your head above water.’

The air and snowboard also act as anchors that pull you deeper into the snow — and Lundy said it was best to ditch the gear as quickly as possible.

The snow will pile up like concrete in a few seconds and if you get stuck in the natural disaster, you will be trapped.

‘At that point you can’t do anything anymore. Relax to conserve oxygen – if possible in the heat of battle,” Lundy explains.

Your survival depends on your partners. If you are buried alone, your chances of survival are very low.

‘That is why we encourage traveling with partners. Your partners will use a rescue beacon, shovel and probe to dig you out.”

The beacon or transceiver sends location signals to others, a shovel tests the snowpack or digs out the trapped person, and a thin, foldable pole to stick into the snow looking for someone buried.

Avalanche beacons are radio transceivers that indicate where you are and can be worn on the body.

The device emits a radio signal that can be picked up by other transceivers to locate your whereabouts.

If someone in your party is swept away, the folding stake lets you determine the depth at which he/she can be buried, and the shovel helps you dig him/her free.

Earlier this year, four skiers died in one of the disasters in Idaho.

Three were found alive and rescued that day, while the body of the third skier, Corey J. Zalewski, was found.

Janet He was among those who escaped with her life after being buried under the snowpack.

The unfortunate loss followed the first reported avalanche death of the year: a man was killed in an avalanche 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.

Three other skiers suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were released after initial treatment, according to the resort. Among them was a person who suffered a lower leg injury.

Another backcountry skier was killed the same month in Wyoming after triggering a 50-foot-wide avalanche in the mountains south of Alpine.

David Rice, 41, was buried about 15 minutes before he was found by his partner.

“Over the past decade, 244 people have been killed in avalanches in the U.S., and only three percent of those were in open, operational areas of ski areas,” said Ethan Greene, director of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

But he said it is impossible to eliminate them.

“We’re dealing with Mother Nature,” Greene continued.

‘We are dealing with a natural hazard in very complex systems in mountainous environments. We cannot completely eliminate the risk.”