Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down ‘Airplane Gully’
- Dominic Torro, 30, was skiing Saturday morning when an avalanche rushed down the mountain
- His friend and another skier helped him until he was rescued at 3:19 p.m
- Torro was taken to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and reportedly suffered serious leg injuries
A New Hampshire man who caused an avalanche while skiing on Mount Washington is recovering in the hospital after suffering a life-threatening injury.
Dominic Torro, 30, was flying with a friend to Airplane Gully around 11:35 a.m. Saturday when the bizarre incident occurred, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department said.
Torro's friend and another skier helped him and called 911. At 3:19 p.m., the National Guard helicopter crew located the injured man and lowered a medic to reach him. He was then flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon.
His current condition is unknown, but he reportedly suffered a serious lower leg injury.
Torro is an avid skier who regularly posts his adventures on social media. He's also no stranger to “Airplane Gully,” as he posted a GoPro-filmed video of himself descending the steep mountain in 2022.
Dominic Torro, 30, suffered a serious injury after he was skiing in 'Airplane Gully' on Mount Washington in New Hampshire on Saturday morning when an avalanche struck
![Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down 'Airplane Gully' 2 Dominic Torro pictured with his girlfriend Veronica in December 2022](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702341771_855_Dominic-Torro-triggers-AVALANCHE-on-Mount-Washington-and-suffers-life-threatening.jpg)
Dominic Torro pictured with his girlfriend Veronica in December 2022
It is unclear what caused the weekend avalanche.
“Concerns about specific and necessary medical action rose to the level of a concerted call being made to a highly experienced backcountry paramedic to provide medical guidance to the two skiers who were rendering aid,” said Sgt. said Glen Lucas with the Fish and Game Department.
In the hours the skiers waited for the rescue team, they managed to shovel away a patch of snow on the side slope, giving paramedics enough room to rescue Torro.
Mount Washington is located in New Hampshire and, at an altitude of 2,000 meters, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States.
The big mountain is known for its sporadic weather conditions, but the Mount Washington Avalanche Center said it is “currently in a general advisory period” and “not yet in a daily 5-scale avalanche hazard rating.”
“No hazard rating does not mean there is no hazard,” the center added.
The name “Airplane Gully” came from a plane crash in 1959 when three AD-6 Skyraiders took off from Moffett Field on a training flight.
![Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down 'Airplane Gully' 4 Torro was rescued at 3:19 p.m. by the National Guard helicopter crew, who found him and lowered a medic to gain access to him. He was then flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dominic-Torro-triggers-AVALANCHE-on-Mount-Washington-and-suffers-life-threatening.jpeg)
Torro was rescued at 3:19 p.m. by the National Guard helicopter crew, who found him and lowered a medic to gain access to him. He was then flown to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center
![Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down 'Airplane Gully' 6 Torro is an avid skier who regularly posts his adventures on social media](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702341776_327_Dominic-Torro-triggers-AVALANCHE-on-Mount-Washington-and-suffers-life-threatening.jpeg)
Torro is an avid skier who regularly posts his adventures on social media
The trio of planes flew up the Yosemite Valley before climbing to the top of Tanaya Canyon.
Once they realized they had entered a “blind canyon,” each plane decided to make a 180-degree turn to the left.
The pilots of two of the scraped planes completed the turns. But one pilot hit the canyon wall with his right wing before the plane flew into a steep embankment and exploded.
The plane landed at the bottom of the trench and it was not until 1970 that the crews decided to remove the plane.
![Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down 'Airplane Gully' 8 Mount Washington is located in New Hampshire and, at 6,000 feet, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702341778_107_Dominic-Torro-triggers-AVALANCHE-on-Mount-Washington-and-suffers-life-threatening.jpeg)
Mount Washington is located in New Hampshire and, at 6,000 feet, is the highest peak in the northeastern United States
![Dominic Torro triggers AVALANCHE on Mount Washington and suffers life-threatening injury while skiing down 'Airplane Gully' 10 Torro's friend and the other skier who helped him decided to ski down the mountain on their own after he was rescued.](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702341780_580_Dominic-Torro-triggers-AVALANCHE-on-Mount-Washington-and-suffers-life-threatening.jpeg)
Torro's friend and the other skier who helped him decided to ski down the mountain on their own after he was rescued.
Torro's friend and the other skier who helped him decided to ski down the mountain on their own after he was rescued.
Officials said they reached their vehicles safely.
Avalanches are thick snow clouds that rush down from mountain peaks at extremely high speeds Mount Washington Avalanche Centeran average of 25 people per year 'need rescue assistance'.
“Remember, you determine your own level of risk by choosing when, how and where you travel in the mountains,” the center added.