Utah snowboarder caught in avalanche records video of harrowing 300-foot descent

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A snowboarder in Utah was caught in an avalanche on Sunday and recorded video of the slide sweeping him hundreds of feet down Big Cottonwood Canyon.

Blake Nielson shared the wild video as part of his report about the incident to the Utah Avalanche Center.

Nielson wrote that his group dropped into Greaseball Couloir, just north of the summit of Kessler Peak, with the plan of going down the Argenta run. He wrote that they tested the snow structure for stability on their way up to the peak and again at the summit when they observed windy conditions.

After finding no instabilities or shooting cracks, the snowboarder made his way down the run.

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“I descended first and dropped into the hanging bowl, after making a heel side turn, an isolated wind slab broke loose below and above me which knocked me off my feet and took me for a ride,” wrote Nielson.

Nielsen was swept up in the slide but was able to keep his body above the snow and radio his partner that he was sliding with the debris.

Snowboarder Blake Nielson said the slide swept him 300 feet down the slope before it continued on for another 1,000 feet.
(Utah Avalanche Center)

He wrote that he was able to stay above the snow and slow himself down by making swimming motions with his arms and kicking his board. 

The avalanche was triggered on the Argent run near Kessler Peak in Big Cottonwood Canyon. 
(Utah Avalanche Center)

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Nielsen said he was carried about 300 feet down the run as the slope debris continued for about 1,300 feet.

Nielson said he was able to keep most of his body above the sliding snow and radio his partner as the debris carried him down the run.
(Utah Avalanche Center)

He warned that those taking to the slopes should “respect the wind” and that “even a small ‘manageable’ wind pocket can break and carry you a long way in steep terrain with long runouts.”

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There were zero avalanche fatalities in Utah during the 2021-2022 season, according to the center, and 9 fatalities in the 2020-2021 season.