Skier falls 500 feet after getting stuck in an avalanche he triggered
Newsy
The New Hampshire skier suffered serious injuries to his leg after an avalanche carried him down a snowy summit.
A New Hampshire man suffered a life-threatening injury after getting stuck in an avalanche he triggered while skiing.
Dominick Torro was descending what's known as "Airplane Gully" on Mount Washington when he became caught in a 15-foot-wide hard slab avalanche, the peak's avalanche center said. These hard slabs tend to break above a person instead of at their feet and are typically so hard and dense that a finger can't be pushed into them.
Torro fell 500 vertical feet, releasing other small avalanches as he was carried, and came to a rest unburied but injured. He suffered an open fracture of his tibia and fibula, with Mount Washington Avalanche Center (MWAC) saying this was caused by his binding not releasing in the fall.
Mount Washington Avalanche Center
The 30-year-old's friend who he was skiing with, along with an unrelated solo skier were able to safely descend the summit to assist Torro, who had called 911. The two were able to control Torro's serious bleeding and keep him warm, while using medical training and supplies to stabilize him.
