Snowboarder Reunites with 'Brother' Who Dug Him Out of Snow-Filled Tree Well: 'Thanks for Saving My Life'
"It was complete chance I came across him," said Francis Zuber, who happened to see Ian Steger's snowboard poking out of the snow while skiing on Mt. Baker
A snowboarder had a near-death experience after getting buried by snow in a remote area of a Washington state mountain. Fortunately, a stranger who was just passing by happened to see his board popping out of the snow and began digging him out.
Ian Steger, a snowboarder from Washington state, was skiing with friends on Mt. Baker last month when he ran into trouble, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Company.
Although he's an experienced rider and knew the area well, he fell backward into a tree well during his ride and got buried, reported ABC affiliate KOMO-TV.
"What happened is when we went into the trees they were so narrow that we all found our own avenues and lanes. The one I chose happened to be the one that had a big tree well in it, a hole that I fell into," Steger told the outlet.
He went on to say that he knew he was in danger "because my friends were below me" and although he could hear them trying to reach him via radio, he was unable to respond.
"I was gonna die on my own mountain in an area I've ridden hundreds of times," he called thinking at the time.
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Fortunately, a passing skier came to the rescue.
Francis Zuber told the CBC that as he was heading down the mountain he noticed a pop of red out of the corner of his eye, which turned out to be part of Steger's snowboard.
Rescue footage captured by Zuber shows him using his skis to reach the snowboarder before digging through the snow to help him, uncovering an arm, then another hand, and finally, the man's face.
After making sure the snowboarder was able to breath, Zuber began assembling a shovel to dig him out fully.
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Zuber said that he believes Steger may have only had a few moments left before he arrived.
"We figure [he was buried] somewhere between five and seven minutes, he was probably at either a third or just the halfway point of his possible survival time in there," Zuber told the CBC.
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The skier also said that what happened is an apt reminder of the importance of getting trained in avalanche hazard management.
"The mountains don't care how much skill or experience you have. They don't even care if you and your ski partners are doing everything right," he wrote on Instagram alongside footage from the rescue. "I'm thankful I knew just enough to scrape by and perform a successful rescue."
In a follow-up comment he explained that the snowboarder's friends, all of whom are "very experienced riders," had all the safety gear they needed.
"They took a route through the trees, planning to meet up on the other side, something we've all done countless times," he wrote. "It was complete chance I came across him."
Since the dramatic rescue, Zuber and Steger have become friends and even returned to Mt. Baker, per the CBC.
Over the weekend, Steger shared a smiling photo of the pair, writing that he felt "grateful to be back on the mountain and to get a day in with my new brother @franciszuber."
"There are no words to express the gratitude," he added. "Thanks for saving my life."
In a comment of his own, Zuber wrote that this was just the beginning: "Excited for many more shred days."
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