Posted on 03/08/2021 12:33:05 AM PST by nickcarraway
A California skier has a harrowing tale to tell after surviving an avalanche.
Kyle Johnston was on a regular backcountry outing last month in the Tahoe region, where avalanches are common.
“We have been in these mountains and these zones dozens of times,” Johnston said, referring to the mountains near the Blue Lakes, just south of Lake Tahoe.
But the Friday that kicked off President’s Day weekend was different.
“Started with some familiar terrain and tested the snow, and we were feeling good about it,” Johnson recalled.
But that quickly changed for the 34-year-old skier.
“Due to the way the avalanche broke, it broke above me and not below me. I just got really lucky, simply put. Where it was taking me, if I had gone with it, was taking me to where I felt a really bad outcome,” Johnson said.
Instead, Johnson jumped off a 100-foot cliff.
“Once I landed, I knocked out and was unconscious. Then I got buried by all the snow that was behind,” Johnson explained.
He was buried for five minutes, and it could have been longer if not for the help of his cousin.
“He, thankfully, was able to find my hand that was sticking out, but I wasn’t completely buried,” he said.
Johnson suffered a punctured lung, concussion, five broken vertebrae, several broken ribs and a minor brain bleed. He was flown in a helicopter to the hospital, where he spent 12 days.
“I got really lucky. I don’t know how to say it,” Johnson said.
Is the wall holding up this bridge leaning? NC says it’s just an ‘illusion’ Johnson, an experienced skier, said he is grateful he lived and cautions people about backcountry skiing.
“Having the skills, knowing where you are at, knowing how to be prepared and plan for the worst. Simply put, my cousin being prepared and his knowledge and experience in the mountains saved my life,” Johnson said. “The mountains, they are not forgiving sometimes, but I was lucky that they were very forgiving for me.”
Johnson said it will take some time, but he plans to return to backcountry skiing once he makes a full recovery.
Wow! Thank goodness his cousin (?) was there.
And I really hope that the thread doesn’t devolve into a “yet another thrill-seeker” who costs the taxpayers money thread.
I agree that there are people who test Mother Nature.
But Americans are like that. We take on a challenge. We wouldn’t be a country if we weren’t.
I admire the guy’s courage.
I root for their demise. That goes for the guys who drag Sherpas up to mountain tops, sailors who set off on open ocean crossings in tiny ill equipped boats, base jumpers and all the rest.
And, If someone made me king I would make every one of the egoists pay every dime it costs to rescue them and make them criminally responsible for the death or injury of every rescuer.
Loser pays all. Same with frivolous law suits. Want to sue someone because their coffees too hot? Fine. Lose, and you pay all damages, fees and court costs.
The woman who sued McDonald’s because her coffee was too hot made a bundle......
When you buy coffee ANYWHERE, no one expects you to put the hot coffee between your legs....which is where she got burned.
Adrenaline junkies are bored white people; they are no longer challenged seeking food, clothing, and shelter, so they have to do stupid sh!t to feel alive.
If you read the extent of that woman’s injuries, you might feel differently. I think the coffee was much hotter than necessary. Spilling it on herself was her own fault; I doubt she’ll have a normal life no matter how much you give her.
Some areas already have policies to charge these people for the rescues.
I skied out in Tahoe one year but I’m unfamiliar with the term “back country”. I’m assuming it’s just mountainous wilderness not associated with any of the numerous resorts out there or could it be the out of bounds areas that resorts clearly mark and warn against entering?
Jamie Pierre, a skier famous for jumping off a 255’ cliff (and surviving), died in an avalanche at the Snowbird ski resort in Utah in 2011. But he was skiing before they had actually opened for the season, so there was no avalanche control. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes (he had two young children).
Is good to find someone who didnt swallow the whole mcdonalds hot coffee story and actually did some digging. Its not at all a black and white case, right or wrong, it’s convuluted, Mcdonalds didnt want to set a precedent with one person suing and winning for damages..all she wanted was bospital costs. 30k?? Id suggest people look it up before they throw around the bs the msm fed them.
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First responders make the same sort of decisions as those they try to rescue. Should nobody ever do anything dangerous or risky?
Not in any world I want to live in - God gave us FRee Will and namby-pambies want to impose their will over us to “fill the gap.
I’m glad that you got to express your (correct) opinion before all the Karen’s and Fearpers got on.
What a bunch of sissies we’ve become when supposed conservatives on a conservative site whine and cry about people pushing the limits for adventure and wish for their deaths.
Flame away Karen’s
Ironically she only asked that McDonalds cover her medical costs (which were over $100,000). McDonalds countered with an offer of $800. Only then is when she went to a lawyer.
But yes, her injuries were horrific. Close to 20% of her body suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns and a lot of skin grafting was involved (not a pleasant thing).
Bottom line is that the woman was originally just looking to have her medical costs covered. She was not looking for McDonalds to give her a million dollar windfall as others like to assume.
As it turned out, the award was eventually reduced to $500,000 and when the lawyers got done taking their cut, her eventual payout was much less. But that didn't stop the media from Richard Jewelling her.
It was a bit harrowing getting back to my car and I could easily have died of exposure out there had I not kept my senses about me and it didn't hurt to have a compass either. I knew I had to head in an easterly direction to find the remote north-south road that I parked on. Eventually I found the road but then didn't know if I was north or south of the trailhead where my car was parked. I guessed that I was south of my car and headed north. I guessed right which is a good thing because fatigue and frostbite were starting to set in.
Whenever I tell the story, people tell me how stupid I am for hiking in the woods by myself in the first place. But I do it all the time. Hiking is not as enjoyable for me when I have other companions to worry about (and slow me down). It's where I find my peace and serenity. In that case however, I almost found it on a permanent basis! And it would have been my fault and my fault alone.
Another thing I like doing is deep water swimming. At a lake, I'll be the guy who will want to swim to the other side. I won't do it if motorboats are in the water because I agree that would be very stupid but I otherwise have no fear in deep water over my head - others still call me crazy and reckless.
So hiking and swimming are how I take my risks. I don't like anything that involves speed. Skiing, motor racing, jumping out of an airplane, even riding a dirt bike - definitely not for me. I even hate rides at the amusement parks. But I have no grudge against others who do like to do those kind of things.
SO he jumped off a cliff at get away from the snow coming from behind him and then got buried by the snow coming from behind him.
I suppose lazy unhealthy couch potatoes should have medical care withheld. After all, they ask for their troubles. As a former first responder, we train for this. We then sit around waiting for a chance to use our skills.
He breaks 5 vertebrae and he’s out in 12 days? Who is this guy, Superman?
What is wrong with being on a marked trail?
Thanks; I have yet to meet anyone who after reading of her injuries would switch places with that woman.
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