‘Scariest experience of my life.’ Video shows snowmobiler buried by Wyoming avalanche

A snowmobiler was going down a Wyoming mountain when he got buried by an avalanche — but luckily a friend was there to dig him out.

John Sievers was swept away in an avalanche south of Jackson, he said in a Jan. 2 Facebook post. Video shows his friend, also on a snowmobile, rushed to save him.

Video contains language that may be offensive.

“Scariest experience of my life,” Sievers said on Facebook. “Thank God Jason Rubio was right there, definitely could’ve been a different ending.”

Sievers said he yanked his avalanche bag, but it didn’t work. He was then buried deep in snow, video shows.

“I pulled the handle like my life depended on it and it didn’t deploy,” he said.

Rubio rushed to help the snowmobiler, video shows. Once he got to Siever’s location, all that was visible was a portion of his arm buried under the snow.

As Rubio started digging, Sievers began to scream and flail his arm, video shows. His screams were muffled by the snow.

Rubio quickly dug the snowmobiler’s head from the snow so he was able to breathe, video shows.

An avalanche can happen quickly and catch people by surprise. Avalanches can move at speeds between 60-80 mph, and typically happen on slopes of 30-45 degrees, according to officials.

They can be triggered by a change in the weather or by people recreating on a slope, officials said.

Skiers, snowmobilers and hikers can set off an avalanche when a layer of snow collapses and starts to slide down the slope.

In the U.S., avalanches are most common from December to April, but they can happen at any time if the conditions allow for it, National Geographic reported.

Six people have died in avalanches during the 2021-2022 season as of Jan. 4, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

This story was originally published January 4, 2022 at 12:24 PM with the headline "‘Scariest experience of my life.’ Video shows snowmobiler buried by Wyoming avalanche."