Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

California Snowboarder Describes Being Hit by 'Tsunami' of Snow During Avalanche Scare

California Snowboarder Describes Being Hit by 'Tsunami' of Snow During Avalanche Scare
Wochit News/YouTube

Evan and Kahlynn Huck experienced every snowboarder's worst nightmare and came out on the other side alive. The San Francisco natives were carving the slopes at Squaw Valley Ski Resort near Lake Tahoe, California when they heard a shout behind them. The Hucks looked back just in time to see themselves overtaken by an 8-foot wall of snow. Before they could react, the couple was completely buried. If he weren't so lucky, that might have been the end... fortunately, however, someone managed to spot Evan's snowboard peeking out of the snow and nearby skiers were able to dig him out!


​At first, Evan was conscious beneath the avalanche. In his words:

I was conscious for about 45 seconds while I was under the snow at first, then I kind of ran out of oxygen and passed out.

Forunately, Kahlynn was able to dig her way out. But her ordeal was far from over:

I was inconsolable, I was hysterical. I was wondering if that was it and my husband was gone

Evan and Kahlynn both feel incredibly lucky, and told local news crews they have a "new lease on life."

Skier Joe Breault was among the skiers that helped dig Evan out of the snow before he died of suffocation. He described the moment Evan regained consciousness:

...he opened his eyes and looked right at me and said, 'Where's my wife?'

Huck and others nearby estimate he was under the snow for 5-6 minutes.

The average human can go around 5-10 minutes without suffering any major harm (aside from possibly passing out). Another few minutes, however, and Evan may have suffered permanent brain damage. Another few minutes after that, and he might have died. It's a good thing there were many sharp-eyed heroes on hand to quickly track him down.

Twitter was incredibly relieved everyone made if off the mountain ok!

The avalanche was a result of a blizzard which pummeled the Sierra Nevada Mountain range with winds of up to 150 miles per hour for several days. Though it seemed the worst of the storm had passed, it had left behind 7 feet of newly fallen, unstable snow - a natural disaster waiting to happen.

Two others were buried in the same avalanche as the Hucks and taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries.

Sadly, two other snowboarders in the area were killed this weekend by the blizzard weather conditions. On Friday, March 2, the body of Wenyu Zhang, 42, was recovered on the slopes of Squaw Valley, having "died during the severe weather." At China Peak Ski Resort, Blake Smith, 36, fell headfirst into deep snow (a result of the increased precipitation), and suffocated before he could be helped out.

The nearby Mammoth Ski Resort also suffered an avalanche on the morning of March 3. Fortunately, only 3 were partially buried, and all managed to dig themselves out of the snow. With a little less luck, however, many of these experiences could have turned out a lot worse. After a large snowfall, especially one created by a blizzard, perhaps staying off the slopes for several days is the best course of action. Better to lose a ski trip than your life!

More from News

Donald Trump; Karoline Leavitt
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Trump Grosses Out The Internet With His Latest Fawning Praise For Karoline Leavitt

President Donald Trump has people cringing after he heaped fawning praise on White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's "face" and "lips" in remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on Monday.

Trump and reporters were traveling back to the U.S. from the Middle East, where Trump celebrated his brokered peace deal in Gaza, which resulted in the return of Israeli hostages who'd been held by Hamas for two years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Blasted After Bizarrely Claiming That Watergate Was A 'Hoax' In Unhinged Rant

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has a lot on his plate.

There's the GOP-created government shutdown, increasing national and international backlash over the Gestapo tactics employed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and dissension in the ranks of his MAGA minions over Trump's 2024 campaign promises to reveal and release all of the information Trump's Justice Department and the FBI compiled to indict and arrest Trump's longtime friend, registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, in 2019.

Keep ReadingShow less
Elliot Page attends "A Deeper Love: The Story Of Miss Peppermint" Premiere during 2025 NewFest at SVA Theater.
Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

Elliot Page & Nolan Reunite

At this year’s New York Comic Con, Elliot Page reflected on reuniting with director Christopher Nolan more than a decade after starring in the 2010 sci-fi classic Inception. In that film, Page played Ariadne, a gifted architect who helps build dream worlds—a name that also nods to Greek mythology.

Now, Page is returning to the mythic realm as a new Ariadne in Nolan’s next epic, The Odyssey, slated for release in July 2026.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump speaking to reporters
@Acyn/X

Trump Raises Eyebrows After Admitting That He Doesn't Think He's 'Heaven-Bound'

President Donald Trump raised eyebrows when he admitted to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Israel on Sunday that he's "not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven," prompting considerable mockery online.

Trump's remarks came just a couple of months after he sparked considerable ridicule by telling the press that bringing about an end to the war in Ukraine may help him with getting "to heaven." At the time, he said that if he successfully ends the war, "this will be one of the reasons" why he ends up there.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tallulah Willis; Perez Hilton
Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images for La DoubleJ x MOTHER; Denise Truscello/Getty Images for José Andrés Group

Tallulah Willis Calls Out Perez Hilton For Mocking Her Looks As Child And Nearly Driving Her To Suicide

There was a certain tone in celebrity tabloids that did not arise, but did flourish, in 2000s and 2010s internet rags. The tone was catty, invasive, and sometimes downright conspiratorial.

Much of that tone and its refinement and copycats can be traced to one blogger in particular: Perez Hilton. As society has moved on and many of his old targets have come into their own power or grown up to be adults, the blowback from all the things he said has been slow but steady.

Keep ReadingShow less